Watch of the Year 2015 – most interesting watch premiers of the past 12 months

Łukasz Doskocz19.10.201519.10.20154 min. of reading

Already for the 6th time CH24.PL chooses and awards most eye-catching and noticeable watch novelties released in the past 12 months. This year’s winners represent almost entire range of mechanical watchmaking.

Last quarter of the year is for CH24.PL traditionally time for “Watch of the Year” – our annual competition for the best, the most interesting, talked-about, important (etc.) new watches that we have seen through the last 12 months. Our international jury (you’ll find full list here) had hard time deciding as usual, as the watch industry is still quite fertile segment o luxury world. Fertile yet still able to surprise even the most demanding taste. Winners have been selected in total of 9 categories – 2 of them will be announced at the final dinner gala on November 5th in Warsaw. Those 2 are Special Jury Prize and the 2015 Grand Prix, that will be selected from among all the winners in 6 main WOTY categories. An the winners are…

Classic watch

It’s hard to clearly determine the term „classic watch”, especially that what one finds classic someone else calls casual at best. Each of 6 nominated pieces could be easily worn with a tailored suit. Each represents watchmaking craft in pure, traditional form. Our vote went to the brand that celebrates quite a special year – Vacheron Constantin. Believed to be one of the best in the world, the Geneva based manufacture celebrates 260th birthday, just created the most complicated timepiece in the world (Ref. 57260) and for the SIHH showed a collection that charmed almost everyone. Harmony is set of tonneau-shaped pieces with silver dials and manufactured movements, mostly with chronograph complication. Our 2015 “Classic watch” is the Harmony Chronograph with a stunning calibre 3300 and pure, vintage inspired dial with a pulsometer scale.

Sports watch

In football there is a saying that everybody plays it but at the end the winner is Germany. In watches such analogy can be signed to a certain Geneva based brand called Rolex. It is a perfect sports watch for many with a great quality and reliable movement. Although gold might not be a perfect material for the sporty activities, new Yacht-Master works well, especially that it was combined with a great rubber strap called Oysterflex. Rolex has a certain crazy attitude towards all its new things, so even the simple rubber band was made with the same attention to detail as all other parts of the watch.

Complicated watch

We should probably get used to the presence of A. Lange & Sohne on the list of the winners of each next “Watch of the Year” competitions. If we want to select what’s best in watchmaking, we can’t feel sorry but rather admire what this German manufacture has to offer. Last year’s award went to the “Terraluna”, this year we give it to the magnificent Zeitwerk Minute Repeater. The sheer number of watchmaking details put into the piece with minute repeater combined with digital time display deserves all the prizes. Fact of it looking like one of the best avant-garde creations out there only adds up to that.

Ladies watch

Ask an average woman how the perfect ladies watch should look like and she’ll probably say – should be pretty. Ask the one with even a small interest in the subject, and she should add interesting mechanics to pure visual values. Both are perfectly combined in the Richard Mille RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur – piece that is equally attractive to most guys. Characteristic, tonneau shaped case with diamonds houses manually wound calibre with tourbillion. Its romantic side is a flower-like cover that opens and closes to reveal the inner workings within.

Innovation in watchmaking

While the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater uses a traditional form of the minute repeating mechanism, Royal Oak Concept Acoustic Research redefines it, all new way. It’s construction is still mostly well kept secret, but anyone who heard it playing was at least impressed. Concept watchmaking is an important part of Audemars Piguet activity and it works for them quite good so far.

Watch priced up to 10.000PLN

Nobody ever said (nobody reasonable and rational) that a proper mechanical watch must cost a small fortune. Of course you have to pay extra for complications and top-quality finishing, but still a good piece of watch can be bought for a 4 digits price. 4 of the nominated pieces are mechanic and all 5 altogether would make up for a nice and complete collection with chronograph, two diver’s, something classical and an electronic but traditionally formed smartwatch. Watch that won was one of the most talked about pieces of last BaselWorld – Oris Divers Sixty-Five. For a mare 7.500PLN (~1.900CHF) you can buy yourself vintage look in modern execution, with an automatic movement and date.

Public prize

Looking at previous winners of the “Public prize” category – your voice in our “Watch of The Year” competition, it’s quite hard to make any particular conclusion other than you simply chose what you like. No brand, complication level or price tag meters – it all comes to what we like to call “fun factor”. In 2015, just like last year, you have awarded Longines. Heritage Diver 1967 is a combination of dive-watch with a chronograph, encased in steel with contrasting, red bezel.

Grand finale of the 2015 “Watch of the Year” will be held on Novemebr 5th in Warsaw. Our regular partners are Polish Watch and Clocks Collectors Club and Manager MBA magazine. Our media partner is Esquire Poland.

You can find a lot more on Watch of the Year 2015 on the official website www.zegarekroku.pl/en/.