Feats of elegance and engineering—in both men’s and women’s watches—that make horology tick.

We met with more than 50 of the top luxury watchmakers, as well as countless CEOs, designers, retailers and leading industry insiders throughout the year and at the two biggest watch fairs in Switzerland, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie and Baselworld, to compile our list of the watches that are taking the art of timekeeping to its pinnacle. Overall, it was a year marked mostly by controlled perfectionism. Watchmakers kept men’s releases conservative, mostly tweaking existing models in new case materials or dial colors. Only Vacheron Constantin managed to push boundaries with an entirely new solution for the perpetual calendar in the Twin Beat. For women there were very few pieces equipped with serious complications and interesting designs, save for MB&F’s first women’s piece, which rethinks the female watch entirely. Still, a few brands managed to improve upon existing models or expertise with new complication combinations, interesting new materials, innovative design and extraordinary gem-setting.