Guide: Mia's 5 favourites from 2024

Text: Mia Litström
Image: Mia Litström/The manufacturers

The watch year 2024 has truly offered a fascinating journey with both innovation and nostalgia. We have seen how modern ideas meet historical influences and how trends develop in unexpected ways. Larger watches continue to hold their place, but the year has also been marked by a clear return of smaller, classically elegant case sizes. At the same time the colour trend has taken its place in earnest – and when it comes to colour, it is about really being seen, while watches in solid gold have made a triumphant comeback and reclaimed their iconic status.

My five favourites from 2024 reflect the best of the year: a mix of creative new thinking, timeless tradition and bold colour choices. These are the models that have really captured my interest and defined the watch year that has passed.

Jacob & Co Bugatti Tourbillon

Jacob & Co are masters at capturing attention and have once again impressed by uniting watchmaking art and hypersports cars in a way that breaks all norms. With advanced complications and a unique design, the Bugatti Tourbillon has become a tribute to innovation and provocation. The collaboration with Bugatti began in 2019 and has resulted in several spectacular watches, but this model takes the concept to a new level.

The Bugatti Tourbillon is inspired by the car's design and has a case whose upper part is adorned with sub-dials, designed to imitate the car's instrument panel. Where I think one of the most fascinating functions is its retrograde, where the hands move in an arc and quickly jump back to the starting point – a complication that is both decorative and technically advanced and that you happily look at several times.

Another striking detail is the mechanical engine block in sapphire crystal that imitates Bugatti's V16 engine. Pistons and crankshafts move exactly as in a real engine and this function is activated by pressing a button for 20 seconds of mechanical magic.

The case is made in black titanium, which makes the watch easy to wear despite its impressive size (52 x 44 mm and 15 mm in height), is big on my wrist but is mighty to wear. And you may well think that you have to buy the car model in order to be able to buy the watch, but that is not the case, both can be bought separately. Limited to 150 examples and the price for this masterly watch is 340 000 dollars. 

H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Passion Fruit

This is also one more example of a fun collaboration that has resulted in a colour-bursting joy. It is H. Moser & Cie that is a brand that has lifted itself incredibly much in recent years and launched several bullseyes. They have also really dared to go their own way too with creating dials that have an incredibly delicious appearance and often made with traditional techniques such as enamelling. 

Now they have done a collaboration with another British watch company called Studio Underdog that are known for creating precisely colourful watches. Both companies burn to bring out the passion in creating functional but above all artistic creations and honour the watchmaking art in a fun way. From this drive to spread the passion about this the result became two watch models where both are so delicious with their strong and happy passion fruit colour combined with purple details but I fell above all for the one that is a perpetual calendar. The base of the dial is lacquered purple and on top of that an enamelling with a so-called technique called Grand Feu which is on a hammered gold base. This is a watch that makes you happy, and extra nice is that the month display is shown by the small hand in green, an accent detail that you do not notice straight away but which makes the whole so nice. The size is 42 mm and limited to 100 examples.

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date

My continued fascination for more unusual complications continues here with yet another retrograde that shows the date in a very elegant and luxurious format. Vacheron Constantin are masters of fine details, both on the outside and above all on the inside. Their movements are of the highest class. This year they released three new variants within their elegant Patrimony series and I really fell for the one that has both a date retrograde and a moon phase. Two complications that are not so common to combine as here fit so nicely together. 

The dial has a beautiful silver tone with a sunburst surface with a case in white gold. The size is a big 42,5 mm and in addition to that a nice olive-coloured bracelet in alligator skin. This is a very elegant, sophisticated watch that becomes something quite special with these complications. Big in size for my wrist but I fell very much for the entirely own style that awakened great curiosity in me. The model has existed before but precisely this one has a warmer tone that makes it a bullseye.

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper

2024 was the year TAG Heuer Skipper is a reinterpretation of an iconic model from 1968, which was created to celebrate the America's Cup victory. The new version honours this heritage with its nautical colours and layout. I appreciate watches with a history, which almost all watch models have, but precisely with the Skipper it becomes extra fun since the brand is so based on racing so that it is extra fun to bring out that they have a connection to sailing as well. And above all I like the version in rose gold that gives the watch a warm tone and the size of 39 mm is also pleasant for my narrower wrist. The colours – have a clear connection to sailing, but it is not only the connection to the sailing that does it but it is a design highlight that makes the watch alive.

The model also has a purpose, beyond just showing the time, a detail that makes the Skipper special. Since it is a watch for sailing it shows a 15-minute countdown on the sub-dial at 3 o'clock. Even if you do not take part in regattas it is easy to understand and appreciate the technical thought that lies behind this. A nice and fun detai,l that TAG themselves are proud of, is their "Glassbox design" which also reinforces the lovely style of the watch.

Bell & Ross BR 03 Steel & Gold

Two-tone is something the year has also offered, a combination that has not been so popular for a while but which has come back with great strides recently and one model I fell for is the Bell & Ross BR 03 in steel and gold. It is a substantial watch but it is precisely the robust square design that makes it special. And above all in the two-tone execution. For those who love inspiration from aviation they probably also have a great love for precisely Bell & Ross where one of their strengths lies in their style that is reminiscent of the instrumentation for aeroplanes. This model series is also their most popular model. I fell for this one because the combination with the rectangular style that is substantial and takes up very much on the wrist is really delicious in two-tone and with a a light leather strap. A light and fresh elegance with a warm tone. The size is 41 mm with a height of 9,4 mm.