[O(taku)'s Narrow Road] Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025 Diary Eve of the Festival by Hirota

FEATURES New watches for 2025

2025.04.02

　Hello everyone! This is Hirota, editor-in-chief of Chronos Japan and webChronos! The world's largest watch fair, Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025, will be held again this year, so I've been forced to attend. "Hirota-san, you're going to write another Geneva diary, aren't you?" "Oh?" So, once again this year, I'll be bringing you the state of the venue, my random thoughts on new releases, and more!

The view from the room at the hotel in Morges, Switzerland where I'm staying. It's work, work. I think it would be a great place if I could have some privacy. What a shame.

Click here for last year's report!
"Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024 Diary by Masamasa Hirota, Editor-in-Chief of Chronos Japan"

http://www.webchronos.net/blog/113426/

Masamasa Hirota (Kronos Japan): Photos and text
Text by Masayuki Hirota(Chronos-Japan)
[Article published on January 2, 2025]

With my ass about to be split into 16 pieces, I headed to Geneva!

　March 30th, 5:40 PM. I'm flying on Etihad Airways to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Everyone loves economy class. The service was good, but the seats were so soft that it felt like my backside was split into 16 pieces. After about 12 hours, I somehow managed to get to Abu Dhabi. I then changed to a flight to Geneva, Switzerland, and after about six hours, somehow managed to get to Geneva. My backside was too soft. Since I had nothing to do until the evening, I stopped by a cafe at the airport and hurriedly wrote an introduction for Watches & Wonders. It cost 4.5CHF.

There was a 7-Eleven near the departure gate at Narita Airport. I wanted to buy some snacks, but it was so crowded that I gave up.

This time I went to Switzerland via Abu Dhabi. I flew with Etihad Airways. The flight to Abu Dhabi took 11 hours and 34 minutes. I was exhausted.

Etihad in-flight meal. It's economy class, but the taste may be better than Japanese business class. However, it's a bit of a pain.

Arrived at Abu Dhabi airport. It is luxurious as it rivals Emirates. However, there are not many shops.

We arrived in Abu Dhabi at 1:40am. We had no choice but to eat some chicken at the McDonald's in the airport. It was pretty tasty. I wish they sold it in Japan too.

Then I transferred to EY145 and arrived in Geneva. The flight time was 6 hours and 22 minutes. I arrived at 7:15 Swiss time. The moment I arrived, I was greeted by an advertisement for a watch manufacturer.

After arriving, we immediately went to interview Breitling.

　This time, I'm staying in a place called Morges, about 30 minutes by train from Geneva. The hotel is an old merchant's inn. Rather than paying a fortune for Geneva's ridiculous hotels, I think this might be a good choice from now on. It seems a bit far from the venue, though. I finished up the rest of my work in my room and headed to Geneva.

This time, I stayed at Hotel de la Couronne, 40 minutes from Geneva. The hotel itself is quite nice, but the transportation costs to get there are quite high.

　In Geneva, I went to a cinema called Cine 17 to see Breitling's new release.

Breitling's new product launch took place at a cinema called Cine 17 in Geneva, with a large number of prominent journalists in attendance.

The car, or rather the color, that is related to Breitling's new watch is this one. It's a real Delta Evo with slick tires. It's so cool I could faint.

George Kahn giving a presentation on his new work. He was full of jokes and exuded a very nice aura, making me wonder what had happened. This is what happens to managers when their company is profitable.

　The Top Time, equipped with the Caliber B31, is imbued with what Georges Kern calls "retro-modern," giving it a cohesive look. What impressed me was the construction of the bracelet. It tapers strongly, from 20mm on the case to presumably 17mm on the bracelet (Breitling said it was 18mm of 20mm, but that's probably incorrect), but the watch is light and the buckle is moderately heavy, so it doesn't seem like it would be uncomfortable to wear. Also, as stated in the presentation, the shortened lugs make this 38mm diameter watch feel even lighter.

At the Breitling venue, new watches were on display, which was a great opportunity to hear directly from the people involved in their development.

This is a three-hand Top Time model equipped with the Caliber B31. The lugs are short and it's easy to handle. Perhaps its competitors will be the new Tag Heuer Carrera?

　The Cal. B31 movement featured in this watch measures 28mm in diameter, 4.8mm thick, and boasts a power reserve of approximately 78 hours. While the rotor noise is somewhat noticeable, the crown feels smooth and the calendar changes quite accurately (changing from 11:55 to 12:00). What's more, this movement lacks a regulator and features a free-sprung balance. According to a source, "The balance wheel is shared with the Cal. B19." If that's the case, performance shouldn't be a problem. The free-sprung balance is likely a stepping stone to the future use of a silicon balance spring. Georges Kern, giving the presentation, looked somewhat relieved, and what a fine manager he's become.

Breitling B31 exploded view. "I don't think there are any competitors at this price," Kahn boasted. It's certainly a well-aged movement.

The Top Time's three-hand watch feels very comfortable to wear. The bracelet is quite tapered, but the head is light and the buckle's fine adjustment mechanism works well. It's pretty good, isn't it?

From Breitling to Hermès

　After that, we walked into the city. We were told to come to a certain place because there was an Hermes event. The location was a secret, and that we would be taken there if we showed up to the parking lot. We were taken to the Geneva Museum in a black car. As we were hanging out at the entrance, an African man in a BMW called out to us. "What are you doing?" "It seems Hermes is having a watch event." "That sounds great, is it invitation only?" "Yes, it is."

I was heading to an Hermes event. When I arrived at the designated location, there was a row of black cars. I had no idea where they were going.

We arrived at the Geneva Museum of Art and History. It was no surprise that the beloved orange box maison was able to hold an event in a space that would normally be unavailable.

　Inside the venue, there was a (mysterious) Hermès-esque installation. As I followed the glowing tubes around the museum, a mysterious short movie titled "Tanche Spondu" played. It was Wim Wenders-esque, but the scenery looked clearly Japanese, a local scene. Feeling exhausted, I followed the glowing tubes further, and found myself at the dinner venue. I walked like crazy. A European journalist, who seemed to be at a loss as to what to do with his selfish body, muttered, "I'm seriously going to die."

There were mysterious glowing tubes strung throughout the museum. The idea was to follow them around the museum. It was very Hermès-like and interesting. However, I ended up walking a lot.

As I walked, I came across a mysterious short movie called "Tanchuspondu." The scenery shown was unmistakably that of a snowy country in Japan. I suddenly felt exhausted in Geneva.

There was a buffet dinner at the end of the tube. Everything looked delicious, but I had a meeting to attend so I didn't eat anything. If I ate here, I'd get fat.

There was an exhibit that seemed to allude to the trip. It was a crushed car, and it was pink. It stirred a mysterious unease that this might be what I would end up like by the time I returned home.

Roger Dubuis Friends Dinner

　I was supposed to go to a dinner at Hermès, but I already had plans. I headed to a secret club in Geneva in a black car for a Roger Dubuis friends dinner, gathering journalists from around the world. Prior to that, two new models were unveiled: the Excalibur Double Retrograde and the Excalibur Grand Complication. I was personally enthralled by the former. Thanks to the case size of 40mm in diameter and 11.2mm thick, it feels very comfortable to wear despite the long lugs. What's more, the dial is so well-made that it's hard to believe it's from Roger, a brand that has always produced skeleton watches. This is good.

At the Roger Dubuis Friends Dinner held somewhere in Geneva, CEO David Chaumet gave a speech, and I was surprised to hear Carlos Diaz's name mentioned.

One of the three Sekiguchis in the watch industry is the editor-in-chief of Watch Begin. We talked about fatigue at Roger dinner lol

This really caught my eye. Roger's new product is the Excalibur double retrograde. It's nice that they've revived their signature mechanism in their 30th anniversary since the company was founded. It's also thin and easy to wear.

This is the Excalibur Grand Completion. It has all the perforated tourbillon features. The finish is excellent, of course, but have Roger dials always been this good?

The movement is a Grand Complication. It has a micro-rotor, but the winding sound is quite quiet. This may be to be expected since it is expensive, but the finish is impeccable.

At Roger's dinner, a mysterious magician appeared and everyone was excited. But everyone was in good spirits.

　Dinner ended at 10:30pm. I was driven back to the hotel and arrived after 11:30pm. When I arrived, the Chronos team was hanging out in front of the entrance. They said they wanted to check in but the hotel was closed. I was so sorry. There was nothing I could do, so I went back to my room, drank some Leopin Royal and went to sleep.