Our 10 Favorite Watches From The MR PORTER Watches & Wonders Collection

Despite the vast majority of the planet’s population now carrying time-keeping smartphones, watches still remain just as popular as ever. While now viewed (at least amongst laymen) more as fashion statements than time-keeping tools, the world’s appreciation for fine horology has in no way waned, as evidenced by the slew of stellar new watches year after year. In fact, for those that have developed a taste and intricate knowledge of the industry, its history, and recent innovation, this could be looked at as one of the best times ever to be a horology aficionado. And while each month brings with it a host of new model releases, the most exciting time each year for timepiece enthusiasts and aficionados is undoubtedly the seven days that comprise Watches & Wonders, the biggest digital trade show in horological history (by an enormous margin). Organized by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie and (during non-COVID times) held in Geneva, Switzerland, Watches & Wonders is to timepieces what SEMA is to cars, EICMA is to motorcycles, and the SHOT Show is to hunting and outdoor gear.

Each year when this prestigious event rolls around, a myriad of the most elite artisanal watchmakers on earth utilize the week-long tradeshow to debut their most anticipated new and updated models and product ranges. And when it comes to selling the world’s latest top-shelf timepieces, very few retailers can hold a candle to the horological experts over at MR PORTER — not to mention the outfit’s impeccable taste, renowned customer service, and unrivaled selection of the world’s most sought-after watches. Being the premier destination for acquiring newly unveiled offerings from W&W, we’ve combed through MR PORTER’s trove of new releases from the recent event to deliver our choices for our favorite ten favorite new models from Watches & Wonders 2021.

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition

Exhibiting the same world-class craftsmanship and premium materials as the luxury German brand’s fountain pens, Montblanc’s ‘1858 Geosphere’ watches were released to commemorate the 160th anniversary of watchmaker Minerva, but this special one was created to honor Reinhold Messner’s 2004 solo trek across the Gobi Desert. Powered by a Swiss-made caliber MB 29.25 automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve, this watch features a dual time-zone dial with northern and southern hemisphere globes — decorated via red dots denoting the peaks of the Seven Summits Challenge — SuperLumiNova-coated rose gold hands, Arabic numerals, and a beautifully-engraved bronze-coated titanium caseback.

Purchase: $6,500

IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Automatic Chronograph

Inspired by the WW2-era timepieces worn by pilots in the Royal Air Force, this stunning IWC chronograph blends modern design elements with visual themes of yesteryear. The main hands and sub-dials are kept ticking via an updated Swiss-made caliber 69385 automatic chronograph movement that packs 33 jewels and a 46-hour power reserve, while the watch’s bold green face has been complemented via contrasting white hands and numerals, a lightly-brushed stainless steel case, and an Ardillon buckle-fastening, quick-change, brown calfskin leather strap.

Purchase: $6,500

Jaeger-Lecoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds

In a bid to deliver a more hardwearing watch design that could better stand up to the rigors and abuses of both army officers and polo players, Swiss horological outfit, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced its ‘Reverso’ flip mechanism in 1931. Fast-forward nine-decades to today and the Le Sentier-based label has unveiled a gorgeous “Tribute Small Seconds” variant of the rectangular, Art Deco-inspired timepiece — retaining the original model’s sharp indices and floating second-counting sub-dial, which are both now displayed on a green dial and paired with a matching smart leather strap.

Purchase: $9,050

Hermès Timepieces H08 Automatic

Freshly unveiled for 2021, the new Hermès Timepieces ‘H08’ reference is a sporty timepiece aimed at horological enthusiasts with a more active lifestyle. The watch is built around an insanely rugged yet immensely lightweight 39mm Graphene case with an exhibition case back, black ceramic bezel, and a grained and satin-brushed dial that boasts blue Super-LumiNova-coated numerals and hands — the latter of which feature tips adorned in Hermès’ signature orange hue. The inside of the Pin buckle-fastening rubber strap is also decorated with a unique H-pattern that bolsters comfort and grip while adding some subtle visual flair.

Purchase: $9,954

Panerai Submerssible Blue Abisso Automatic

Panerai’s Submersible dive watch was originally developed for the Italian Navy in the 1930s, though over the subsequent 90-years have become a bonafide horological icon. Outfitted with a Swiss-made caliber P.900 automatic movement with three-day power reserve, the latest iteration of the watch sports a bold midnight blue and bronze colorway, with a 42mm bronze case with a shielded crown and a deep blue dial decorated with bronze-colored (and Super-LumiNova-coated) hands and indices, and an Ardillon buckle-fastening midnight-blue calfskin leather strap with matching bronze-threaded accent stitching.

Purchase: $15,500

Piaget Polo Automatic Chronograph

Debuting in its original form some 40 years ago, Piaget’s signature ‘Polo’ watch is a durable yet decidedly elegant chronograph, with a textured gray dial with a date window and stainless steel luminous hands and indices encompassed by a 42mm case that’s been expertly crafted from an amalgamation of polished and brushed stainless steel. At the heart of the Polo a 1160P automatic movement, one of Piaget’s own in-house motors that are hand-assembled in the Swiss village of La Côte-aux-Fées.

Purchase: $15,600

Cartier Ballon Bleu de Cartier Automatic

Cartier’s Ballon Bleu watch is an objectively modern timepiece, though it nonetheless boasts numerous hallmark traits of the luxury Parisian brand including a silvered flinqué and lacquered sunray-effect dial, black Roman numerals, and blued-steel sword-shaped hands complemented by a floating blue cabochon set in the bezel — the latter of which gives the watch its name. Inside the polished 40mm 18-karat pink gold case is a high-end, Swiss-made caliber 1847 MC automatic movement that beats at 28,800 Vph and boasts 23 jewels and a generous 40-hour power reserve.

Purchase: $29,900

Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 Hand-Wound

Drawing direct visual inspiration from Vacheron Constantin’s original 1920s era item, this modern, but still thoroughly authentic take on the ‘Historiques American 1921’ is instantly recognizable thanks to its 45-degree angled dial — a concept also applied to the tachometers of vintage cafe racers and GP bikes. The use of a crown at the top right corner, a patinaed brown leather strap, and a plain white dial decorated in a unique black Arabic numeral font all help to further distinguish this item from other dapper, hand-wound vintage-style watches.

Purchase: $36,800

H. Moser & CIE Endeavour Tourbillion Automatic

Tourbillion watch movements unequivocally represent some of the most complex and elaborate timepiece motors ever conceived, with a function and design that’s nothing short of a work of art. Despite this, for its Endeavour Tourbillon, H. Moser & Cie opted to take a more understated route, with an ox eye-inspired, tonal-brown Tiger’s eye dial that’s completely devoid of any indices or numerals and instead sports a window at the 6 o’clock position that reveals the 18-karat red gold watch’s Swiss-made caliber HMC 804 automatic tourbillon movement.

Purchase: $75,900

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Flying Tourbillon Limited Edition

This ultra-top-shelf limited edition version of Roger Dubuis’ Excalibur Flying Tourbillon makes quite the statement, readily displaying one of the most sophisticated watch movements in the brand’s current lineup — a Swiss-made caliber D512SQ automatic movement with a 72-hour power reserve and a 21,600 beat rate — in a wildly sharp, modern, and fully-skeletonized package. The 42mm 18-karat pink gold case is complimented via 18-karat pink gold hands and markers and a Buckle-fastening black calfskin leather strap. It doesn’t take a horological expert to know we’re dealing with something extremely special here.

Purchase: $149,000