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Best watches of 2024: Most compelling, intricate and exciting dress, dive and sport watches of the year

Oct 01, 2024 06:03 PM IST

In 2024, the watch industry impressed with innovative designs and exceptional craftsmanship. Let's explore the standout timepieces that define luxury this year.

Despite grappling with the challenges following the post-Covid sales surge, the realm of haute horology continues to push boundaries in design innovation. This year, watchmakers have intensified their focus on sustainability while exploring asymmetrical shapes and a variety of precious metal forms. Many classic watches are now offered in smaller case sizes, reflecting the growing trend toward gender-neutral designs. Ultra-thin models have become even sleeker, and handcrafted guilloche dials are more intricate than ever. In short, 2024 is an exciting year for watch enthusiasts. (Also read: HMT Revival: Lessons from other state-owned watchmakers )

Explore the standout watches that define luxury and precision this year.
Explore the standout watches that define luxury and precision this year.

Richard Mille 17-02 Tourbillon Titanium

Richard Mille watch is a luxury timepiece known for its innovative design,
Richard Mille watch is a luxury timepiece known for its innovative design,

With a case crafted out of grade 5 titanium, the new Richard Mille 17-02 Tourbillon Titanium is on the bleeding edge of sports watch technology. Like all Richard Mille watches, it can withstand g-forces like no other watch. Featuring a manually-winding tourbillon movement, the watch is primarily designed to sit on the wrists of prime, world champion athletes, be they tennis players golfers or Formula One drivers. The Tourbillon packing watch is made of titanium primarily so that the wearer barely notices its physical presence. Given its eye-watering price tag and ever-so-recognisable tonneau shape, the same cannot be said for bystanders gaping at it.

Price: On Request

Breguet Type XX 2067

Breguet is a prestigious Swiss watchmaker known for its intricate craftsmanship.
Breguet is a prestigious Swiss watchmaker known for its intricate craftsmanship.

The civilian counterpart of its top-of-the-line military chronograph, the Type 20, the new Type XX gets a gold bidirectional bezel with blue ceramic ring and a sunburst blue hue dial designed to remind you of the colour variations in the sky, shortly after sunset. What the watch excels at, is in making a very straight-forward and functional dial – one that doesn’t even carry Breguet’s signature hands – look ornate and beautiful in a way only Breguet’s classically-inspired watches can. The Type XX 2067 makes it to the list purely for its visual grandeur.

Price: 39.3 lakh

Audemars Piguet [RE]Master02 Self-winding Chronograph

Audemars Piguet is a luxury Swiss watchmaker famous for its high-quality timepieces and innovative designs.
Audemars Piguet is a luxury Swiss watchmaker famous for its high-quality timepieces and innovative designs.

Audemars Piguet is once again drawing inspiration from its pre–Royal Oak period, presenting designs that venture beyond the iconic octagonal shape. Embracing the trend for bold, asymmetrical styles, the brand has introduced the [RE]Master02, crafted from a material known as “Sand Gold” and featuring a linear satin-finished dial. With its industrial and brutalist aesthetic, the [RE]Master02 is not a mere concept piece but a limited edition of 250, showcasing the brand's commitment to design innovation rather than relying on past successes. While brutalism may not be in vogue, strikingly shaped watches are definitely on-trend.

Price: 39.5 lakh

Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Monet

Jaeger-LeCoultre is a prestigious Swiss watchmaker known for its iconic designs.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is a prestigious Swiss watchmaker known for its iconic designs.

The Reverso has always been one of the most captivating watches in the world. Originally developed for polo players, back in 1931, it has only grown in stature as a horological icon, thanks to its unique dual-face dial. For 2024, Jaeger LeCoultre has decided to convert one side of the dial into a canvas paying tribute to French artist Claude Monet. One of the world’s most famous impressionist artists, Monet’s three separate Venice-inspired pieces of art have been recreated by hand, thanks to some very talented enamellers.The enamelling alone took nine hours of work for each dial, earning this watch a spot on our list.

Price: 91 lakh

Tag Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph

Tag Heuer is known for its precision timepieces and sporty designs.
Tag Heuer is known for its precision timepieces and sporty designs.

This year celebrates the 55th anniversary of Tag Heuer's iconic square-shaped Monaco. To mark the occasion, Tag Heuer has, for the first time, introduced a rattrapante, or split-seconds chronograph function, allowing for the timing of multiple events. Boasting a blend of sandblasted and polished finishes, the watch also impresses with a partially skeletonized dial showcasing bridges in gradient shades of blue, black, or red. This release represents a significant visual and mechanical enhancement to the Monaco collection and a technological achievement for Tag Heuer.

Price: On request

Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph

Cartier is a renowned French luxury brand known for its exquisite jewellery and iconic watches.
Cartier is a renowned French luxury brand known for its exquisite jewellery and iconic watches.

By bringing back a design over a century old, Cartier reaffirms that certain watch shapes are truly timeless. Its striking appearance is so captivating that you might overlook the fact that the calibre inside the slim platinum case is custom-fitted. The charm of the Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph lies in its intricate details. The slender frame, railroad minute tracks, and delicate beveling combine to create a refined dress watch aesthetic that feels just as relevant today. In fact, it offers a refreshing shift from the ordinary.

Price: 49 lakh

Bulgari Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon

Bulgari watches are luxury timepieces known for their bold designs.
Bulgari watches are luxury timepieces known for their bold designs.

When Bulgari isn't busy crafting the world's thinnest watches, it turns its attention to the next best thing: creating highly intricate grand complications. The grand sonnerie is one of the most complex mechanical movements in watchmaking, composed of hundreds of components that must work in perfect harmony. Bulgari has taken it a step further by incorporating a tourbillon, ensuring exceptional precision while showcasing the brand's engineering prowess. On top of that, the movement boasts a 72-hour power reserve, making this one of Bulgari's most technically impressive timepieces—no small feat for a watchmaker renowned for breaking world records on an annual basis.

Price: 2.3 crore

(All prices are mentioned excluding taxes)

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