The Best Watches of the Past Month

If you’re searching for affordable divers, sub-$2K mechanical chronographs and tourbillons costing less than a small SUV…well, this wasn’t exactly your month. (Next month, with the Windup Watch Fair happening in Chicago, may be more your jam.) June ‘24 saw all kinds of cool stuff from some of the big luxury groups, but also some mind-blowing pieces from high-end independents. And to be fair, there’s a cool, modern take on a vintage pilot’s watch from Longines, and even a beloved, affordable tool watch from the likes of American microbrand Vero. So keep on scrollin’ for the best horological innovations of June!

Fitted in a 44mm black DLC steel case and powered by Brietling’s in-house B01 automatic movement, the new Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission celebrates U.S. Naval aviation. Available in three distinct dials — one for the U.S. Naval Academy and two for dual U.S. Navy test squadrons, the Dust Devils and the Bloodhounds — it combines a unidirectional timing bezel, a triple-register chronograph, and 300m of water resistance in a single hardy package.

Diameter: 44mm

Movement: Breitling B01 automatic

Water Resistance: 300m

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phases de Lune

Typically, complicated calendar watches are distinct from more utilitarian tool watches. Not so the case with the new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phases de Lune from Blancpain. Made of black ceramic and paired to a matching bracelet, its stealthy silhouette feels almost tactical, but its sunburst blue dial boasts a complete calendar with moonphase display. With 300m of water resistance and a unidirectional dive bezel, it’s a distinctly handsome instrument.

Diameter: 43.6mm

Movement: Blancpain cal. 6654.P4 automatic

Water Resistance: 300m

Hublot Classic Fusion Essential Grey Volume III

If there’s such thing as an unobtrusive, understated Hublot, then the Classic Fusion Essential Grey Volume III is it. Machined from titanium and available in both 42mm and 45mm sizes, it carries vintage Hublot tropes such as a satin-finished bezel secured with six screws and a simple, time-and-date display with applied indices. Paired to an integrated bracelet and powered by an automatic caliber best suited to its case size, it’s a subtle everyday watch despite its larger diameter.

Diameter: 42mm/45mm

Movement: Hublot HUB1110/HUB1112 automatic

Water Resistance: 50m

Ulysse Nardin Wempe Diver [Net Signature Collection]

Made in collaboration with global watch retailer Wempe, the new Ulysse Nardin Wempe Diver [Net Signature Collection] is a dive watch made of recycled materials including stainless steel, Nylo and Carbonium. (The former is made of fishing nets; the latter is a high-tech material boasting “exceptional strength-to-lightness properties.”) With its marbled-effect bezel, handy power reserve indicator and bright orange accents, it looks like a tool watch from the future.

Diameter: 44mm

Movement: Ulysse Nardin cal. UN-118 automatic

Water Resistance: 300m

Longines Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition

Introduced in 1935, the Longines Pilot Majetek was an early aviation watch that’s since become beloved by collectors. The new Pioneer Edition gives the old design a tech-forward upgrade, replacing the steel case with one fashioned from dark grey Grade 5 titanium. The rotating bezel and stark dial are still present, but inside now beats the COSC-certified, automatic Longines cal. L893 movement, while a 43mm diameter makes it perfect for those with larger wrists.

Diameter: 43mm

Movement: Longines cal. L893 automatic

Water Resistance: 100m

Moser Streamliner Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Blue Enamel

H. Moser & Cie. continues to impress with the new Streamliner Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Blue Enamel, a watch that artfully combines high complications, exquisite workmanship and forward-thinking industrial design. Featuring a “Grand Feu” enamel dial in Aqua Blue, it incorporates both a one-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock and a minute repeater whose gongs are visible on the dial at 11 o’clock. Exceptionally sophisticated, it comes paired to an integrated bracelet in steel, which matches its case.

Diameter: 42.3mm

Movement: H. Moser & Cie. cal. HMC 905 hand-wound

Water Resistance: 50m

H. Moser & Cie.

Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon “Quai de l’Horloge” 5345

What’s better than a single gravity-defying tourbillon? Two, of course! The Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon “Quai de l’Horloge” 5345 celebrates Abraham-Louis Breguet’s 1801 invention with an exquisite piece in rose gold measuring a considerable 46mm in diameter. In addition to the dual tourbillons, it features a central mainplate that makes one full rotation around the dial every 12 hours. Flip the watch over and you’re treated to an equally impressive treat: an engraving of Breguet’s original workshop in Paris.

Diameter: 46mm

Movement: Breguet cal. 588N2 hand-wound

Water Resistance: N/A

De Bethune DB28XP Kind of Blue Tourbillon

With their pocket watch-inspired cases, sophisticated complications and wild looks, there’s nothing quite like De Bethune’s horological wares. The DB28XP Kind of Blue Tourbillon, a melding of its DB28XP and DB28 Kind of Blue Tourbillon watches, has a case made of blued titanium and a stunning dial created with Microlight engraving, a play on the traditional guilloché technique. A tourbillon with the lightest tourbillon cage ever made and a 30-second period spins above the 6 o’clock position.

Diameter: 43mm

Movement: De Bethune DB2009v5 hand-wound

Water Resistance: 30m

Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Black Dial

Those in need of an elegant everyday watch with solid build quality and impressive water resistance are well served by Omega’s Seamaster Aqua Terra collection. The new version — available in 34mm, 38mm and 41mm sizes — features a handsome, varnished black dial with a date complication and a matching stainless steel bracelet with polished and brushed surfaces. Powered by METAS-certified Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer movements, there’s one for every wrist size.

Diameter: 34mm; 38mm; 41mm

Movement: Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer cal. 8800; 8900

Water Resistance: 150m

The Best Watches of May 2024

Everything from sub-$1K field watches to breathtaking, tourbillon-equipped world timers made May an exciting month, indeed

Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you’ve got to admit: Jacob & Co. is never afraid to push the design envelope. To wit, feast your eyes on its latest collaboration with Bugatti: Housed in a 52 x 44 mm case inspired by the front grille and side radiator inlets of a hypercar, it features an incredible V16 engine block automaton — upon activation, a miniature crankshaft spins and all 16 cylinders fire up and down like in a real engine. (As if this weren’t enough, it also features a 30-second flying tourbillon and a twin power reserve indicator, plus retrograde hours and minutes.)

Diameter: 38.6mm

Movement: JCAM55 hand-wound

Water Resistance: 30m

Jacob & Co.

Bell & Ross BR 05 Artline Steel & Gold

Limited to just 99 pieces, the new BR 05 Artline Steel & Gold melds Art Deco inspiration with 1970s/’80s two-tone bling and luxury sports watch tropes. Being a Bell & Ross creation, the primary influence at play is of course aviation, and the vertical case lines evoke the fuselage of 1940s-era aircraft. At 40mm wide, it’s well-sized for a variety of wrists, and the automatic BR-CAL.321-1 movement provides a healthy 54 hours of power reserve.

Diameter: 40mm

Movement: Bell & Ross cal. BR-CAL.321-1 automatic

Water Resistance: 100m

Laurent Ferrier Classic Micro-Rotor Di Rosa

You’d have to be a pretty stellar client to get your hands on one of just five pieces of the new Laurent Ferrier Classic Micro-Rotor Di Rosa, a collaboration between the famed watchmaker and talented French painter Hervé di Rosa. The incredible dial depicts a mythological 12-armed giant star who guards time and also the modesty of the arts. Of course, the watch is powered by one of Ferrier’s beautiful micro-rotor movements.

Diameter: 40mm

Movement: Laurent Ferrier cal. FBN 229.01 automatic

Water Resistance: 30m

Vero Open Water 38 Diver

Vero’s Open Water 38 Diver is a sub-$1,000 diver that’s sure to attract your attention this summer. Having listened to customer feedback following the release of the last-gen Open Water, Vero scaled down its case size, redesigned the bracelet with an adjustable NodeX clasp, and offered new finishes. The latest versions, available in Swell (neon yellow-green) and Cove (eggshell) both feature Cerakote-coated 12-hour bezels and minimalist, highly legible dials.

Diameter: 38mm

Movement: Sellita SW-200-1 automatic

Water Resistance: 200m

Bremont X Brompton X Cheaney

Bremont is a brand thoroughly suffused with the English spirit. Take its newest watch, for example: A collaboration between the Henley-based watchmaker and two fellow British brands — Brompton Bicycles and Cheaney Shoes — it pairs a DLC-treated, 40mm Trip-Tick case with a bronze mid-band and an onion crown with a military-inspired green metal dial with printed white Arabic indices, sword hands and a date window at 3 o’clock. (It also ships with a bespoke, handmade leather saddle roll.)

Diameter: 40mm

Movement: Bremont cal. 11 1/2’’’ BE-92AV automatic

Water Resistance: 100m

Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer Vendôme One

Chopard’s latest L.U.C. offering celebrates the opening of the maison’s new Parisian hotel, 1 Place Vendôme. An eight-piece limited edition, its beautiful gold case measures just 7.7mm thick and features an officer-style hinged back that opens to reveal the movement. This caliber, the L.U.C 96.01-L, features a micro-rotor and gorgeous decoration that’s sure to satisfy even the most discerning of watch lovers. The Bering blue dial, meanwhile, is a sight for sore eyes.

Diameter: 40mm

Movement: Chopard cal. L.U.C 96.01-L automatic

Water Resistance: 30m

Leisure > Watches

Oren Hartov covers the watch industry for InsideHook, Gear Patrol, Robb Report, Worn & Wound, Analog/Shift, HODINKEE, MONOCLE and more, and has also written extensively about military subjects for Special Operations Report and others. A songwriter,...Read More