Our favourite watch experiences from 2019

Over the course of this year, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing and trying on a huge range of timepieces – literally hundreds, from independent brands through to high volume manufacturers. As the festive season draws in and the end of 2019 approaches, it seemed like a good idea to take a look back at these watches and try and pick my top 5 favourite watch experiences, new or old, from the past 12 months – until I found out just how difficult that would be!

My final top 5 is listed below, in the same order in which I tried them on. Enjoy!

Favourite Watch Experiences – 2019

Bremont Supersonic 

I grew up infatuated with aviation, and so it might not come as too much of a surprise then that Bremont’s ode to Concorde, the Supersonic, is one that makes my list. The Concorde is one of my favourite aircraft, and I can still vividly remember seeing her fly as I watched in awe out the car window. Those memories are ones I will never forget, and are memories which this wonderful timepiece brings to the fore.

This same love affair with aviation is shared by Nick and Giles English, founders of Bremont, and shines through intensely when you explore the Bremont collections. With the Supersonic, the attention to detail is nothing short of spectacular; the crown is decorated with an pattern comprising 4 Concorde silhouettes, the small seconds dial has a pattern of Concorde shapes, the 12 o clock marker is a subtle Concorde outline, and with the stainless steel model, even the blue leather strap is forged from the same blue Connolly leather with which the seats on Concorde were made.

And that is just the front – flip the watch over and you will find Bremont’s first hand-wound calibre with an 8 day power reserve, with the bridge showcasing once more the famous shape of this iconic aircraft. In fact, each Supersonic timepiece even contains a rig of aluminium around the edge from a component used on the Concorde aircraft G-BOAB.

There were only 500 Supersonics made as a limited edition run, with 300 in stainless steel, and 100 each in both rose and white gold. For me, the pick of the bunch would be the stainless steel, purely for the blue Connolly leather strap. I’m a sucker for the details, and to me, this watch tells the story of an important part of my childhood, and so on that basis it is simply impossible to leave out.

Blancpain Villeret Quantième Complet

When I first started to explore the world of watches in more detail, there were certain brands which appealed to me for a variety of reasons. Two of those brands in particular – Breguet and Blancpain – largely because of their horological heritage. Breguet was founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet, watchmaker extraordinaire and inventor of so many things still used today. Blancpain is the oldest surviving watchmaking brand in the world, having been founded in 1735. This rich history appeals to me massively, especially with something as traditional as watchmaking, and so as you might expect I have a penchant for elegant looking timepieces.

Enter the Blancpain Villeret collection. This collection embodies everything traditional about Blancpain, a truly classic look with Roman numerals and double stepped cases. The complete calendar and moonphase models take this a step further, but thanks to some innovative techniques employed by Blancpain it looks effortless – where other calendar and moonphase watches will have correctors placed around the case-band, Blancpain’s patented under-lug correctors keep these hidden away from view, and allow for a completely unblemished case-band, free from tiny holes for correctors.

The particular model I fell in love with is the stainless steel case and white dial, with the date ring finished by a metallic hue with a blued steel serpentine hand indicator. A totally classical look and symmetrical dial, with some great mod-cons on the inside, and all from a brand steeped in history. Perfect!

Roger Dubuis Knights of the Round Table IV

You may recall if you have read our story on the homepage that it was a trip to Roger Dubuis in Harrods and specifically the Knights of the Round Table II which served to inspire the idea for Watch Affinity. If you didn’t recall, now you know! I thought that the Knights of the Round Table on a watch was a brilliant idea, and the detail that the watchmakers of Roger Dubuis had put into the watch was exceptional, with each of the 12 knights carved by hand and completely different, a jade ‘table’ between them for the dial and the tiny brickwork detailing of the floor beneath them. Each year, Roger Dubuis produce a limited run of 28 for the next generation of the Knights of the Round Table, and 2019 was no exception. However, with these being such an exclusive run and sold out as quick as a flash, it can be nigh on impossible to actually get the chance to see one.

When I visited Geneva in September this year, one of my favourite watch experiences to date, a visit to the flagship boutique of Roger Dubuis was high on the agenda for me. Luckily, the attendant in the boutique must have had a slow day, and so was happy to show me a huge number of pieces, I think encouraged by my enthusiasm for the brand. Anyway, at this point I thought I’d chance asking the question as to whether they had any Knights of the Round Table IV in store, and luckily for me, I struck gold!

A few minutes later, I had this amazing watch on my wrist, born of the same inspiration that ultimately led to this website’s very existence. When I had it on, I was naturally comparing it to the Knights of the Round Table II from that visit to Roger Dubuis in Harrods, and it occurred to me how far the concept had come in only 2 years. I particularly enjoyed the symmetry as it was a similar time-frame between the concept of Watch Affinity having come to mind, and the launch of our Compendiums in May 2019.

There is a huge number of reasons how and why a watch can take on a particular meaning to somebody, and this reason being so intimately related to Watch Affinity has really stuck with me; for that reason, the Knights of the Round Table IV is another watch that really couldn’t be overlooked for my top 5.

Laurent Ferrier Galet Micro-rotor Square

On the same trip to Geneva, in fact within only half an hour or so of finding the Knights of the Round Table IV, we were walking back the hotel when my girlfriend and I stumbled across a watch boutique which I noticed stocked Laurent Ferrier watches. I was a little familiar with the Laurent Ferrier brand, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get to see them up close in person, and so we went in.

The attendant was kind enough to show me four pieces, all of which were really quite special, however there was a Galet Square model which I absolutely adored. It had the most beautiful, striking ice blue dial, which when set in a polished stainless steel case with a brown leather strap just looked stunning. The attention to detail and quality of finishing with Laurent Ferrier is nothing short of exquisite, and this is no more evident than when studying the finishing on the movement through the sapphire case-back, which in turn showcases the off centred micro-rotor.

This timepiece is a real standout for me personally, and has notably stuck in my mind ever since trying it on. Having made such a great impression on me, which is not something which happens terribly often, it was nailed on favourite and perhaps the first watch to go on this list when I started thinking about it.

One day, I would absolutely love to own a Laurent Ferrier timepiece, however (for now at least!) it will have to remain an aspiration, and serve as an inspiration for something to drive towards!

Urwerk DeBethune Moon Satellite for OnlyWatch 2019

This year I learned about OnlyWatch, the biennial charity auction of unique timepieces to raise money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and despite Patek Philippe’s Grandmaster Chime in stainless steel this year fetching a world record CHF 31 million fee for a watch, there was one other which stood out for me as my favourite – the Urwerk and DeBethune Moon Satellite collaboration piece.

I have long been a fan of DeBethune timepieces, fascinated by their ‘floating lugs’ concept, whereby they have replaced traditional watch lugs at the top and bottom of the dial to affix the strap to the case, with a pivot at 3 and 9 o’clock which reportedly allow the lugs to better hug the wearer’s wrist, making for an extremely comfortable fit. This design feature combined with Urwerk’s distinctive satellite time display, housed inside a titanium case, combined to create what is in my opinion a frankly awesome looking watch.

When I visited the OnlyWatch World Tour at Christie’s in London, I was fortunate enough to be able to try it on, and it really did not disappoint. I was in absolute awe. Despite being 45 x 50mm in size the watch felt surprisingly wearable, likely in part thanks to the floating lugs which – I can confirm – certainly do enhance the level of comfort as the anchor point of the strap to the case is further around the wrist, and so it effectively hugs a little more of the wrist circumference.

With initial estimates of CHF 120-150k, the eventual hammer price raised an amazing CHF 300k for charity. Congratulations to the lucky owner – I can imagine they will be immensely pleased with the purchase!

Trying to pick a top 5 favourite watch experiences from this year was an immensely difficult challenge for me, each of these watches was one which I really enjoyed being able to get hands on with, and stood out for different and special reasons. Each watch is one which I’m sure I won’t forget anytime soon.

For any questions, or to share your favourite watch experiences, please get in touch via our Contact page, or visit our Instagram.

You might also be interested in:

• A Watch Aficionado’s Guide to Geneva – Part 1
• A Watch Aficionado’s Guide to Geneva – Part 2
• OnlyWatch 2019
• Watch Stationery and Gift Ideas
• Watch Books, Watch Boxes and more at the Watch Affinity Shop on Amazon (commissions earned)

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases – thank you for your support