The Best Watches We Saw at the First Big Watch Show of 2024

The first big watch event of 2024 is here, and if it’s any indication, this year is looking like another banner one for the luxury watch industry. Luxury conglomerate LVMH hosted the fifth iteration of its annual LVMH Watch Week in Miami this week, and we attended to go hands-on with the new releases from the company’s impressive portfolio of brands.

LVMH’s watch division began the year with some significant shakeups. Former TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault — the son of LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault — was promoted to CEO of LVMH Watches, overseeing all brands in the portfolio. Taking his place at the top of TAG Heuer is Julien Tornare, who vacates his position as CEO of Zenith. Taking over at Zenith is Benoit de Clerck, who arrives at LVMH after many years with rival Richemont, where he most recently served as Panerai’s Chief Commercial Officer.

Both TAG Heuer and Zenith exhibited some impressive new novelties at the event in Miami, alongside sister brands Hublot and Bulgari. The event also served as a coming-out party for the launches of two new more exclusive brands with both Daniel Roth’s and Gérald Genta‘s eponymous brands being revived at Louis Vitton’s La Fabrique du Temps manufacture.

Lots of new watches debuted at the show, but the ones below left the biggest impression on us.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer Carrera Dato

TAG Heuer’s back catalog is filled with quirky vintage favorites from Heuer’s mid-century heyday, and we’ve already seen the brand resurrect some recently — like the Skipper — to great acclaim through the retro-modern Glassbox platform introduced last year. Now comes the Dato, which combines a Destro date window with a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock for a unique layout. The teal dial brings it all together in gorgeous fashion.

Specs

Case Size	39mm
Movement	TAG Heuer TH20-07 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	100m

Pros

• A favorite vintage style resurrected and modernized
• The teal dial is beautiful

Cons

• Not the most useful chronograph layout
• Could stand to be thinner at 13.8mm thick

• $6,550 at TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon

TAG Heuer Teal is quickly becoming a signature color for the brand, and I sure wouldn’t mind seeing it on more watches. But the most impressive application of the shade thus far has to be on the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon. Seamlessly slipping a tourbillon into the beautiful Glassbox chronograph layout (though a few mm larger than usual to accomodate the complication) and topping it all off with that alluring blue-green hue, this watch is a real head-turner.

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	TAG Heuer TH20-09 automatic chronograph tourbillon
Water Resistance	100m

Pros

• A pitch-perfect blend of design and functionality
• Relatively affordable for a Swiss-made chronograph tourbillon

Cons

• On the larger side
• Relative affordability aside, it's still a Swiss-made chronograph tourbillon and is out of reach for most

• $24,050 at TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph 34

TAG Heuer’s solar-powered Aquaracer Solargraph diver has been a big hit for the brand since making its debut in 2022, and in 2024 the brand has expanded the line to be more inclusive with a 34mm version. A true unisex dive watch, the smaller size is more than a scaled-down version of the original. It has a different bezel featuring throwback rider tabs that recall some 40-year-old TAGs, along with unique dial designs like the mesmerizing textured “Polar Blue” seen here.

Specs

Case Size	34mm
Movement	TAG Heuer TH50- 01 solar quartz
Water Resistance	200m

Pros

• Compact size makes it a true unisex dive watch
• Dial texture on the Polar Blue version is interesting

Cons

• The Polar Blue color is definitely green — the name is confusing
• Expensive for a quartz sport watch

• $2,150 at TAG Heuer

Zenith

Zenith

Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar

The El Primero Chronomaster Triple Calendar is back after a brief hiatus, now in the Original’s 38mm case and packing the 1/10th of a second chronograph El Primero movement. In other words, the watch is more impressive and attractive than its ever been. The triple calendar and moonphase are incorporated nicely into the three-register chronograph layout (even if some will lament the 4:30 date), and the fact that Zenith packed it all into an easy-wearing, classically-sized case is very impressive (and quite welcome). It may just be the most versatile chronograph on the market thanks to its compact size and dressy-sporty vibe.

Specs

Case Size	38mm
Movement	Zenith El Primero 3610 automatic chronograph triple calendar
Water Resistance	50m

Pros

• Great mix of sporty and dressy styles
• Refreshingly compact case size

Cons

• The 1/10th second chronograph is very cool but not super useful
• Some will lament the 4:30 date window

• $13,900 at Zenith

Zenith

Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Sport Gem-Set

The Chronomaster Sport is flashier than ever with this gem-set version. With a case and bracelet made from solid rose gold, a meteorite dial, diamond indices and a gem-set bezel fitted with a mix of diamonds, sapphires and spinels in blue, dark gray and light gray to match the iconic El Primero chronograph registers (clever), there certainly is a lot going on here — especially for a brand that’s not really known for making fancy, gem-set watches. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t all come together in a cohesive and seriously gorgeous package. It really shows how the Chronomaster Sport can be a platform for a variety of unique styles, and I can’t wait to see what Zenith cooks up next.

Specs

Case Size	41mm
Movement	Zenith El Primero 3600 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	100m

Pros

• A statement watch if there ever were one
• Different than the typical rainbow pattern — matching the gems to the subdial colors is a nice touch

Cons

• Some will find it too flashy
• It costs nearly six figures

• $98,600 at Zenith

Photo by Johnny Brayson

Hublot

Hublot

Hublot MP-10

Hublot knows it’s a polarizing brand — in fact, it embraces that identity. But however you feel about its designs, no one can question Hublot’s ingenuity. That’s especially true with its MP (Manufacture Piece) line, where the brand gets even more experimental than usual (which is saying something). For the MP-10, Hublot reimagined how an automatic watch creates energy and came up with a rotor-free system consisting of a pair of white gold blocks vertically mounted on posts and cushioned by tiny spring shock absorbers. As the blocks move up and down on the posts as you move your wrist, the movement is wound — as indicated by the cylindrical power reserve. The design has no dial or hands, and the time is read on rotating barrels for the hour and minutes with a 35-degree tourbillon acting as a seconds counter.

Specs

Case Size	54.1 x 41.5 mm
Movement	Hublot HUB9013 automatic tourbillon
Water Resistance	30m

• $264,000 at Hublot

Photo by Johnny Brayson

Hublot

Hublot Big Bang Unico Green Saxem

Hublot’s Saxem material is a cousin to sapphire — it’s just as scratch-resistant and aluminum oxide-based but a bit different chemically, with rare Earth elements utilized to create brilliant colors. Each color takes around two years to develop, but green was the original and maybe still the best. Green Saxem looks especially good when used as the case for the Big Bang Unico chronograph, thanks to Hublot putting in the extra effort to perfectly match the hands and indices to the case’s dynamic color.

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Hublot HUB1280 UNICO automatic flyback chronograph
Water Resistance	50m

Pros

• The Saxem material looks good and is a conversation piece
• Impressive manufacture chronograph caliber

Cons

• The dial is very busy and kind of hard to read
• The design is very much a "love it or hate it" type of deal

• $116,000 at Hublot

Hublot

Hublot Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Full Purple Sapphire

There’s crazy, there’s Hublot crazy, and then there’s this. An openworked manufacture tourbillon movement and a case crafted from purple sapphire would be more than enough to make this watch a standout, but Hublot went the extra mile and made an entire bracelet out of purple sapphire. Granted, the brand released this exact watch in blue sapphire in 2023, but with purple watches being a hot trend at the moment, the 2024 version looks even better to my eye. Wearing the watch on the sapphire bracelet is a wild experience, it’s silky and smooth and feels like water on the wrist (in a good way). The whole package is very cohesive yet undeniably crazy.

Specs

Case Size	43mm
Movement	Hublot Cal. HUB6035 automatic tourbillon
Water Resistance	30m

Pros

• Sapphire bracelet is stupid comfortable
• Undeniably cool and special

Cons

• Maybe ten people on Earth can pull off this watch (which is good 'cuz they only made 10)
• It costs over half-a-million dollars

• $527,000 at Hublot

Photo by Johnny Brayson

Bulgari

Bulgari

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tuscan Copper

The Octo Finissimo is Bulgari’s daring platform, where the brand expands with crazy-thin movements and interesting case materials. But sometimes, the simplest takes on the form can be the most alluring. Take for instance this stainless steel iteration with a salmon dial. On paper, it’s among the most standard offerings of the Octo, but in the metal, it’s perhaps the most striking in the entire lineup.

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Bulgari BVL 138 automatic
Water Resistance	100m

Pros

• Well-finished with a unique design
• Very thin

Cons

• Very long and flat, wears much larger than dimensions suggest
• Design is unique, but also divisive

• $13,500 at Bulgari

Bulgari

Bulgari Bulgari

Bulgari’s 1970s fashion icon is back, with its release perfectly coinciding with a renewed desire in the market for retro gold watches from the ’70s and ’80s. Available in both this yellow gold/black dial version and rose gold style with a white dial, the new stunner maintains the original’s boldly-branded bezel but sees a decidedly upgraded movement in the form of Bulgari’s own BVL 191 automatic.

Specs

Case Size	38mm
Movement	Bulgari BVL 191 automatic
Water Resistance	50m

Pros

• On-trend retro style
• Elegant gold case

Cons

• Prominent branding is divisive
• Wears larger than you'd think

• $13,200 at Bulgari

Gérald Genta

Gérald Genta

Gérald Genta Only Watch 2023

For the first new watch for the reborn Gérald Genta brand, La Fabrique du Temps founders Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini wanted to incorporate several tenets of the late designer’s original namesake brand. The two watchmakers, both of whom worked under Genta at the original brand, combined an octagonal case with a trio of signature Genta complications in a minute repeater, jumping hour and retrograd minutes, then topped it off with Mickey Mouse on the dial, recalling Genta’s original Disney collab from the ’80s. Created for One Watch 2023 (which was postponed to 2024), this is the only example to exist … though a similar Donald Duck version is in the works, with more than one example planned.

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Gérald Genta Calibre GG-001 Manual Winding Minute Repeater
Water Resistance	50m

Pros

• Whimsical and fun
• An impressive piece of watchmaking with a trio of haute horlogerie complications

Cons

• Only one example will ever exist
• The minute repeater is very quiet, a casualty of the white gold case

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Daniel Roth

Daniel Roth

Daniel Roth Tourbillon Subscription

While not as recognizable of a name as Genta, the rebirth of watchmaker Daniel Roth’s brand is also exciting for watch collectors. Need proof? Over 1,000 well-connected and wealthy prospective buyers applied to buy one of the reborn brand’s first watch, but with only 20 being made, the vast majority were turned down. The Tourbillon Subscription watch is a reimagining of the first Daniel Roth watch from the ’80s, the Tourbillon Ref. 2187/C187, which is considered the first model from independent watchmaker’s brand. It features a brand-new tourbillon caliber developed in-house at La Fabrique du Temps and a solid gold guilloché dial like the one seen on the original.

Specs

Case Size	38.6 x 35.5mm
Movement	DR001 Calibre manual-winding tourbillon
Case Material	18K Yellow Gold

Pros

• Unique and distinctive case shape
• Gorgeous traditional craftsmanship

Cons

• It has a closed caseback — I want to see that movement
• Exclusive to an absurd degree

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