Watches and Wonders 2023 - Emerging Watch Trends for 2023 - Watches and Wonders

I got a head start on this topic when the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (the lovely people behind Watches and Wonders) asked me to host a panel discussion on emerging trends on the last Sunday morning of the fair. As most of my international colleagues had already left for the airport, and the Geneva-based journalists were planning a well-deserved lie-in after a week of horological wonders, I was left with no other option than to beg my colleagues inside GMT Publishing for help.

Thankfully, Jean-Christophe Teigner from the Fine Watch Club, Marie de Pimodan from GMT, and our own Jordy Bellido, from right here at WorldTempus, agreed to put on their glad rags for one last day of fun and join me on stage for a discussion about New Products – What is Trending? Since then, more trends have started to emerge as we have had time to digest everything that we saw. Here are five of the top trends.

Pick a Pantone and Don’t Be Shy

Each year, there is one colour that stands out from the crowd – 2021 was blue, 2022 was green, and 2023 is the year of “Pick a Pantone and don’t be shy”! From Oris’s ProPilot Kermit Edition in lime green to Patek Philippe’s purple Calatrava, TAG Heuer’s fuchsia Carrera Date, Hublot’s Big Bang Unico High Jewellery King Gold Rainbow, and Beauregard’s Lili Candy to name a few, this was a particularly colourful year that reflects a certain desire for fun after two years of pandemic and confinement, we are not feeling shy in the watch world, and as a child of the disco era, I’m loving all of it!

Big Bang Unico High Jewellery King Gold Rainbow © Hublot

Materials in the Mix

Everywhere we went, we were hearing the word “titanium”. The difference I would say is that this extremely light material is now feeling far more luxurious than it previously did. When the first titanium watches started to re-emerge a few years ago, they felt a little on the cheap side. Maybe this was due to us not being used to the lightness or the roughness of the material to the touch, but I feel that brands have been paying more attention to the feel of the material, experimenting with the weight of the whole watch, but also different finishing techniques that give this material a more precious feel. Examples include Cyrus’s Klepcys GMT Ocean Blue and Lime Green, IWC’s Ingénieur Automatic Titanium, Rolex’s Yacht-Master 42 Titanium, and Zenith’s Defy Revival Shadow, all of which feel luxurious in every sense of the word.

Klepcys GMT Lime Green © Cyrus

Small Wonders

If case sizes are moving in any direction, it is definitely towards smaller diameters. This could be just the end of the trend for big watches as the pendulum swings, to use a watch term, or perhaps this new trend has been promoted by the world’s interest in vintage pieces, which were historically smaller. Whatever the cause, the sizes are definitely coming down. The Panthère de Cartier, the Cartier Baignoire Mini Bangle, Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas Self-Winding 34mm, Tudor’s Black Bay 54 (that’s for the year that inspired it, not the size, which is 37 mm), and Zenith’s Pilot Automatic all prove the point.

Overseas Self-Winding 34 mm © Vacheron Constantin

Rubber Straps and Interchangeability

When it came to straps, the trend is in the favour of rubber, and interchangeable systems are now the norm. I’m wondering if the two aren’t linked somehow, as alligator and leather straps tend to be more expensive, consumers are probably not going to invest in a whole rainbow of coloured straps to play with, however, with rubber they can, so maybe the two are connected. Another theory could be the increase in steel sports watches on integrated bracelets, also look good on rubber, so maybe one trend leads to another. Let me know your thoughts on that one!

Openwork Outshines New Complications

At Watches and Wonders, we are always looking out for new technical innovations, and I have to say that there appeared to be fewer this year (although I will do a shout-out to Montblanc’s new Minerva chronograph that is activated by the bezel, which was off-the-charts cool)! For many brands, the innovation came in the form of openwork, which is a complication in itself. Taking away material from a movement while not deforming the components is a technical feat, and decorating those components to make them aesthetically pleasing to the eye is an art. Some of the highlights included Jaeger-LeCoutre’s Reverso Chronograph, Cartier’s Santos-Dumont Squelette Micro-Rotor, and Louis Moinet’s Impulsion. From outside the fair, a mention of Bovet’s Virtuoso XI is also in order.