Popular YouTuber RY has been selected! "Parmigiani Fleurier's Tonda PF series is captivating and will not let go" as the new watch of 2024

In this project, journalists and other prominent figures in the watch industry were asked to choose their top five watches released in 2024. This time, popular watch-related YouTuber and blogger RY chose the watches he personally wanted. His selection was a good balance of dress watches like the Grand Seiko SLGW003 and practical watches like the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT.

1rd Place: Parmigiani Fleurier "Tonda PF Micro Rotor No Date"

The Tonda PF series ranks highly in this project every year. I absolutely adore its understated yet high-quality appearance, beautiful movement, and how comfortable it is to wear.

I was hoping for a non-date model with a micro rotor, and this model comes to mind. The elegant and calming golden sienna color matches the character of the watch.

2rd Place: Grand Seiko "Evolution 9 Collection Hand-Wound Mechanical Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Model SLGW003"

Grand Seiko has been particularly dynamic since the 2020s, and I think they've done it again this year with this model.

There are many talking points, such as the horizontal birch dial and the case thickness of less than 10mm, but the movement is particularly noteworthy. This 10-beat hand-wound mechanical movement, the first in about 50 years, was designed with particular attention paid to the feel and sound of winding.

This should be very appealing to us watch enthusiasts who want a watch to do "something" other than just "tell the time."

3. Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT

Tudor originally had the Black Bay GMT, but now it's part of the Black Bay "58" series. The case is 2mm smaller than the Black Bay, and 1.8mm thinner at 39mm x 12.8mm, which I'm happy about. What's more, it's COSC and METAS certified, making it a truly practical watch.

For a long time, Omega held the monopoly on METAS certification, but Tudor is also increasing the number of certified watches. As users, we are grateful for the increased options.

4. Cartier Privée Tortue Monopusher Chronograph, Ref. WHTO0007

Cartier has a long history of watchmaking, and one of its oldest watches, the Tortue, has been added to the Privé collection.

As the model name, which means "turtle" in French, suggests, the watch is neither round nor square, but rather a so-called tonneau shape, which is quite stylish. It is truly impressive that a chronograph, which is essentially sporty, has been given such an elegant finish.

5. Baume & Mercier Riviera Tidegraph Ref. M0A10761

Being a captain, I'm always interested in watches related to the sea. In particular, there aren't many watches with a "tide graph" that displays the tides.

Among watches equipped with a Tide Graph, the Riviera Tide Graph is one of the most stylish. It also boasts the highly acclaimed in-house Baumatic movement.

General comment

　This year's Watches & Wonders event was overseen from the sea as a ship captain, but internet connectivity was poor at sea, and I couldn't even access the websites of W&W or any other watch manufacturer, so I couldn't even watch the event (sob). Once on land, I quickly absorbed all the information, and it seemed like dress watches or dressy sporty watches were particularly prominent this year. While the trend toward dressiness, such as a return to classic styles and smaller case diameters, has been going on for the past few years, it seems to have become even more pronounced.

　The hobby of watches has probably gained a lot of attention since the COVID-19 pandemic (although I still think it's a niche genre). Before I started buying watches, I thought big, flashy, showy watches were cool. Then, after I actually started buying and collecting mechanical watches, I gradually began to like thin, small, dressy watches.

Of course, everyone has different tastes, so it's hard to generalize, but if there are many people who go through the same transitions as me, I think the demand for dressy watches will only increase in the future.

　This year, I ranked the items based on what I personally want, and Parmigiani Fleurier's Tonda PF series has captured my heart every year, ranking 1st, 2nd, and 1st. I might even buy it someday... (Unfortunately, it's a price that's quite out of my reach...)

Selector Profile

Life with a watch RY
Born in 1990, Fukuda's main occupation is the captain of a foreign ship. He became obsessed with the charm of watches after purchasing his first mechanical watch. In order to increase the number of watch lovers, he started the blog "A Life with Watches" in 2019. In 20, he launched the YouTube "A Life with Watches Channel." He also contributes impression articles to webChronos and appears in Forza Stayle's popular video series "Rock Fukuda's Watch Spirit."