MEET THE TEAM: Borna shares his 5 sleeper hits from Watches & Wonders
Borna BošnjakHaving held the fort back in Melbourne during Watches & Wonders 2022, I couldn’t help but feel just a little bit of FOMO. It would’ve been great to see the show, but the pain of missing out was eased by the sterling coverage from the rest of the team. Cheers, folks! Today, however, I want to champion the underdogs, pieces that I feel deserve more attention than what they’ve already been given. They might be an excellent value proposition, a surprising novelty, or just… something with a certain X-factor, if you will. So here are my top 5 sleeper hits in alphabetical order – I wouldn’t dare rank them out of fear of changing my mind the minute the article goes live.
Czapek and Cie Faubourg de Cracovie
Starting off strong with a brand that continues to be underappreciated, though not for long I suspect. Though Czapek and Cie halted orders for the Antarctique model for a year, there are still plenty of absolute stunners in their line-up. One of them is the Faubourg de Cracovie chronograph, with its gorgeous Résonance guilloché dials. The Czapek SXH3 movement powers the Faubourg de Cracovie, manufactured exclusively for Czapek by Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. The sapphire caseback offers a look at the dark bridges of column wheel-operated movement, beating at 5 Hz. For more details, check out our coverage of the two new models.
| Brand | Czapek & Cie |
| Model | Faubourg de Cracovie |
| Case Dimensions | 41.5mm |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Dial | Handcrafted guilloché in purple |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Strap | Purple alligator strap |
| Movement | Czapek Calibre SXH3, integrated column wheel chronograph, 65-hour power reserve |
| Price | CHF 29,000 |
Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur
Hermès carry their recognisable design cues from the Arceau L’heure de la lune to a fresh take on a world-time and travel-time complication. Developed with Jean-François Mojon, head of Chronode, the travelling time functionality is a new addition, now displaying time at one of the 24 cities on the dial. The pusher at 9 o’clock advances the floating dial by an hour, so should you cross multiple time zones in short succession, the correct time is only a few button presses away. Home time is neatly tucked away at 12 o’clock in a 24-hour format, eliminating the need for a pesky day-night indicator that would clutter the dial. Certainly gives any other travel watch a run for its money…
| Brand | Hermès |
| Model | Arceau Le temps voyageur |
| Case Dimensions | 41mm (platinum) 38mm (stainless steel) |
| Case Material | Platinum with black DLC titanium bezel Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Dial | Galvanized light grey or blue, with laser engraved map |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Strap | Colour-matched calfskin or alligator strap |
| Movement | Hermès calibre H1837, travel-time complication, 40-hour power reserve |
| Price | US$28,825 (platinum) US$22,550 (stainless steel) |
Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin Blue
As its name suggests, the Classic Origin takes all that is Laurent Ferrier, distilling it into its simplest, most pure form to produce a piece of art. The grained blue gradient dial is proportioned by fine silver lines, matched in tone by a high polish to the most beautiful watch hands in the business. The back is no less impressive, with bevelled and polished chamfers to the rhodium-plated and frosted bridges. The jewels are set in polished countersinks, completing the simple, yet modern decoration. On top of all that, the Classic Origin remains the least dear option from the Laurent Ferrier catalogue, albeit retailing just over CHF30,000. One can dream.
| Brand | Laurent Ferrier |
| Model | Classic Origin Blue |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm x 11.1mm |
| Case Material | Grade 5 titanium |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Dial | Gradient blue opaline |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Strap | Nubuck leather with grade 5 titanium pin buckle |
| Movement | Calibre LF116.01, manually wound, 80-hour power reserve |
| Price | CHF 31,000 |
Ressence Type 8C
Of the many novel ways to display the time, a few of which feature in this list, Ressence manage a signature style with an exquisitely minimal look. The 42.9mm grade 5 titanium case weighs only 42 grams, with a wildly curved sapphire crystal covering the unique dial. Making use of their patented Ressence Orbital Convex System lets the Belgian brand use an ETA 2892/2 as a base. It has to be said here, the base movement is extensively modified. Should you wonder over to Ressence’s website, you’ll notice the Type 8C retails for CHF 12,500, which is frankly astonishing. The Type 8C is an actual value proposition and a future grail for me (and also the only one on this list I could maybe afford).
| Brand | Ressence |
| Model | Type 8C |
| Case Dimensions | 42.9mm x 11mm |
| Case Material | Grade 5 titanium |
| Water Resistance | 1 ATM – splash resistant |
| Dial | Cobalt blue, convex with 75mm radius running on ball bearings |
| Crystal | Domed sapphire |
| Strap | Blue leather strap with grade 5 titanium ardillon buckle |
| Movement | ROCS 8, driven by minute axle of 2892/2 base, automatic, 36-hour power reserve |
| Price | CHF 12,500 |
Trilobe Une Folle Journée
Last, but certainly not least, is the Trilobe Une Folle Journée that follows their naming scheme of the supposed kind of adventure you are to have while wearing one. Having cut their teeth on displaying the time with concentric rings and jumping hours, Trilobe presented their first openworked dial at Watches and Wonders 2022. The X-centric calibre returns, the aforementioned rings now rising, levitating above the openworked, grained dial. Time is read at 6 o’clock and diagonally, indicated by a red triangle – in the image above, it would be 6 hours, 27 minutes and 28 seconds. Driving these large, metallic rings requires lots of power from the movement, which Trilobe tries to alleviate by manufacturing the rings in a titanium, aluminium and vanadium alloy for maximum lightness. The microrotor calibre matches the grained surface with polished bevels of the openworked dial, with silver highlights from the wheels and winding rotor.
| Brand | Trilobe |
| Model | Une Folle Journée |
| Case Dimensions | 40.5mm x 17.8mm (10.2mm domed sapphire) |
| Case Material | Grade 5 titanium |
| Water Resistance | Tested to 5 bar |
| Dial | Openworked, dark grained with high polish black chamfers |
| Crystal | Domed sapphire |
| Strap | Leather with pin buckle |
| Movement | X-Centric³ Calibre, self-winding with microrotor, 48-hour power reserve |
| Price | € 21,500 |