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Joshua Hendren

Contributing writer for Style by SCMP, specialising in jewellery, watches and pop culture


The 24th edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), often referred to as the Oscars of watchmaking, brought to the fore many of the world’s leading brands and horologists. The winners, announced in November 2024, were picked from 90 finalists, selected from 273 submissions. Twenty-one watches were ultimately accorded honours in their relevant categories.
There was a brand new category for 2024 – time-only watches. H. Moser & Cie was the winner here with its Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel.

For those not familiar with the term, a time-only watch is, just as the name suggests, the purest form of timepiece – displaying the hours, minutes, seconds and nothing else. Opting out of crazy complications and complex displays, a time-only watch strips a model down to its base functions, highlighting simplicity, luxurious materials and uninterrupted symmetry.

In contemporary horology, popular examples of time-only watches include a number of heavyweights, like the Rolex Submariner and Oyster Perpetual, Omega watches like the Trésor and Vacheron Constantin’s Historiques 1921. Connecting with the trend for “quiet luxury”, time-only watches are highly coveted by those seeking a touch of pared-back elegance on the wrist. Anyone yearning for a bit more complexity to their watch face, meanwhile, might opt for a time and date model – timepieces that are essentially time-only, with just a date indicator added to the dial.
We look at some time-only watches that have created a buzz in recent years.

Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date, which the brand describes as “beauty in its purest form”, was a nominee at GPHG awards. First introduced in September 2021, the model is highlighted by a Golden Siena dial textured with the brand’s signature grain d’orge hand-guilloche finishing. A favourite among fans of absolute purity in watchmaking, the Tonda strips the dial of everything but the time indicator, notably having no date window, while a 3.07mm-thick PF703 calibre with automatic winding by micro-rotor beats within.

Chopard’s L.U.C Qualité Fleurier was another GPHG nomination in the time-only category. The model is designed in the brand’s signature Lucent Steel, an alloy made using industrial scraps from Swiss watchmakers, along with high-grade steel from the medical, aerospace and automotive industries. Inspired by the first L.U.C Qualité Fleurier watch from 2005, this latest interpretation is enhanced with a silver-toned sector-type dial that allows for individual readings of hours and minutes. For an understated yet functional display, the separation between different sectors is indicated by contrasts in the surfaces of the dial, from a sunburst satin-brushed centre to a satin-finished chapter ring.

Outside the GPHG, there are plenty more desirable time-only models on the market – Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso, for example, which is best known for its distinctive swivelling design originally developed for use by polo players. The time-only variation of this 20th century icon is classically styled and retains that ingenious rectangular case that flips over to protect the dial under a polished caseback.
Cartier, too, offers a number of time-only watches. They include the Tank Louis Cartier, first released in 1922 and characterised by a mechanical hand-wound movement and art deco design; and the Panthère, unveiled in 1983 and then revived again in 2017, which sees an integrated bracelet paired with a sleek square case, drawing inspiration from the panther, a storied Cartier motif.

With such a rarefied assortment of models available, the time-only watch is a design choice with wide appeal. While complications like chronographs, moonphases and time-intensive métier d’Art creations certainly deserve their time in the spotlight, sometimes a pared-back approach to watchmaking is the most effective, lending an enduring quality and allowing the aesthetic language of a brand to shine through.


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Timepieces

Why the spotlight was on time-only watches at 2024’s ‘Oscars of watchmaking’: made popular by the likes of Rolex, Omega, Cartier and Jaeger-LeCoultre, the trend has found champions in smaller brands

Time-only watches, like this Cartier Tank Français, allow the brand’s aesthetic language to shine through. Photo: Handout

H. Moser & Cie’s Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel was a winner at the 2024 GPHG awards. Photo: Handout

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date is among the most popular time-only watches, albeit not in the purest form. Photo: Handout

Parmigiani Fleurier calls its Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date “beauty in its purest form”. Photo: Handout

Chopard’s L.U.C Qualité Fleurier has its roots in 2005. Photo: Handout

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface traces its origins to a design for polo players. Photo: Handout

Dwyane Wade attends the Netflix is a Joke Fest in May 2024 wearing a Green Tank Louis Cartier watch. Photo: Getty Images 

The art and jewellery designs redefining timepieces: from a shape-shifting Cartier and Chanel’s couture ensemble, to Van Cleef & Arpels’ enamel fantasy and Louis Vuitton’s tribute to Japanese art

Dazzling designs (from left): Bulgari Serpenti Misteriosi Pallini, Vacheron Constantin Grand Lady Kalla and Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Secret Necklace. Photos: Handout

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté. Photo: Handout

Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders Snake’s Jungle watch. Photo: Handout

Vacheron Constantin Grand Lady Kalla. Photo: Handout

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Secret Necklace. Photo: Handout

Chanel Couture O’Clock – Safety Pin Long Necklace. Photo: Handout

Cartier Libre Polymorph brooch. Photo: Handout

Chopard Ice Cube secret watch. Photo: Handout

Bulgari Serpenti Misteriosi Pallini. Photo: Handout

Is now the best time to invest in luxury watches? Our guide to scoring collectible pieces from Rolex, Omega and others on the secondary market, with help from the experts at Chrono24 and Christie’s

In November, Phillips in association with Bacs &Russo presented the “Toki: Watch Auction”, focused on watch collecting in Japan. Photo: Handout

Chrono24 is a peer-to-peer platform for watch sales and purchases, which also offers a buyer protection service. Photo: Chrono24

Anthony Farrer, former owner of The Timepiece Gentleman. Photo: @anthony/Instagram

Celebrity investors like Cristiano Ronaldo have bought stakes in watch reseller Chrono24. Photo: Handout

Philip Pon (right) talks watches with Roger Smith (left). Pon sold his Roger Smith Series 2 on Wristcheck last year. Photo: Philip Pon

Thomas Perazzi, head of watches Asia at Phillips auctions. Photo: Phillips Auctions

The first Rolex “Rainbow” Daytona Reference 16599 was sold at auction for 5.5 million Swiss francs. Photo: Handout

Alexandre Bigler, senior vice-president and head of watches, Christie’s Asia-Pacific. Photo: Handout

Otsuka Lotec No 6, part of November’s “Toki: Watch Auction”. Photo: Hodinkee Japan

Phillips Perpetual at Pedder Arcade in Hong Kong. Photo: Edward Chan Tsz Fung

When timepiece customisation turns controversial: stars like Jay-Z and Ed Sheeran spend big to make their Rolex, Richard Mille, Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet more exclusive – but how far is too far?

This photo from Blaken shows customisation of watches ordered by clients who are the owners of those timepieces. Blaken is not affiliated with any watch brand shown. Photo: Handout 

Jay-Z and François-Henry Bennahmias in 2005. Photo: Audemars Piguet

DiW’s work on the Rolex Daytona Exceptional customisation. These photos from DiW show customisation of watches ordered by clients who are the owners of these timepieces. DiW are not affiliated with any watch brand shown. Photo: Handout

George Bamford of Bamford Watch Department. Photo: George Bamford

Blaken CEO Alexander Klingbeil. Photo: Handout

An inscription reads “Drive slowly, Joanne” on the 2006 Rolex Daytona watch gifted to US film director Paul Newman from his wife, US actress Joanne Woodward, during Sotheby’s Luxury Week 2023 press preview in New York City in June 2023. Photo: AFP

US actor and driver Paul Newman is pictured, during 24 Hours of Le Mans car race in Le Mans, in 1979. Photo: AFP

DiW’s work on the Rolex Daytona Avia customisation. Photo: Handout

Blaken’s customisation of a watch strap. Photo: Handout

DiW’s work on the Rolex Daytona Exceptional customisation. Photo: Handout

Why asymmetrical watches are here to stay: beyond the Cartier Crash, newcomers like Anoma and Berneron are paving the way with quirky and captivating designs

New watch brands like Berneron are pushing the boundaries in dial shape, as seen on this Mirage Sienna. Photo: Handout

The Cartier Crash is one of the watchmaker’s iconic designs. Photo: @tanisova/Instagram

Berneron Mirage Sienna features an asymmetrical movement to go with the case shape. Photo: Handout

Berneron’s Mirage Sienna is anything but ordinary. Photo: Handout

Sylvain Berneron’s designs have captivated watch enthusiasts. Photo: Handout

The Cartier Crash design. Photo: @tanisova/Instagram

Toledano & Chan B/1. Photo: Handout

Toledano & Chan B/1 box. Photo: Handout

Audemars Piguet [Re]Master 02. Photo: Handout

Audemars Piguet’s [Re]Master 02 is based on the reference 5159BA. Photo: Handout

Anoma A1 First Series. Photo: Handout

Inside Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield’s luxury watch collection: the actor has a thing for Omega timepieces, but his sense of style also extends to Cartier, Harry Winston and Jaeger-LeCoultre

Inside Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield’s watch collection, from Omega and Cartier, to Harry Winston and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

A young Andrew Garfield, right, sports a Cartier Santos at the 2011 Golden Globes. Photo: Getty Images

Andrew Garfield shows off his Harry Winston at the 2011 Academy Awards. Photo: Getty Images

Andrew Garfield wears a Seamaster Aqua Terra watch in black to the 2022 Costume Designers Guild Awards. Photo: Getty Images

Jamie Dornan, left, and Andrew Garfield at the Oscars in March 2022, in Los Angeles. Garfield wears an Omega Speedmaster ’57. Photo: AP

Andrew Garfield poses with an Omega De Ville Prestige timepiece at the 2023 SAG Awards, in Los Angeles. Photo: @warrenalfiebaker/Instagram

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Watches

The 2024 GPHG saw a surge in interest for these ‘purist’ watches, with brands like H. Moser & Cie, Parmigiani Fleurier and Chopard highlighting the trend for ‘quiet luxury’


The 2024 GPHG saw a surge in interest for these ‘purist’ watches, with brands like H. Moser & Cie, Parmigiani Fleurier and Chopard highlighting the trend for ‘quiet luxury’.
