Hello everyone! I'm Masamasa Hirota, editor-in-chief of Chronos Japan and webChronos! This year, the world's largest watch fair, Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025, will be held again, 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!
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published on January 6, 2025]
Eating Nissin instant noodles and reporting on Zenith
April 2, 2025, the second day of Watches & Wonders Geneva. I took the 7:04 train and arrived at the venue, Palexpo, just after 8:00. I didn't have time for breakfast. Sadly, I ate some Nissin instant noodles.
This time, Zenith's new releases were announced at 8:45 AM. The highlight of the year was, needless to say, Zenith's Caliber 135. Plans for its revival have been underway for over 10 years, and talk of this masterpiece has been circulating for several years, but it has finally taken shape this year. Who would have expected that such an all-time classic would be completely reissued?
Two models are available this time. The case is 39.15mm in diameter and comes with either a leather band or a bracelet made of the same material. The dial and movement are engraved with a pattern that resembles the exterior of the Zenith factory. This may be a matter of personal taste, but I personally like it. The masterpiece Cal. 135 is almost the same as the original, but the power reserve has been greatly extended (the original only had around 40 hours) and the chamfering has been emphasized. The price is just under 6 million yen, which is quite good considering what's inside.
Visit the A. Lange & Söhne booth
Then, at 9:30, I interviewed Anthony de Haas of A. Lange & Söhne about the new minute repeater with perpetual calendar.
A few years ago, A. Lange & Söhne released a repeater for the "Richard Lange." I was one of the first to see it, but ultimately wasn't able to hear the final version. According to de Hass, "This repeater itself is the same as the Richard Lange. However, we've tweaked the handling of the perpetual calendar to accommodate the repeater." What impressed me was the quality of the sound. Recent repeaters, like Patek Philippe, have hollow spaces inside the case to maximize sound reverberation. However, A. Lange & Söhne packs as much of the movement into the case as possible. Moreover, the case is made of platinum, which is known for its low reverberation properties. When I asked why they chose the opposite design, they replied, "There's no point in doing the same thing as other companies, right?" While I can't comment on the volume yet, the sound quality is undeniably good.
However, what personally caught my eye was the new 34mm diameter "1815." I thought it might be equipped with the old Cal. L.941, but it actually uses a 28.1mm diameter movement. "I have a lot to talk about this," he said, but time ran out. I'll ask him about it later. Incidentally, this can be purchased for around 300 million yen, making it a ray of hope for watch enthusiasts.
Laurent Ferrier → Vacheron Constantin
After the session, I interviewed Laurent Ferrier. As always, the watch is absolutely flawless. The new GMT model has a dome-shaped enamel element placed in the center of the dial. When I asked Ferrier how he achieved this finish, he replied, "We apply the enamel immediately and then bake it." It sounds like a Zen riddle, but I guess that's what he says. We talked about various aspects of the exterior. "Applying bright colors with PVD is popular, but I don't like PVD colors," he said. That's what the legend thinks.
Afterwards, I took some time to touch and feel the Vacheron Constantin watches and take some photos. I didn't get to see the 270th anniversary masterpiece, "Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication -La Premiere-," but I was able to see all the other watches. This year, there has been even more focus on the finish (especially the dial), which now features a Maltese cross. Also, to emphasize the brand's history, the movement bridge features the unique coat of arms finish that was popular in the 1920s. This is purely my personal opinion, but I get the impression that Vacheron Constantin has made a significant improvement in the consistency of its interior and exterior designs over the past five years or so.
I went to the press center for lunch. There, all the exhausted journalists were...
By the way, I had time to have lunch that day. When I went to the press center, it was extremely crowded. There were people streaming videos, so the Wi-Fi was completely unusable. I ate a sandwich standing up. Even though it was only the second day, every journalist looked like they were about to die. On the first day, they would raise their hands and say "Hi!", but from the second day onwards, they would only raise their hands lightly or nod with their eyes.
See a selection of masterpieces at Van Cleef & Arpels!
Starting at 15 p.m., we had an interview with Catherine Regnier, the new CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels (hereinafter VCA). While she had a long tenure at Jaeger-LeCoultre, she originally spent a long time at VCA, where she witnessed the company's rapid growth. Due to her relationship with Trump, we were unable to discuss business matters, so we focused exclusively on creative work. When I asked her, "Your return is only natural," she replied with a beaming smile, "Exactly." As a direct descendant of former CEO Nicolas Boss, she will likely continue on this path for the foreseeable future. However, she also said, "That doesn't mean we won't consider creating a men's model in the future."
While reporting on NOMOS Glashütte, Tino Bobe barged in!
So, I visited NOMOS Glashütte and checked out this year's new "Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer." This worldtimer, which features a second time zone display at 3 o'clock, is very easy to use, and the buttons have a great feel. As is typical of NOMOS, there's a wide variety of colors to choose from, so it's fun to have a variety to choose from. Compared to the "Zurich" worldtimer, the price is much more reasonable. And, unusually for NOMOS, it comes with a decent bracelet.
As I was looking at watches, Tino Beauvais, also known as "Ramen-loving Koike-san" from A. Lange & Söhne, came by the booth. "What are you doing, Tino?" "Well, I'm good friends with Uwe (Nomos CEO Uwe Arendt) for a lot of things." The two of them then happily looked at the new products.
We also greeted Roland Schwertner, the owner of Nomos. "Which social media platform does Kronos use the most?" "X." "X, Musk?" I understand what he's trying to say. "I'm currently driving a Tesla, but I'm thinking about selling it." Of course, Schwertner couldn't respond (laughs).
IWC recommends the Ingenieur
IWC photography began at 16:30pm. This year is the year to promote the Ingenieur. What personally impressed me was the new Ingenieur ceramic. The soft texture of the exterior is typical of IWC. And by making the movement holder as thin as possible, they managed to achieve a 42mm diameter despite the ceramic case. IWC's care in not making the ceramic case thicker is striking. Incidentally, this year IWC is apparently sponsoring a film called "F1." As such, a machine from the fictional F1 constructor, "APX GP," was on display at the venue.
After attending the Meistersinger party, we went to a dinner that "cannot be reported on"
I was originally scheduled to go to a Van Cleef & Arpels photo shoot, but my departure for a dinner meeting was brought forward, so I gave up. In my free time, I dropped by a Meistersinger party. Even the great master, Gisbert L. Bruner, was there. The speaker was the infamous Alain Silberstein. He announced that he would be releasing a collaboration this year, and spoke at length about the appeal of Breguet's single-hand watch, the "Sousscription." So, I have high hopes for the new release.
After that, we went to dinner. I can't really write about it. We had a sumptuous Lebanese meal. After that, we returned to our room at 23pm.
