Vivid colors, immense luxury: the 2023 watch year will dazzle us with true head-turners reaching into the highest spheres of horology. The minute hand is being reinvented, the rainbow pattern revolutionized and water-depth records broken. Here is a selection of the most exciting timepieces awaiting us in the coming year.
Breguet Reine de Naples 9835 and 9838
High-end manufacture Breguet draws on several patents at once to give the watch world its first minute hand of variable length. You read that right: made up of two arms, the minute hand constantly adapts its shape to the egg-shaped dial of the Reine de Naples ladies' collection. The hours are displayed on a rotating disc in the center. Two 18-karat white gold editions, each limited to 20 pieces, offer a symphony of exclusivity rarely seen in new watches: while the Breguet Reine de Naples 9835 contrasts the incredible depth of its blue mother-of-pearl dial with 161 diamonds, its sister model, the Breguet Reine de Naples 9838, reverses the scheme with a white dial and blue sapphires. Inside, manufacture achievements of the highest order take center stage: the newly developed automatic movement 78A0, assembled from 253 components, features a silicon balance spring – typical of the latest watches – and crowns this luxury-class fireworks display with a platinum oscillating weight.
Union Glashütte Belisar Chronograph Speedster Limited Edition
From opulent luxury to sporty power: Union Glashütte's new 44 mm Belisar Chronograph Speedster Limited Edition combines cool retro elements with striking yellow accents. Mushroom pushers, domed crystal, railroad minute track – new watches with vintage character could hardly be more distinctive. The absolute eye-catcher of this special edition, limited to 288 pieces, is the two-tone dial: while the upper two-thirds are finished in elegant silver, the lower third is a vibrant yellow. The latter continues in the bold rubber strap of this rare chronograph; an additional nubuck leather strap with yellow accents is supplied with the Union Belisar. The steel exotic draws its power from the automatic caliber UNG-27.S1, complete with a silicon hairspring, 65 hours of power reserve and three totalizers (60 seconds, 30 minutes and 12 hours).
Longines Spirit Pioneer Edition
A neon-green pioneer with a titanium case: thanks to its grade 5 titanium, the Longines Spirit in the new Pioneer Edition stands out for its tremendous robustness and light weight – qualities that define many new watches in '23. The color accents of this 42 mm aviation model are exotic: besides the Super-LumiNova-coated numerals, the contrast stitching of the black synthetic strap also features neon-green accents. With this hue, Longines brings the matte black dial to life; beneath it beats the COSC-certified automatic movement L688.4 with a silicon hairspring and 66 hours of power reserve. If you're looking for a classic all-round instrument for everyday wear and leisure, with 100 meters of water resistance, a quick-change strap system and upper-class quality, you shouldn't miss new watches like the Pioneer Edition.
Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chronograph
The Geneva luxury house Chopard is presenting its Alpine Eagle XL Chronograph on sporty rubber straps for the first time. Inspired by the beauty of the Alps, these chronometer-certified high-end models with flyback function come in two dial colors, each continued in the strap: Aletsch blue or deep black. Besides the distinctive sheen of the brand's in-house Lucent Steel A223, these 44 mm sports watches impress with first-class mechanics: they are driven by the in-house caliber 03.05-C, featuring three patents for enhanced reliability and precision. While other new watches of 2023 bet on bold colors, the Alpine Eagle stays within the classic spectrum and combines several advantages in its fresh rubber straps: water resistance, soft wearing comfort, a sporty look and maximum robustness. It's not only the latest watches that shine with the benefits of rubber: Chopard has been working creatively with the elastic material since 1995.
Blancpain Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2023
A special highlight for sinologists and lovers of complex calendars is the new Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel by Blancpain, which displays the Chinese calendar in the Year of the Water Rabbit. Since 2012, the world's oldest luxury watch brand (founded in 1735) has upheld the tradition of presenting a strictly limited small series with a Chinese calendar in honor of the respective zodiac sign. This year's model is hard to beat for exclusivity: limited to 50 pieces, it conceals its unique symbiosis of Chinese and Gregorian calendars in a 45 mm platinum case. The white grand feu enamel dial displays the double hour, zodiac sign, celestial stems and the five elements of Chinese philosophy, along with a regular date, month and moon phase. Clever touch: the pushers of this complex masterpiece are hidden beneath the lugs.
Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis Rainbow 3D-Carbon
The eight pieces of the Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis Rainbow 3D-Carbon demonstrate that many of the coming year's new watches are limited to tiny production runs. This 49 mm carbon giant manages to create the rainbow pattern famous from other luxury watches (e.g. the Rolex Daytona) entirely without gemstones, using composite materials instead. Hundreds of colored rods create a spectacular look that stands out on the wrist just as much as the manufacture caliber HUB9009.H1.RA.B with its immense bi-axial tourbillon and 120 hours of power reserve.
Anyone who doesn't take Hublot's engineering seriously will be proven wrong by the enormous complexity of this powerhouse. The Hublot's rainbow-colored show is completed by an alligator strap that also gleams in every hue of the color spectrum. Less rare but similarly exciting, the Hublot Big Bang MP-11 in the Power Reserve 14 Days 3D Carbon Rainbow 45 mm version is there for everyone who couldn't snag one of the 9 newest pieces.
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep
No Omega Seamaster dives deeper: with 6,000 meters of water resistance, the Planet Ocean Ultra Deep sits at the top of the Omega collection. Launched in 2022 – after the Swiss luxury brand's two experimental editions, mounted on the outside of a submersible, survived an incredible 10,934 meters in the Mariana Trench in 2019 – the collection continues its success story in 2023 with seven models: while the gray top version is made of titanium, the other editions use the brand's newest stainless steel alloy, called O-MEGASTEEL, known for its exceptional robustness and bright color. Given the extreme resistance, 45.5 mm is still a moderate diameter, paired with a classic Seamaster look characterized above all by the gradient dial.
Omega Speedmaster '57
A slimmer profile thanks to manual winding: first introduced in 2013, the Omega Speedmaster '57 receives a major update with eight fresh models. Responsible for the innovative leap of this 12.99 mm slim space instrument is the Co-Axial Master Chronometer caliber 9906, which brings along all the highlights of Omega's technical world, from 15,000-gauss magnetic resistance to a time zone function.
Visually, the models aren't immediately recognizable as new watches, but they delight connoisseurs with subtle details such as the three-dimensional "sandwich" dial. Black, blue, green, burgundy – the color palette is refined throughout and gives enthusiasts the choice between a stainless steel bracelet or a leather strap for each.