Bold, Beautiful and a Little Bit Bonkers

The most fun watches of 2024 so far

Nomos Glashütte Tangente

The German brand took its Tangente model and came up with 31 color combinations. With names such as Super Sardine, Lemonbiscuit and Pompadour, they’re cheery, creative and eye-catching while being utterly simple—in line with the ethos of the design-minded and approachable watchmaker. Just 175 of each colorway will be sold. €1,925 ($2,050)

Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual

Most tourbillons—a mechanism that rotates a movement’s escapement, balance wheel and hairspring so gravity doesn’t cause precision to decline over time—operate on one axis. This watch’s spins on three. Combined with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Duometre technology, which uses two separate barrels and gear trains to maintain even power, this is one very, very accurate timepiece. $438,000

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Brise d’Été

Press a button, and the flowers begin to sway independently, as if in a gentle summer breeze. White and yellow gold butterflies swoop in a ring around the dial and tell the time with their wings when they finally alight. Rare enamel techniques like vallonné, champlevé and curved plique-à-jour make this an elaborate joy. $177,000

Chopard Imperiale

This watchmaker has earned a reputation for dazzling red carpet jewelry, and those skills are visible on the three-dimensional face of this elegant white gold watch, which features a base of deep blue enamel covered by a netting of white enamel arabesque. Carved mother-of-pearl flowers in pink are scattered with diamonds and Padparadscha sapphires, with the whole thing ringed by diamonds on the bezel and lugs. Price on request

Chanel Boy•Friend Couture Watch

The French brand always comes up with brilliantly cheeky and beautiful designs that nod to founder Coco Chanel’s favorite things, including lions and the number five. One of the designer’s most-used motifs is the chain pattern sewn into the hem of its jackets. On this limited-edition quartz watch, it’s evoked in the braided gold around the bezel. $10,400

Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph SBGC275

Using “optical multilayer coating,” the textured dial is meant to evoke sunrise over the Hotaka mountains near one of Grand Seiko’s workshops in Japan. Viewed head on, the watch is a deep red, almost magenta, but change the angle, and the hue shifts to flaming orange. An 18k emblem of the titular feline adorns the back. $13,400

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra

Just about every year, Bulgari manages to set a record for the thinnest mechanical watch. This year, it reclaims the title from Richard Mille with the Octo Finissimo Ultra, a mere 1.7mm thick. While it seems extremely fragile—various outlets say it’s as thin as “a strand of spaghetti” and “so thin it doesn’t look real”—this one’s made of superstrong titanium. Only 20 will be produced. $529,000

Cartier Animal Jewelry Watch

Primarily a house of jewelry, Cartier calls itself a watchmaker of shapes, which means design, not complications or technology, is the first priority. This yellow gold watch speaks directly to that philosophy with sharp, undulating ridges of spiky, reverse-set diamonds, spinels and black lacquer. For over a century its watches have been inspired by the panther, but this one takes its cues from zebras and crocodiles. $70,500

Patek Philippe Retrograde Perpetual Calendar, Rare Handcrafts

Inspired by a historic pocket watch, this complex timepiece is now in rose gold. On the front you’ll find a perpetual calendar and an elegant retrograde date display, but what really stands out are the exquisite handengraved foliage and spirals across the case. The handcrafted caseback also swings open to show the movement inside. $202,090

De Bethune Kind of Grande Complication

This complex, polished titanium watch holds two dials. One ultra-modern face is adorned with the brand’s Star Trek-ish chevron logo; it shows the time, plus the lunar day and a tourbillon. Flip the face over, and you’ll find a much more classic dial on the reverse, showing all the functions of a perpetual calendar, including moon phase. Only five will be made per year. $450,000

Zenith Defy Revival A3648

Always history-minded, Zenith reached back into its archives to 1969, when it launched one of its first dive watches. This remake has an era-appropriate 37mm case size and a unidirectional bezel that only moves counterclockwise. It’s also water resistant to 600 meters, just like the original. The bright orange will keep you on track, whether you’re in the deep or just deep in the weeds. $7,700

Bovet Récital 28 Prowess 1

Introduced in February, this world time watch solves the confounding issue of daylight saving via an innovative roller system that adjusts for seasonal shifts in all 24 time zones. It also has settings for American Summer Time, European Winter Time and others. Just for kicks, the 46.3mm-diameter, 17.85mmthick watch boasts a flying tourbillon, a perpetual calendar and a 10-day power reserve. 702,650 Swiss francs ($770,000)