MORE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS

As the year in watchmaking comes to a close and with a new looming just ahead, we look back on important watches that were so low-key that they all but disappeared. Some of these watches may scratch itches that you never knew existed.

- ASHOK SOMAN

For the first time ever, our list of under-the-radar watches takes centre stage in the Spring issue. This might be the final hurrah for this series as the situation with the pre-owned market has cooled considerably, which means that there is not only one class of watches that is hot, or not. This being the case, there is less call for the spotlight to be directed on some watches that get lost in the hubbub. Perhaps this story will morph properly into a discussion on underappreciated watches, which is definitely not what this current story is about. More on that later because we have a few explainers to do before we get down to the list proper, including the odd choice of openers here.

As we began with Patek Philippe last year, so we must include the great Geneva brand here too, perhaps not for a watch but a bracelet. We are referring to Ref. 5738/1R and it caught our eye at once in Geneva last year. While we did spend some time on it in the immediate aftermath of Watches and Wonders Geneva (WWG) and then in our Summer issue, it has since been eclipsed by the release of the monumental Cubitus. To be fair, the entire Patek Philippe range of 2024 novelties has experienced the same and thus qualify as stealthy watches in only the most twisted sense. Nevertheless, there is a certain je ne c'est quai about Ref. 5738 and it is sure be regarded as a landmark watch, perhaps even overshadowing the Cubitus in the end. Well, just the bracelet because for the critics who look askance at the Cubitus bracelet, the extraordinary gold links of the 2024 Golden Ellipse must be enchanting.