Three words. New. Watch. Season.

Yes, it's that time of year again when big and small brands from all corners of the globe click 'send' on those press releases and finalise prototypes as all eyeballs turn towards the watch industry to see the latest novelties that will shape the rest of the year. It's a frantic and sometimes overwhelmingly exciting time to be a watch fan as our favourite brands finally bestow their latest creations to the world. It's no secret that Geneva already stands at the home of watchmaking, but during the last week of March, watch brands take over expo halls, hotel suites, and boutiques across the city with a seemingly endless amount of new creations. 

With a myriad of watch events and countless discussions surrounding these new models, sometimes it can feel just as complicated as that new Lange Odysseus Chronograph to filter through all the noise to uncover the relevant releases that matter to you. However, just like last year, I've done all the hard work for you, bringing together the latest releases you'll find available at James Porter & Son this year – buckle up.

Czapek & Cie

Antarctique Titanium' Dark Sector'

The Antarctique has been nothing short of a triumph for Czapek. Harnessing the perpetual desire for integrated sports watches, the Antarctique has been an instant hit since the model first arrived in 2020, so much so that Czapek had to close its order books to meet and manage the demand. Announced just before they set up their booth at Watches & Wonders, the Titanium' Dark Sector' is one addition unveiled this year that's sure to flood the inboxes of the folks over at Czapek HQ. Realised in grade 5 titanium, the 'Dark Sector' is a cleverly executed piece which doesn't just excel because of its lightweight case but also because of that perfectly symmetrical dial. What Czapek has done here is apply various double sectors around the periphery with periodic breaks in them. Those breaks form negative spaces, or voids, which essentially become the indicators for hour markers, flipping the traditional concept of defined markers on its head. With a holistic delivery of brushing right from its anthracite dial base to its case and bracelet centre links, this Antarctique has a unique, muted appearance. The micro-rotor-powered SXH5 remains at the heart of this piece, complete with its handsome contemporary architecture and a display caseback. 

In lightweight titanium, it's likely not going to be to everyone's taste, but with only 100 being produced a year, it doesn't have to be. As one of the most unassuming Antarctique models to date, the 'Dark Sector' is a bit of a sleeper hit.

Antarctique Révélation

From the unassuming to something unmissable, the Antarctique Révélation is Czapek bearing all, with a skeletonised dial revealing an exposed view of their latest movement evolution, the SXH7. Returning to stainless steel, the Révélation sees Czapek turn part of the movement upside down before skeletonising the main plate. The escapement is then reversed, and the crown mechanism has also been reworked entirely. The result is a sea of exposed gearing, skeletonised bridges, and a micro-rotor engraved on both sides. Making its debut for the Antarctique is a new subsidiary second register completed with a smoked sapphire chapter ring. Speaking of sapphire glass, the indices sit on their own layer, and such is the elaborate nature of the skeletonisation, the 'Czapek Genève' signature is on the main crystal to allow a full view of the mainspring.

Again, we're dealing with a limited yearly production of 100 pieces, so this won't be a piece you often see in the wild, but I can confirm after getting hands-on with it at Watches & Wonders it's one of the best releases of Watches & Wonders. In a year where we say plenty of exposed dials from the likes of Patek to Jaeger LeCoultre, this Révélation is one of the most intriguing. 

Antarctique S ‘Sashiko’ and the ‘Carte des Nuages’

Czapek also gave the 38.5mm Antarctique S some love this year, with three new models carrying aesthetics leaning a touch more feminine. Echoing Japanese stitching, the 'Sashiko' Antarctique S blends an almost cross-hatched guilloché motif with a colour-matching brushed chapter ring creating both depth and intrigue. Offered in lotus pink and a baby blue, these tones give soft pastel hues, and although they are more feminine than other colours from Czapek, at 38.5mm, from where I'm sitting, these are totally genderless.

On the other hand, the Carte des Nuages is pretty obvious with its intentions, with diamond markers surrounding the dial and the options to extend those diamonds to the bezel, top of the case body, and the start of the bracelet, this Antarctique expression leans into the jewellery aspect of its craft. Czapek hasn't relied exclusively on diamonds, though, as the dial of this piece is perhaps the most interesting of all of their 2023 novelties. 'Carte des Nuages', or Cloud Map in English, refers to the mother-of-pearl dial that integrates six guilloché gridlines throughout its design. You don't often see the fragile and delicate mother-of-pearl material also feature guilloché, so Czapek deserve some props here.

DOXA

SUB 200 C-Graph II

The most significant update for the aquatic-centred brand came as a newly sized DOXA SUB 200 C-Graph. Previously measuring a pretty intense 45mm, this latest iteration, named the SUB 200 C-Graph II, is a scaled-down realisation of the brand's diving chronograph as it drops 3mm from its breadth, now wearing a lot more friendly at 42mm. In textbook DOXA fashion, the full spectrum of colours is available at launch, including:

• Professional (orange)
• Sharkhunter (black)
• Caribbean (navy blue)
• Divingstar (yellow)
• Aquamarine (aqua blue)
• Whitepearl (white)

Better yet, the dials of these SUB 200 C-Graph II models are also complete with sunray finishes. It's a decorative move we haven't seen from DOXA before, and although their core audience might see it as non-essential, it is a sign the brand isn't afraid to play with its DNA. Fear not, though, as its name denotes, the watch still mains a solid 200m of water resistance.

A slight but important Army update

A noteworthy novelty for DOXA came within the Army family, a model revered amongst DOXA supporters for its connection to ​​Swiss Army Diver units. Upon launch in 2022, the watch was available with a black or green ceramic bezel insert. However, if you opted for the green, the watch was only available with a bronze bezel. It's a colour combination and styling that works remarkably well, but it tarnishes when in contact with skin and gives an avoidable vintage feel. It's not for everyone, DOXA acknowledges this and did something about it; you can now bag yourself a DOXA Army with a green bezel insert in stainless steel if you so wish.  

Frederique Constant

Classic Tourbillon Manufacture

Now, here's a brand not pulling any punches this year, as for their first appearance at Watches & Wonders, Frederique Constant dropped a fresh imagination of their tourbillon calibre FC-980. Measuring 39mm in width, with a thickness of right around 11mm, and an 18k rose gold case, the Classic Tourbillon Manufacture is a side to Frederique Constant many might not know exists. With an esteemed reputation for handsome Swiss-made watches at the entry-level, an in-house, large precious metal automatic tourbillon at just over £22,000 is quite the display of prowess. A five-figure price tag might surprise some folks, but with this one being a limited edition of only 150 pieces and considering its proportions are refreshingly restrained for FC, this is an impressive release. Frederique Constant has been producing some pretty innovative stuff recently (see Slimline Monolithic and Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture), so it's certainly a manufacturer to keep an eye on.

Grand Seiko 

Elegance Hana-Ikada SBGY026

Grand Seiko continues to do what they do best this year: comprehensive refinement, technical movement proficiency, and charming storytelling – and every release this year offers a little bit of everything. The first release on the agenda is the latest limited edition within the Elegance line (probably my favourite from the brand, in case you were wondering), and its whimsicality is two-fold. Carrying the Japanese spring cherry blossom-inspired dial over from the SBGA413, this new SBGY026 reference offers a time-only, Spring Drive powered, 18k rose gold dress watch delight. With a texture so expressive you feel like you want to take the crystal off and touch it (just me? Ok), this 38.5mm piece embodies class. Pink cases on pink dials are a surefire way to get on the radar of many watch collectors, possibly even those who don't own one of your watches yet, and with a Spring Drive calibre rocking 72 hours of autonomy in a case just a hair over 10mm thick, this is Grand Seiko at their best. Now, where did I put that spare £24,350?

Tentagraph Hi Beat Automatic Chronograph

Or is this Grand Seiko at its best? The truth is when your abilities cross so many sections, it's difficult to achieve anything but excellence. The name Tentagraph is coined by denoting specific features of this mechanical chronograph: Ten which refers to the ten beats per second, t for its three days of power reserve, and agraph to highlight that it's an automatic chronograph. In fact, it's more than that, as it is actually the Japanese watchmaker's first mechanical chronograph, a fact which puzzled me when it was first announced after previously being sure they had produced mechanical chronographs – it turns out I was the wrong one. The Caliber 9SA5, with its two barrels, allows the piece to run for three days with the chronograph running, a feat which Grand Seiko are calling the longest duration available in the industry today. At 43.2mm in width, the High-Intensity titanium is certainly sizeable but remains comfortable, and while technically it's offering something new, from a design standpoint, this is Grand Seiko flexing its sporty side.

Would I personally would have loved to have this in a small form factor? Of course, but folks out there would have also loved to see the SBGY026 mentioned above at 42mm, so I'm not letting my personal preference get in the way of my opinions of this chronograph – it's remarkably impressive, and I have more to say on the piece right here.

Evolution 9 Collection "Ushio"

Almost sitting adjacent to the Tentagraph, the latest Evolution 9 "Ushio" is a new lightweight diving watch boasting 200m of water resistance, a blue bezel and dial, and a dial texture that translates to tide in English. Of course, you already know my thoughts on its 43.8mm size, but with five days of running time, a purpose-led construction, and a refinement you don't typically expect on a diving watch, this is one seriously good looking and modern diving watch that is begging to be put to the test.

NOMOS Glashütte

Club Cream Coral & Electric Green

Continuing where they left off last year, NOMOS has extended their dynamic Club Campus lineup with two extra colourful editions, one with hints of salmon and pastel orange hues, the other delivering a punchy and vibrant soft green. From where I'm sitting, this feels like quite the step forward for the Glashütte king of Bauhaus, as this adoption of colour is a bold and decisive play. Colour has always been in the conversation with NOMOS, and for the past few years, they've gradually pushed their boundaries, but these two pieces feel like more of a leap towards the Glashütte watchmaker grabbing hold of colour and not letting go. And more power to them, as recently, if you're in the market for a colourful and playful watch, attention has shifted to other watch brands. I like to think that these pieces are a sign NOMOS is preparing a hostile re-capturing of the fun, energetic, whimsical modern watch category. 

Both colours are available in 36 and 38 sizes, and you can hear a little more from me and my thoughts on them while also perusing some live images right here.

Oris

Pro Pilot X Kermit

I'll go ahead and say it, people aren't talking about the Oris Pro Pilot X enough. It was praised at launch for the application of the brilliant Calibre 400 in a series that previously felt overlooked. After all, with high-flying heritage-influenced pieces to their name, it was easy to let the 65 Diver and the Pointer Date dominate the conversation. But with a titanium construction and a totally unique understanding of what a pilot watch could be, it was easily one of the sleekest releases of the year. And then it just sort of faded into the Oris scenery. Maybe I'm coming at this from a biased point of view, but the Pro Pilot X felt like a huge leap forward for Oris, proving to the world that they can not only nail a watch exempt from vintage cues, but they can do so while revitalising a range typically only known for its technicality rather than commercialism. This accomplishment was not as discussed as it deserved to be. Well, this year, Oris got the people talking.

As one of only a few watchmakers to truly recognise the importance of having fun, this latest Pro Pilot X is a collaboration with Disney's The Muppets Kermit the Frog. All of the excellence Oris achieved last year endures, but a new Kermit green dial (Oris don't refer to this dial colour that way, but they should, so I will) and Kermit himself in the date aperture at six shine both fun and light onto the awesome Pro Pilot X range. Crucially though, and unlike the Rolex emoji watch (I don't think I have the mental energy to get into that right now), Kermit only appears on the first of every month, while every other date remains as expected, ensuring no real sacrifice to functionality (ahem, Rolex). This resistance to plastering the Disney star everywhere has resulted in a watch capable of justifying itself outside the Kermit connection. He'll only show his face twelve times a year as a charming prompt to not take life too seriously – a healthy reminder for us all. 

Sinn

T50 T50 Goldbronze

Last but never least is Sinn, and long story short, boy, is it a good time to be a Sinn fan. Remember the U50 of 2020? If not, it's a scaled-down version of their 44mm U1 that was realised in a blasted submarine steel finish, with either a black or matching steel bezel. It's probably one of the most notable releases by Sinn in recent years and easily my favourite from the German brand (again, thanks for asking). Well, the T50 builds from where the U50 left off, with a new set of aggressive sword hands, a move away from blocky hour markers, a stark monochromatic appearance, and an all-titanium form. It also comes with Sinn's proprietary Tegiment surface hardening, so despite titanium usually being flagged for its unfortunate fondness for proudly carrying scratches, that's not an issue with the T50. 

If you'd rather your T50 to have a touch more flash, the T50 Goldbronze models, either just on the bezel or for the entire case, provide warmer hues to the purposefully austere palette. 

U1 Mother-Of-Pearl

For me, one of the most unforeseen additions to the lineup in recent years is the U50 with the mother-of-pearl dial. The all-black coated diving watch (bracelet included) that I regarded as one of the pinnacles of utilitarian tool watches suddenly was announced carrying a mother-of-pearl dial. That's right, an incredibly fragile and difficult-to-work-with material that typically finds its way onto jewellery pieces (see Czapek) was now matched with a no-nonsense, all-purpose sports watch. I knew I shouldn't have liked it, but the oxymoronic nature of its form unexpectedly won me over. Well, Sinn has doubled down on the concept by introducing the mother of pearl to the beastly 44mm U1.   

U50 DS LE

Sinn has danced around the U50 this year with an iteration of the model in titanium and a novel slice of mother-of-pearl for its bigger brother, but to wrap things up, Sinn returns to the standard U50 to introduce a new dial. Limited to 1,000 pieces, the dial of the U50 DS is a decorative grinding concept, giving off a rough but most certainly ready appearance. Best of all? Each dial is entirely individual, making each watch a piece unique – sort of.