Geneva Watch Days 2020 - My Top 4 Picks

Did you know there was a watch fair back at the end of August? There were like almost 20 exhibitors. Yeah man. You'd be forgiven if you thought all that happened recently was the new/not so new Rolexes. oh. And the new S class. There were some gems launched by a number of brands that you may have missed, believe it or not.

It was the Geneva Watch Days and it went from 26th of August to the 29th of August. It wasn't a big fair, mind you. Just a number of brands all launching new products in the Geneva area. And online. 

Here are my picks of the show. And just a quick reminder that watches are immensely personal, and these are MY picks, which may not be your picks, but that's what makes this hobby so interesting. We don't have to like the same things but as long as there are more and more people wanting to know about watches and appreciate the craftsmanship, the better it is.

Therefore, without further ado, and in no particular order (apart from the order in which they are recalled in my brain)...

Bvlgari Aluminium - There is a personal connection to this range of watches, which harks back to the days when I was just fresh out of uni, in my very first full time job selling watches and what not. We had a few of these in the Bvlgari counter. In those days, for the life of me, I could not understand why people are willing to pay so much for something made from aluminium and rubber, by a jewellery company no less, when you could have a much, much nicer Omega Seamaster Bond watch. (Mind you, I felt the same about Cartier). Having said that, the design did stick with me as it was so different to everything that was available back then (early 2000s) and believe it or not, I am very happy to see it back, powered now by trusty workhorse movements from ETA, and at a relatively bargain basement pricing. (Think about it. 20 years ago it was around the same price as the Omega Seamaster. Now it's half.) I wish they would've kept the Diagono name though.

 

Gerald Genta - I've always liked the Gerald Genta, not just because he designed some truly iconic watches, but his own branded watches. Very glad to see Bvlgari bringing it back, and in the bi-retrograde form. Gerald Genta watches features a fair bit back in the OG days of the Tarts, there was a bronze Gefica Safari, which was the first watch in bronze, the mickey mouse bi-retrograde, amongst others. I'm sure I have photos of these, but if I do, they're stored somewhere in an external HDD and it's a little too hard to go look for them now... I find retrograde displays really fascinating, especially the moment when the hand bounces back in an instant. This release in 2020 is cased in titanium, and at 15,000 Euro, it is relatively accessible. And if you consider the alternatives, there are much, much less worthy Genta designed watches you can choose at that price. I would pick the Bi-Retro any day. Oh, and if my budget only stretched to the lower 4 figures, the aforementioned Bvlgari aluminium is actually, believe it or not, based on a Genta design. 

Girard Perregaux - I have a soft spot for GP. I really do. I don't know why they're not as appreciated these days. I'm at a complete loss for reasons. This year GP brought out the "Infinity" range of watches, all featuring black onyx dials. The Laureato gets all the attention because... well... it's kinda because the steel sports watch is all the rage at the moment. But personally, I love the Vintage 1945 because 1) Art Deco style 2) it's not round and 3) BIG DATE! and 4) moonphase! However I do wish the hands were also in rose gold though.

Ferdinand Berthoud Chronometre FB 2RE - The FB is one of those brands that disappeared for a while, and then brought back to life back in 2006, by  Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, president of Chopard, and made a grand entrance with the FB1. As much I appreciate the craftsmanship, the styling left me cold. This, however, has my complete attention. Yes it is more traditional and perhaps less avant-garde compared to the debut album, but being inspired by the marine chronometre they made centuries ago is just fantastic. You can see some of the marine clocsk at the MIH if you ever get the chance to go, it's well worth the trip. Ferdinand Berthoud played a large and important part of watchmaking history, and was based in Neuchatel. The name might only be revived in the last couple of decades, but the history is legit.

Ferdinand Berthoud Marine Clock No.12, 1774