Best watches of 2024: Most compelling dress, dive and sport watches of the year

Despite grappling with the challenges following the post-Covid sales surge, the realm of haute horology continues to push boundaries in design innovation. This year, watchmakers have intensified their focus on sustainability while exploring asymmetrical shapes and a variety of precious metal forms. Many classic watches are now offered in smaller case sizes, reflecting the growing trend toward gender-neutral designs. Ultra-thin models have become even sleeker, and handcrafted guilloche dials are more intricate than ever. In short, 2024 is an exciting year for watch enthusiasts. (Also read: HMT Revival: Lessons from other state-owned watchmakers )
With a case crafted out of grade 5 titanium, the new Richard Mille 17-02 Tourbillon Titanium is on the bleeding edge of sports watch technology. Like all Richard Mille watches, it can withstand g-forces like no other watch. Featuring a manually-winding tourbillon movement, the watch is primarily designed to sit on the wrists of prime, world champion athletes, be they tennis players golfers or Formula One drivers. The Tourbillon packing watch is made of titanium primarily so that the wearer barely notices its physical presence. Given its eye-watering price tag and ever-so-recognisable tonneau shape, the same cannot be said for bystanders gaping at it.
Price: On Request
The civilian counterpart of its top-of-the-line military chronograph, the Type 20, the new Type XX gets a gold bidirectional bezel with blue ceramic ring and a sunburst blue hue dial designed to remind you of the colour variations in the sky, shortly after sunset. What the watch excels at, is in making a very straight-forward and functional dial – one that doesn’t even carry Breguet’s signature hands – look ornate and beautiful in a way only Breguet’s classically-inspired watches can. The Type XX 2067 makes it to the list purely for its visual grandeur.
Price: ₹39.3 lakh
Audemars Piguet is once again drawing inspiration from its pre–Royal Oak period, presenting designs that venture beyond the iconic octagonal shape. Embracing the trend for bold, asymmetrical styles, the brand has introduced the [RE]Master02, crafted from a material known as “Sand Gold” and featuring a linear satin-finished dial. With its industrial and brutalist aesthetic, the [RE]Master02 is not a mere concept piece but a limited edition of 250, showcasing the brand’s commitment to design innovation rather than relying on past successes. While brutalism may not be in vogue, strikingly shaped watches are definitely on-trend.
Price: ₹39.5 lakh
The Reverso has always been one of the most captivating watches in the world. Originally developed for polo players, back in 1931, it has only grown in stature as a horological icon, thanks to its unique dual-face dial. For 2024, Jaeger LeCoultre has decided to convert one side of the dial into a canvas paying tribute to French artist Claude Monet. One of the world’s most famous impressionist artists, Monet’s three separate Venice-inspired pieces of art have been recreated by hand, thanks to some very talented enamellers.The enamelling alone took nine hours of work for each dial, earning this watch a spot on our list.
Price: ₹91 lakh
This year celebrates the 55th anniversary of Tag Heuer’s iconic square-shaped Monaco. To mark the occasion, Tag Heuer has, for the first time, introduced a rattrapante, or split-seconds chronograph function, allowing for the timing of multiple events. Boasting a blend of sandblasted and polished finishes, the watch also impresses with a partially skeletonized dial showcasing bridges in gradient shades of blue, black, or red. This release represents a significant visual and mechanical enhancement to the Monaco collection and a technological achievement for Tag Heuer.
Price: On request
By bringing back a design over a century old, Cartier reaffirms that certain watch shapes are truly timeless. Its striking appearance is so captivating that you might overlook the fact that the calibre inside the slim platinum case is custom-fitted. The charm of the Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph lies in its intricate details. The slender frame, railroad minute tracks, and delicate beveling combine to create a refined dress watch aesthetic that feels just as relevant today. In fact, it offers a refreshing shift from the ordinary.
Price: ₹49 lakh
When Bulgari isn’t busy crafting the world’s thinnest watches, it turns its attention to the next best thing: creating highly intricate grand complications. The grand sonnerie is one of the most complex mechanical movements in watchmaking, composed of hundreds of components that must work in perfect harmony. Bulgari has taken it a step further by incorporating a tourbillon, ensuring exceptional precision while showcasing the brand’s engineering prowess. On top of that, the movement boasts a 72-hour power reserve, making this one of Bulgari’s most technically impressive timepieces—no small feat for a watchmaker renowned for breaking world records on an annual basis.
Price: ₹2.3 crore
(All prices are mentioned excluding taxes)