Editors' Picks Our Six Favorite Watches From Geneva Watch Days

Geneva Watch Days wasn't quite the full-bore terrordrome of horology that we've had in the past from major trade shows, but it was a pointed demonstration from the organizers, and the exhibiting brands, that the desire to show watches in person is alive and well. While the number of participating brands was relatively small, that was at least to some extent a feature, not a bug, giving the companies that did participate a relatively uncluttered stage on which to show their products.

I'm one year over celebrating a birth year with Parmigiani Fleurier. It's a good thing, too. If the company and I were born in the same year, I might have felt forced to go into debt for the rest of my life to buy the new Parmigiani Tonda PF Split-Seconds (Does Affirm accept $100 monthly payments on six-figure purchasers? No?). Released for the company's 25th anniversary, the new rattrapante chronograph features one of the company's most complex in-house movements, the brilliant high-beat caliber PF361 (those rose gold bridges are to die for), a sleek platinum case and bracelet, and a solid platinum dial with what appears to be a blasted finish. It's drop-dead gorgeous from every direction (one of my favorite secondary details is the use of a pulsometer scale on the dial; SO much better than a standard tachymeter). 

A spiritual successor to the split-seconds chronograph Parmigiani Fleurier revealed to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the new watch also helps inaugurate the company for a new future – it's placed within the Tonda PF line, new CEO Guido Terreni's first collection at the company. Happy birthday, Parmigiani.

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Rattrapante Chronograph, $171,600.

Of the many lines, independent and not, that've launched a stainless steel sport luxury watch out into the world in the last 4 or 5 years, the Czapek Antarctique stands out to me as one of the best. It's become the watch I think of most when In think of Czapek. Its latest version, with a wide-open view onto an openworked split-seconds movement, is on my short list of the most visually interesting watches of 2021. There is a lot going on when you actuate a rattrapante. I wish I'd had a chance to see this one in person and push its buttons at Geneva Watch Days.

The Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante, CHF 46,000.

It is easy to like extremely expensive, extremely unusual complicated watches. But while they're often very interesting on one level or another, it's a relatively rare occurrence to see one that succeeds from a design standpoint as well as it succeeds from an engineering standpoint. (George Daniels famously wrote that it was difficult to make a complicated watch that doesn't have a dial that looks like a gas meter – a fair remark, even today). The central tourbillon is almost certainly the rarest type and any incarnation is inherently interesting on that consideration alone, but I think Bulgari's new version – based on an older design originally developed by Daniel Roth for a time-only watch with center seconds – is a great take on the idea. Combining a central tourbillon with a jumping hours display is inspired, and combined with the papillon indication for the elapsed minutes, makes for a composition that keeps the mechanical fascination front and center, without sacrificing anything in terms of balance and harmony.

The Bulgari Octo Roma Central Tourbillon Papillon, $129,000.

Subtlety is fine; I'm the kind of person who wants to be able to understand a thing by looking at it, without the need for subtext, or a press release to guide me. Enter the new Breitling Top Time Capsule Collection – a trio of watches that might as well be actual vintage cars with the level of branding applied. But, I have to say, I like them … especially the blue dial Shelby Cobra variant (most because of its smaller 40mm sizing). When it comes to vintage, we love to see co-branded watches, and esoteric double stamps, à la the Dominoes Rolex. There's a certain double standard in the watch world to scoff at modern pieces that operate in the same universe as the vintage ones we love. It's kind of like hating a movie because you love the book. 

I'm a fan of last year's Breitling Top Time Limited Edition, and was glad to see the brand continue to work with this model range, which manages to capture a certain '60s-era mid-century spirit. Since I don't see myself getting behind the wheel of a classic Corvette, Cobra, or Mustang any time soon, a modern watch with all those vibes works just fine.

The Breitling Top Time Automotive Capsule Collection, $5,500.

I've always found Urwerk's whimsical designs fascinating. They look unlike anything else out there, and there's always a creation story attached to the watches that's genuinely novel. The aesthetic of this watch calls to mind one of my favorite sci-fi flicks, The Fifth Element. The design is meant to be thought-provoking, and it works. I ended up diving into the history of Electrum, a naturally occurring gold alloy that was used by the Egyptians (this might explain The Fifth Element connection) as well as researching exactly how fast the Earth is spinning, as that's a figure the UR-100 Electrum tracks. To me, great watchmaking is just as much a cerebral pursuit as it is an exercise in the pursuit of manufacturing perfection. This watch hits both of those notes.

The Urwerk UR-100 Electrum, CHF 62,000.

What'd you expect me to pick? While I may enjoy a split-seconds chronograph or a tourbillon, a titanium Doxa with Aubry-era design influence? The 600T is in my kitchen, looking in the fridge for leftovers. Measuring 40mm wide and rocking 600 meters of water resistance, this angular '80's-themed diver is legible, lightweight, and oh-so-colorful. With a matching blue for both the ceramic bezel insert and the included rubber strap, this no-date Doxa uses a Swiss automatic movement and is finished with bright orange accents. 

Generally, accessible sports watches are not really the core of a show like Geneva Watch Days (see split-second chronographs and tourbillons, above) but this nicely sized and well spec'd diver is limited to 200 units and comes in at $1990. Forging a new path for Doxa that looks beyond the late '60s for inspiration, the 600T is a great size, appropriately bold (for a Doxa), and it's easily my favorite new watch announced at Geneva Watch Days. Well, unless Logan wants to go splitzies on a certain other titanium watch announced at the show.

The Doxa 600T Limited Edition, $1,990.