With 2024 well underway (and adieu to what felt like the longest January ever,) this year’s newness has arrived in the world of all things watches. And in case you missed it, or are new here to Wonderland’s patch of horological hotspots, it was quite the week. LVMH watch week, to be exact.

Hosting the fifth edition this year in the balmy backdrop of Miami, collectors, retailers, journalists, and watch lovers alike congregated under the sun to discover the timepieces to take us into the new year. Discover some of the hautest watches that deserve a spot on your wrist, or a reason to break open the piggy bank, at least.

BULGARI

Bulgari Bulgari

It’s the return of an ‘80s icon, and no it’s not Madonna in fishnets. Rather, the Bulgari Bulgari – and so good they named it twice. Once glittering the wrists of George Michael to Carrie Bradshaw, the Roman coin-inspired reissue boasts minimals and a sleek logo bezel in an amicable 38mm. Fostering a less is more approach with a 12 and 6 o’clock numerals and a 3 o’clock date window, it’s one to add to your grail list. Minimalism is once again having its moment.

Octo Finissimo

It sounds like a Marvel villain, but we can assure it’s not. It is, however, a devilishly good watch to lust over, particularly if you’re looking for something a little larger. In what has come to be one of the Maison’s most recognisable timepieces (given their seismic world-record breaking Ultra model), for LVMH watch week, the OF get’s a refresh in both Yellow Gold and Tuscan Copper. So for those looking for a watch resembling a more bracelet-like aesthetic, the 40mm is your answer. We just hope Bulgari aren’t finished with the Finissimo here, because it’s a watch that just keeps on giving.

HUBLOT

Hublot MP-10

To us watch nerds (and those in training), there’s nothing more interesting than looking at a modern watch and working out exactly how you tell the time. After all, it’s easy enough to look at your phone, so it’s fun when watchmaker’s offer you a challenge. For Hublot’s first plot twist, there’s no hands, instead, four constantly rotating displays. Second: there’s no dial. Instead, the very mechanics that allows the watch to function (the movement) assumes the role of the dial, so that you’re reminded every time you glance down at your wrist exactly how time ticks on by. And who said watches were boring?

Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Orlinski

A mouthful, we agree, but the Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Orlinski is a testament to just how versatile – and provocative – Hublot can be. Since 2017, in Hublot’s campaign, Hublot Loves Art, the Swiss watchmakers have partnered with renowned French sculptor Richard Orlinski to produce characteristically angular models. And embracing their nonconformist spirit, this time Orlinski’s vision has been interpreted through coloured ceramic. Both in Yellow Magic and Sky Blue, these whopping 45mm time-tellers are like carrying little portraits on your wrist, boasting sharp angles and high contrasts with matching coloured-straps. So if you’re constantly working out whether to cheat on watches with artwork or vice-versa, Hublot just heard your struggles and brings the gallery wall to your wrist instead. Call it 2 for the price of 1?

TAG HEUER

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph

2024’s horological predictions are in, and the growth of green has already gone from hypothesis to result with TAG Heuer’s teal-dial Dato introduced in Miami this past week. Paying homage to an earlier archive model, the 1968 Heuer Carrera 45 Dato, its arresting dial and Glassbox crystal (the removal of the bezel). Adding a modern touch to classic design, it showcases a singular chronograph, located at 3 o’clock, with a 30 minute counter. That’s less than an entire episode of Friends but enough time to add this to your ‘Watches to Buy This Year List.’ And if you don’t have that list written yet, and you’re just starting out here, then grab your pen already.

TAG Heuer Carrera Date Plasma

If you’re new to lab-grown diamonds, you’ll find there’s mixed reviews. Hardcore collectors and horological partisans might disregard them for the real deal, but I for one am all for them (particularly my bank account too). What makes a good watch from a great watch? Well, IMO, one that ruffles a few feathers and gets people talking. A Marmite watch if you will. The savoury spread got a whole lot sweeter with TAG’s Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde watch, set with 4.8 carats of man-made diamonds. Sure, it makes for an epic glittery-looking dial, but what really gives this watch grail status is the crown. Conceived from a single yellow lab-grown diamond, cut and shaped to replicate a metal crown, it weighs in at 1.3 carats of excellence. Metal, you’re so 2023.

ZENITH

Zenith Triple Calendar

And last but not least, the Zenith Triple Calendar. A quick history so you can gauge just how EPIC this new launch truly is: The Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar pays homage to a rare prototype El Primero from 1970, only 25 of which were produced as a proof of concept. This modern-day iteration isn’t just a jibe to its history, but the exact blueprint. At first glance there’s a lot going on (and in terms of complications, that may be true), but when you actually digest it, it’s fairly simple to read. And even though we’ve had to wait since 1970 to see this model come to life, it’s a case and point that sometimes good things really do come to those that wait.