Geneva Watch Week 2025: the Time+Tide team picks their favourite watches from Watches and Wonders (and beyond!)
Time+TideThe first week of April has been nothing short of a horological Christmas come early, with Watches and Wonders – now securely the single most important watch fair in the world – taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. Naturally, the Time+Tide team were on the ground to see the industry’s most exciting releases… But Watches and Wonders wasn’t the only game in town. We also saw smaller exhibitions like Time to Watches and the AHCI’s Masters of Horology, as well as numerous other brands exhibit in hotels like the Beau-Rivage, their ateliers and beyond during this broader “Geneva Watch Week”.
In short, it’s been one hell of a week. Now that we’ve all headed back home and had a chance to digest what we saw and what was released, we’ve taken it upon ourselves as a team to share our favourite watches from this Geneva Watch Week – some of which you got a taste of in our “Kiss, Marry Kill” video. We’re also keen to hear what your favourite watch of the week was, so get in touch on our socials. Anyway, let’s get into it!
Jamie’s pick: Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135
Last year, I ended up nominating a different watch as my favourite of Geneva Watch Week than the watch I said I’d marry in our team video. Call it the benefit of hindsight. However, I’m sticking to my guns this year, as my “marry” watch remains my favourite watch of the week, even after getting back to Australia and having some time to reflect. That watch is the Zenith G.F.J., which isn’t just a stunning and surprisingly complex dress watch but a potent celebration of Zenith’s 160th anniversary.
I don’t think I’ve ever had quite as visceral a reaction to a watch as I had when I tried the G.F.J. on. Cased in curvaceous platinum, its dial is a work of art – combining guilloché, lapis lazuli (stone dials are trending, baby!) and dyed mother-of-pearl – but its movement, a modern revival of the legendary Calibre 135, is a cracker too. Putting it under a 10x loupe in Geneva, it’s utterly flawless, from the logo printing on its dial to the brick-like machining on its bridges, a nod to the distinctive exposed brick motifs adorning the facade of Zenith’s manufacture in Le Locle. The bracelet is particularly baller (and more than doubles the G.F.J.’s retail price if optioned)… What a triumphant return to dress watches and métiers d’art.
Zach’s pick: Grand Seiko SLGB003 Spring Drive U.F.A. Ice Forest
Admittedly, this is an obvious choice for me as a well-established Grand Seikophile (and for anyone who watched our Kiss, Marry, Kill video). The SLGB003 Spring Drive U.F.A., with its smaller 37mm size and new micro-adjustment clasp, offers everything many Grand Seiko fans have long been begging for. The compact case and micro-adjust clasp have been desired for so long that they almost completely outshone the headlining news of this release – the new 9RB2 Ultra Fine Accuracy Spring Drive movement. With an accuracy rating of within 20 seconds per year, it is the most accurate Spring Drive watch on the market today.
This is a watch that ticks the “offers everything I need in one watch” box, and in a 100-metre water-resistant titanium case, on a matching bracelet with a new micro-adjust system, with an incredibly accurate movement, if I had zero Grand Seiko watches in my collection, this would undoubtedly be my first pick. Sadly, with a Snowflake and a few other blue dials in my collection, this blue-tinted silver feels a bit too repetitive for my collection. Perhaps if a more adventurous dial gets merged with this format I would jump on it. But the real reason why this release excites me so much is that a smaller Spring Drive movement hints at the possibility of other watches using its derivatives, including a smaller Grand Seiko dive watch.
Buffy’s pick: Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication
There may be a thinness battle unfolding year-on-year with no end in sight (with Bulgari most recently taking another record), but Vacheron Constantin is out here breaking a record that may take decades to beat. The Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication is now the most complicated wristwatch in the world, but what’s more impressive than its 41 complications is its wearability and usability. 45mm x 15mm isn’t that small, but when you consider all of its functions, it’s downright astonishing. Who else but Vacheron Constantin could make a mechanical watch that lets you calculate celestial objects’ future positions and have it be slimmer than most automatic chronographs? It’s not just a masterclass of watchmaking, but also an exciting demonstration of the future of astronomical complications.
Borna’s pick: Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer
Nomos is a brand that rarely puts a foot wrong, but I’ll be completely honest, their last two major unveilings had me slightly worried. The 31 different dials released at W&W 2024 were cool, but not that innovative, and the Tangente 2date was just nonsensical in my mind. Thankfully, Watches and Wonders 2025 was a complete 180 and return to form for the Glashütte watchmaker, bringing actual improvement to a model that has long languished semi-forgotten.
The new Club Sport Worldtimer took everything that was great about the Zürich, but made it better, with a more wearable case (40.5mm x 9.9mm x 48mm lug-to-lug), much improved calibre, and honestly one of the most pleasant dial designs I’ve seen for a while. The two regular-production variants with their sunburst finishes are nice enough, but it’s the pastel LEs that really caught my eye. While Nomos is admittedly focusing less on its entry-level pieces, I believe there’s plenty of value to be had here, and I think that speaks volumes, given the level of competition at W&W.
Pietro’s pick: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon
Yes, I can already see what you, readers, are thinking: “It’s just another extra thin Octo Finissimo”. But it is something special. It doesn’t make any sense in real life, yet it still exists. While I really enjoyed all the previous iterations, despite them being literal technological marvels, I didn’t feel connected to them. This time, it was different – much different. It was almost as if holding all the previous models was the essential preparation to appreciate this one fully.
For those who don’t know me already, this is not even my style! Usually, I go for dress pieces that look classical. Well, this is as far as possible from that idea, but the moment I put it on, everything just fell into the right place. And when I closed the clasp, with the paper-thin bracelet fitting like I glove, I knew that out of all the watches I tried on, the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon was the one.
Alex’s pick: Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets
Cartier remains one of the rare watchmakers capable of crafting timepieces that enchant the wider public while also honoring the more eclectic creations that have helped shape their legendary identity. There’s something exciting about seeing a maison as grand as Cartier turn inward, reflecting on their rich archives and reintroducing revered pieces like the Tank à Guichets: a watch that balances a genuine vintage charm whilst holding a strong contemporary appeal to the modern collector. I can’t pick just one variant of the thing ever since seeing Zach review them, though… As an enthusiast, fan-appealing releases like these rekindle the romance that first drew me into this world and offer a hopeful glimpse at the future of our industry from the big brands. Now, if they’d only bring back the Tank Basculante, I might just find myself weighing up the market value of one of my non-essential organs.