It’s Official: These Are The Best Timepieces From LVMH Watch Week 2024

It’s officially watch season. Each year, LVMH Watch Week kicks off the New Year, setting the tone for the horological calendar with Watches & Wonders in Geneva not too far behind. Admittedly, LVMH Watch Week always creeps up on your January calendar, quickly starting the time on the New Year. And this year’s LVMH Watch Week had a lot riding on it, given the recent pivots within the family as Frédéric Arnault stepped into the role of CEO of LVMH Watches, appointing Julien Tornare to the CEO of TAG Heuer and Benoit de Clerk now in Tornare’s seat at Zenith after his tenure with Richemont brands. As LVMH ventured down to Miami to globally present its latest collections this year, we have to stay, some of the novelties were just as hot as Miami. In fact, we’re revealing some of the timepieces that set the market on fire below from LVMH’s most prestigious watch brands. 

The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon

A standout for sure within the TAG Heuer repertoire, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon adds to the Carrera collection with a sophisticated teal green circular brushed dial. This 42mm timepiece boasts a tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock encased within a glass frame, showcasing TAG Heuer’s mastery of this intricate mechanism designed to counteract gravity’s effects on mechanical movement accuracy. The watch maintains the iconic Glassbox design of the Carrera series, offering a panoramic view of the tourbillon through a curved sapphire crystal. Teal green flange, rhodium-plated applied indexes, and deep azuré subdials enhance readability and elegance. Luxury details include powdered silver markings, and it’s powered by the Heuer 02 – TH20-09 movement, ensuring bidirectional automatic winding, efficiency, accuracy, and exquisite finishing. 

The TAG Heuer Carrera Date Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde 

I have to be honest, Carrera Date Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde now made with yellow diamonds needed a moment of silence. A groundbreaking timepiece bedecked with a dazzling 4.8 carats of lab-grown diamonds, including 1.4 carats of exquisite yellow Diamant d’Avant-Garde, this Carrera Date Plasma follows its pink-diamond predecessor showcased at Watches and Wonders in 2023. At its core, this avant-garde creation utilizes TAG Heuer’s revolutionary Plasma technology, meticulously nurturing the growth of lab-grown diamonds. The result is an exquisite 4.8-carat masterpiece that exemplifies TAG Heuer’s relentless pursuit of pushing creative boundaries and crafting disruptive designs. The controlled introduction of color through the Chemical Vapor Deposition process, known as Plasma technology, ensures uniform color distribution throughout the diamond’s structure, a feat that requires specialized expertise. The watch, set in white gold with a 36mm case, features a signature diamond crown, a 1.3-carat yellow lab-grown diamond, and a striking Diamant d’Avant-Garde shield on the polycrystalline dial. This innovative dial, formed by growing multiple diamond crystals as one, produces breathtaking reflections and light effects. It’s adorned with 12 white gold indexes set with 0.5 carats of white baguette-cut lab-grown diamonds, while a yellow lab-grown diamond in the signature shield cut graces the 12 o’clock position.

The First-Ever Gem-Set Zenith Chronomaster Sport

Zenith introduced the most extravagant rendition of the Chronomaster Sport to date. This timepiece is a true marvel, boasting a radiant rose gold case and bracelet, adorned with a bejeweled bezel featuring meticulously set baguette-cut white diamonds, black spinels, and both grey and blue sapphires. The iconic El Primero’s tricolour scheme adds a new dimension, elevating the Chronomaster Sport to unparalleled levels of splendor while retaining its distinctive identity. What sets this edition apart is the dial, a fusion of innovative watchmaking and gem-setting expertise (with a total gem setting of 5 carats). Crafted from a slice of meteorite, the dial undergoes meticulous hand-finishing and acquires a golden hue that accentuates the meteorite’s unique Windmanstätten pattern with a warm, solar glow. The dial is further adorned with baguette-cut diamond hour markers and chronograph counters in traditional grey and blue shades, with a matching gold-tone date wheel. Beneath the exquisite exterior lies the latest El Primero caliber, the El Primero 3600, operating at a high frequency of 5 Hz (36,000 VpH) for true 1/10th of a second precision and an extended power reserve of 60 hours. 

The Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar in Slate-Gray 

A major moment for the brand bringing back the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar, I have to say, the slate-gray version in person kind of blew me away. While I have always been keen on the “Panda” dials, something about the slate-gray iteration felt very modern and cool. Originally designed to incorporate a triple calendar and moon phase functions right from the start, the El Primero’s rich history shines through this remarkable timepiece. Featuring a 1/10th of a second chronograph, complete calendar, and moon phase display, the watch offers exceptional functionality without compromising on clarity. The vintage-inspired 38mm steel case, true to the A386 blueprint, showcases a bezel-less design and a raised, domed sapphire crystal, elegantly housing these intricate complications. The dial comes in two versions: a sporty silver-white “panda” opaline dial with black counters and a more opulent opaline slate-grey dial with silvery-white counters, both adorned with rose gold-tone markers and hands. A third dial variant, exclusive to the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar Boutique Edition, features a sunburst olive-green tone. Powered by the El Primero 3610 movement, with a 5 Hz (36,000 VpH) frequency, this watch offers true 1/10th of a second precision and a 60-hour power reserve. 

The Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription

During this LVMH Watch Week, newcomer Daniel Roth introduced its Tourbillon Souscription, paying homage to the Tourbillon ref. 2187/C187, the inaugural Daniel Roth model. Established by Daniel Roth in 1988, this independent watchmaker gained recognition for its distinctive aesthetic, merging historical inspiration from Abraham-Louis Breguet with Daniel Roth’s inventive double ellipse case design. Each watch was a product of Daniel Roth’s artistic vision, sketched in watercolors before becoming reality. Notable complications, including the Tourbillon introduced in 1989, found their canvas in the double ellipse case, making Daniel Roth a young Maison with a remarkable catalog of watches. The new Tourbillon Souscription upholds the spirit of the original while introducing refinements, such as an in-house caliber and a signature solid gold, guilloche dial. The classic double ellipse case retains its shape and size but offers improved ergonomics and reduced thickness. The first prototype debuts at LVMH Watch Week, with all 20 pieces set for delivery in the first half of 2024. Daniel Roth’s revival is supported by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, ensuring the brand’s exclusivity, craftsmanship, and commitment to complications, just as Daniel Roth envisioned over three decades ago. Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, founders of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton and friends of Daniel Roth, continue the legacy by imbuing new creations with his philosophy of watchmaking.

The Revival of the Bulgari Bulgari

The Essential Bulgari Bulgari collection, as stated by Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, embodies the Maison’s DNA with pure aesthetics, requiring no additional adornments. This timeless creation revisits its essence while incorporating modern technologies. Available in yellow gold, an iconic material of the collection, and rose gold, the watches come in two sizes. The first, with a versatile 38mm gender-neutral case, features a transparent caseback, revealing the self-winding mechanical BVL 191 caliber. The second, a petite 26mm diameter with a quartz movement, boasts a slim 6.35mm thickness, exuding a captivating jewelry-like allure. The yellow gold models, reminiscent of the 1975 original, contrast with black watch faces, accentuated by gilded Arabic numerals and baton indices. The geometric lugs extend into a black alligator strap, maintaining the collection’s design cues, while the rose gold version offers a softer visual appeal with a silver opaline dial. The Bulgari Bulgari collection, echoing Gianni Bulgari’s extraordinary legacy, serves as an ambassador for the Maison worldwide, a timeless achievement intertwined with the essence of Bulgari.

The Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium

Hublot’s latest creation, the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium, marks the tenth MP and a reimagining of watchmaking’s core principles. This eagerly anticipated timepiece breaks free from traditional design norms (as most Hublots do), replacing the conventional dial, hands, and oscillating weight with innovative features such as a roller display, circular power reserve indicator, and an inclined tourbillon driven by two linear weights. Its arresting appearance is characterized by rounded angles, a sleek design, and a sapphire crystal of exceptional complexity. Within this masterpiece resides a highly sophisticated movement, seamlessly blending mechanical and aesthetic prowess—an inherent concept across the MP collections.

The Hublot Big Bang Unico Saxem Green

An expected material for the brand, but unexpected color, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Saxem Green was another major highlight at Hublot’s LVMH Watch Week. Hublot revealed the second iteration of its groundbreaking material, SAXEM, a close relative of sapphire that boasts even greater luminosity while maintaining exceptional resistance. Just like distinctive cousins within the same family, sapphire and SAXEM share their Hublot lineage but exhibit unique characteristics. Hublot’s Nyon Manufacture has played a pivotal role in modernizing both materials, establishing them as hallmark substances. While sapphire incorporates aluminum oxide with added metallic oxides for coloration and possesses a trigonal (three-sided) structure, SAXEM derives its color from rare earth elements and boasts a cubic (four-sided) form.