Horological Meandering

Watches and Wonders 2026 is off to a roaring start! We're celebrating THREE big anniversaries; 100 years of Rolex Oyster, 50 years of Patek Philippe Nautilus, and 30 years of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas! What an important year! We also have some real...  

So far, the VC novelties are my favorite. I also love some of the JLC novelties, but those are at the multi six-figure end of the scale . Looking forward to reading and watching further reports from the show, cheers, Filip

There's a lot of consensus that Vacheron Constantin had a great show this year!

And I agree; VC, Patek and Chopard are killing it this year! I found the Rolex releases rather disappointing, but perhaps my expectations were too high... Look forward to seeing the new Octo Finissimo, sounds very promising!

Those three brands; Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Chopard all had the strongest showings this year. Hence they're in my top three. I think A LOT of people found the Rolexes to be underwhelming - especially the 100th Anniversary model. The stone... 

That new 44 luminor with the brown dial looks nice, the movement is not particularly nice looking. The VC price point sounds quite aggressive, maybe OK if they want to target AP ROO clients. JLC completely blew it with 50m WR on their integrated bracelet ... 

I'd agree with you on the pricing of the Vacheron Constantin is high, but it is in line with the other product offerings. It's priced similarly to the Nautilus in platinum and is relatively equivalent in terms of brand positioning. Also, do note that new ... 

I was actually referring to the pricing of the am/pm model, not the PT which is indeed lovely!

$41,000 USD was actually slightly lower than I expected - as I was expecting them to charge more than $7K for titanium case and bracelet over steel. I think that's about right for a Vacheron Constantin. The steel Chopards are around $30K a piece and have ... 

Too late and too little. The only thing i like is the bracelet design, easily rivals the Overseas.

I didn't like the price, I didn't like the crown, I wasn't impressed with the water resistance, and I didn't think I'd like the bracelet design neither.

...  

Slightly new testing procedures too. JLC is changing tactics. JLC is really focusing on the high end. There are a LOT OF ULTRA-Special pieces that are being announced for special collectors that aren't advertised as part of the standard novelties offering... 

LOVE! That's the magic word! I'm in team Brown. I think blue and green are going to be the top sellers. But I am on team brown!

I think you would really appreciate that movement if you saw it in person. I know you're not crazy about the integrated sports watch design - and I don't blame you!

New Celestial PP is quite something, is it not? VC Everest, Always liked them. PP Nautilus, have to see in flesh, the dial seems to blue, i like the grey/blue tone of older dials.

The Celestial is a huge departure from Patek Philippe's normal core identity. At first, I didn't like the new Celestial, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. It's not classic, but it's capturing a moment - it's moment - quite well. I look forwar... 

been up since 2am, jet lag, i ran out of superlatives to describe the trip.

Glad to hear that Bulgari is putting out a n Octo Finissimo in smaller size.

Marc

Might I highly recommend the Alpine Eagle models too! The latest champagne dial and the Monte Rosa Pink dial (which will be phased out) has the same movement as the 1860!

Marc

The truly stunning piece for me is Patek's 5249R-001. Cheers, Emmanuel

I had a feeling you'd like that one my smart friend! And two very clever animals on that piece too!

I totally love what VC has introduced, especially those Everest dual time , seriously cool!

The Cardinal Points (aka Everest 2.0) really likes you too! Which color is your favorite? Blue, white, brown, or green? Green and blue will likely be the top sellers. But I'm really drawn to Team Brown!

If you see that I've missed something, please do let me know!

Did you think the Nautilus clock was a true Nautilus?