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 7, 2025]
On Day 3, after breakfast, we went to the FP Journe headquarters.
April 3, 2025, the third day of Watches & Wonders Geneva. Today, I had time for breakfast. I had a sandwich at the hotel restaurant. It was much better than the hotel in Geneva, and if I didn't have to travel by train, I would consider staying here as my regular place to stay in Geneva. I took the 7:34 train, then a tram, and arrived at the FP Journe workshop in Geneva just after 8:30. I looked at the new collection (well, there's only one).
However, this new model is no ordinary one. The Chronomètre Fourtif, including the bracelet, is made of tungsten carbide, and the dial is even black enamel. The movement is also interesting, featuring a direct center seconds train with the fourth wheel in the center. This is said to be a first for FP Journe. The compactness of the train creates space, and the addition of a power reserve and moon phase above and below it gives the watch a truly FP Journe-esque feel. But can FP Journe's workshops actually produce this? The official annual production is 1000 units, but in reality, it's much less.
Back to the W&WG venue!
After finishing the interview at 10am, we hurriedly took a taxi to Palexpo. We popped into Jaeger-LeCoultre, where another team was filming. The Reverso with its Milanese bracelet is a masterpiece, isn't it? The Reverso Tribute Geographic, also known as the World Timer, is also good. The price has gone up, but the exterior of Jaeger-LeCoultre seems to have been significantly upgraded. That's nice, perhaps this long-established brand is making a comeback. It doesn't really matter, but I'll be talking to Hamaguchi Naohiro, the development manager, in late April. Look forward to it.
After spending 30 minutes at Jaeger-LeCoultre, I interviewed Montblanc CEO Laurent Lecrin. This year, the company is promoting the Montblanc Ice-Sea Automatic Date Zero Oxygen. The bezel is now two-tone blue, and the case size has been reduced to 38mm in diameter and 12.3mm thick, making it a proper ISO 6425-compliant diver's watch. "It will be well-received in Asia, including Japan," he said. We talked about many other things, but I won't go into detail due to politically sensitive circumstances. Personally, I was drawn to the Minerva annual calendar, the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Annual Calendar Limited Edition – 30. It may look plain at first glance, but the feel and finish are excellent.
From the W&WG venue to Hotel des Bergues
After that, we hopped back into a taxi and headed to the Hotel des Bergues in the city. It seemed like just the journey was enough to make me lose weight. I heard about Universal Genève from its director, Gregory Bretin. I've been listening to him talk since he was head of development at Roger Dubuis, so I was grateful that there was no need for any unnecessary preambles. We skipped over a lot of details and listened to the deep story. I was under strict NDA, so I didn't even take any photos. "The first thing I bought was actually a Universal micro-rotor. I think it was fate that I came to Universal." So Bretin was a micro-rotor enthusiast!!! We made plans to meet for drinks in Japan and then left.
Once again, we made a quick return to the W&WG venue...
After that, we took a taxi back to PalExpo. After that, we barely managed to have lunch at the press center. I brought my secret seasoning with me, so I'm going to have my ramen revenge. I wonder if it will turn out surprisingly well, though. The atmosphere among the gathered journalists is becoming increasingly tense.
Starting at 14 p.m., we spoke with Stefan Ihnen, IWC's head of development. This year, the focus was on exteriors, so there was little discussion about movements, which is his specialty. "CEO Grainger-Herr (Editor's note: Christophe Grainger-Herr) tells me to make the case thinner, which is a difficult task," he said. When I told him that I might buy an Ingenieur 35 if it adopted a silicon balance spring, Ihnen replied, "We're continuing our research into silicon." In any case, as long as Ihnen is there, I can trust IWC.
Afterwards, we spoke with Sandrine Donguay, Vacheron Constantin's Production & Innovation Director. "It was probably after the previous CEO, Louis Ferlat, came on board that we started to put more effort into the exterior," she said. She has a strong understanding of design and manufacturing processes. It's no surprise, then, that the women's watches have improved. "For this 270th anniversary, we've added a graphically revised Maltese cross to the dial. The manufacturing methods are guilloched, embossed (i.e. pressed), and the mother-of-pearl is engraved." Despite the different manufacturing methods, the fact that the finishes are almost identical is truly Vacheron Constantin-like.
From 16:15pm we had a touch and feel session with IWC. We got to enjoy the new models that we hadn't had the chance to fully experience. What impressed me was how stable the crown was. Recently, many manufacturers have been tightening the play around the crown, but IWC is the best among them. Having heard everything, I'm sure I won't be short of material for my article. "But why did you use BMG glass for the shock absorber?" "In fact, I find it more unbelievable that they would use that for the exterior."
To Hublot via IWC and Parmigiani Fleurier
Afterwards, I had to take care of some business and wandered around the venue. At the Parmigiani Fleurier booth, I met Valérien Jaquet, Concept CEO. "Have you been to Jacob this year?" "No, not yet." "This year's four-axis tourbillon is interesting, you should definitely check it out." I saw it later, and it certainly is amazing.
After meeting with other people involved, I joined the Hublot team for an interview and took a look at all the new products.
Hublot has a strong image of being flashy, but they make changes to the interior and exterior almost every year. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Big Bang, and they've made a nearly faithful reproduction of the original model. However, it is equipped with the new Unico 2 movement, and the case is now made of titanium. The parts fit together better, and the resin (Hublot calls it carbon) is molded well, resulting in an improved feel. The feel of the push buttons is a highlight of watches equipped with the Unico 2. I might just want one.
After dinner with Breitling, we took another 40 minutes to go back to the hotel.
Afterwards, we moved to Geneva city and had dinner with Breitling, which now owns Universal Genève and Gallet (we prefer to call it Gallet). We had a relaxed drink in a relaxed atmosphere. It was more of a chat than an exchange of information.
I finished my meal quickly, took the tram to Cornavin station, and after a 40-minute train ride, arrived in Morges. It was around 11pm. I went to bed at midnight. I'd looked at the clock so many times that my head was starting to get all messed up.
