Six of the best: Q-P chooses its top picks from Watches and Wonders 2024

Five days, 54 brands, and hundreds of new timepieces, Watches and Wonders certainly lives up to its name. Now the dust has settled, these are the six watches that really stood out for team Q-P.

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Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25‍

Chopard highlights the jumping hour, a complication that’s not even a trend right now. These types of unique steps are indicative of really inspirational watchmaking. Also, the black dial is very impressive. It is very difficult to make an enamel dial in black in these dimensions and it’s amazing to see Chopard accomplish this. Having white numerals on a black dial is such an attractive contrast as well. RRP £45,200

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Zenith Defy Revival A3648‍

What first stands out is the colour combination – it’s all so great. The asymmetric crown is very comfortable, maybe other brands should consider changing their crown placement too. It’s named ‘Revival’ but this watch reflects something new as well. So many brands are bringing back vintage models, and they look very vintage and like everything else out there, but this one is not like that, it feels like a new classic that should stay in the Defy collection. And that price makes it a real summer watch option. RRP £6,900

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Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar‍

This year Jaeger-LeCoultre really achieved something impressive by making this true classic even slimmer. When you think it’s perpetual calendar, it is very impressive. The dial design has been subtly altered, making the sub dials more legible, which has been very effective. If you had to pick a watch thumbnail image to sum up the whole of Watches & Wonders it would definitely be this. RRP £39,000

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Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980/60G

Nautilus is like the experimental area of Patek, the place where it tries out openminded bold ideas. The previous Nautilus novelties were only colour-focused, but this one is different because it has added denim in the equation. The ice blue is a trend, but this one’s hue is quite interesting. To pair it with denim is a great idea, because denim, or rather denim-pattern calfskin in this case, has a very definite unisex vibe. Love the idea of Patek going younger and more modern in that sense. We didn’t see many people wearing denim at the fair, though. RRP £67,620

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‍Chanel J12 Automaton Calibre 6

There was so much to love with Chanel’s couture-inspired collection this year but this was the watch that stood out. Only Chanel would have the irreverence to put its first in-house automaton  – part of its new Calibre 6 – in a sports watch and use it to animate a cartoon version of Mlle. It’s everything we’ve come to expect from the Maison – high-end mechanics displayed with wit and charm. Price on request

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Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Brise d’Été

Another watch that wears its horological prowess very lightly indeed. The whimsical beauty of this dial, where butterflies dance around the dial and flowers sway in a summer breeze, hides the sheer mechanical heft needed to make all this happen. Van Cleef & Arpels like to keep the “how” of their watches hidden but that doesn’t mean there isn’t patents galore concealed underneath that painted summer sky. Price on request‍

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