The Overseas, commonly held to be part of a trio of superior 1970s “sports-luxe” designs alongside the Royal Oak and Nautilus, has never been as bold and experimental in its dial colours as the other two. Perhaps that is beginning to change. Following “pinkish beige” (the brand’s own description) and the emblematic deep blue, Vacheron Constantin now adds a vibrant olive green to the collection. Available in four variants – the 35mm, 41mm Date, 41mm Dual Time and 42.5mm Chronograph models – this new shade is restricted (for now) to pink-gold watches. Do not be surprised if the stainless-steel equivalents follow in time, but right now the focus on gold is unsurprising: the industry is entering a more glamorous, hedonistic phase, kick-started in part by Vacheron’s own reference 222 relaunch two years ago.

Designed in 1912, the Tortue, or tortoise, was Cartier’s third style of watch after the Santos-Dumont and Tonneau. It began life as a time-only model, but in 1928, Cartier introduced a monopusher chronograph variant, with the control for the chronograph concealed within the crown. Produced in partnership with Jaeger (before it became Jaeger-LeCoultre), it is an exceptionally rare watch; Cartier had capitalised on its desirability once before, when it created the CPCP (Cartier Paris Collection Privé) Tortue Monopusher in 1998. Now, it has revived the design once more, in yellow-gold and platinum versions, which stay faithful to the previous generation in terms of dial design. An elegant, unusual watch – Cartier is not primarily famed for its chronographs, after all – this is guaranteed to be one of the most sought-after watches of Watches and Wonders 2024.

You’ll be familiar with the annual calendar – needs changing once a year, for leap years – and perpetual calendar, which doesn’t. IWC now brings us the “eternal calendar”, an evolution of the perpetual calendar mechanism that not only takes into account the existence of leap years, but also the three-centuries-in-four (ie, the years 2100, 2200 and 2300, but not 2400), which should be leap years, but aren’t. As a result, IWC’s engineers assure us the watch will keep accurate track of the date until at least the year 3999. Why only then? Because, in their words, “it has not yet been officially decided whether the year 4000 will be a leap year or not”. Someone should really get on that. If that all doesn’t sound sufficiently future-proof to you, the watch also boasts a re-engineered calculation of the accurate phases of the moon; most moonphase watches need bringing back into line after anything from a few years to a century or so. This one boasts a mechanical gearing that will remain within one day of the moon’s cycle for the next 45 million years. By which point, you can assume we will probably have bigger problems on our hands.

First launched in 2007, the Duomètre à Chronograph, as it was originally known, was one of the earliest chronographs to separate out its timekeeping and time-measuring functions with two separate gear trains (thereby alleviating the effect of the chronograph running on the timekeeping accuracy of the watch). It was part of a generation of phenomenal chronographs from across the industry, and although perhaps forgotten by many, remained in the collection ever since. This year, it is updated with a new movement – Calibre 391 – that incorporates a monopusher chronograph, moon phase and day-night indicator, as well as a foudroyante hand that enables time to be measured down to 1/6th of a second. The Duometre also acquires a new, more rounded case profile, and a salmon-pink dial. On the back of last year’s Reverso Tradition Chronograph, this is evidence that Jaeger-LeCoultre is once again eager to be known for its high-end chronograph watchmaking.

We’re used to seeing watch brands launch colourful limited editions – and we’re used to colourful dials from NOMOS Glashütte, which has been brave enough to explore a wide colour palette for longer than most brands. But this year the German watchmaker has outdone itself, launching a set of 31 different Tangente designs, one for every year the iconic watch has been in production. It was part of NOMOS’ debut collection in 1993 and has come to define the company’s approach ever since, but has mostly existed in a sombre palette of navy, grey, taupe and good old reliable plain white while other NOMOS models fly the flag for flamboyance. Not any more: the 31 new looks include a riot of oranges, pinks, purples and blues, with names like Lemonbiscuit, Rambazamba, Super Sardine and Pompadour.

Away from the wild Rolexes and Kermit the Frog collabs, one of the surprise hits of Watches and Wonders 2023 was a simple salmon-pink dialled Chopard LUC 1860. We think Chopard might have done it again with this LUC XPS in Forest Green. There hasn’t been such an overtly sporty reference in this line for a good few years, and the sector dial, with its concentric minute and second scales, gives the watch a technical, active feel. It’s been a long time since a green dial was a novel proposition, but it remains an eye-catching, alternative choice, and the rich tone used here stands out against the white dial decoration, and pairs well with the brown leather strap. At 40mm, the standard size for XPS references, it is larger than the 1860 but that suits the character of the watch. Inside is the tried-and-tested Calibre 96, here regulated to chronometer standards of accuracy.

A completely new design for Gerald Charles, the Masterlink is a very literal reference to the brand’s lodestar and founder, the late Mr Gérald Genta, both in the sense of connecting to the past and literally adding links of a bracelet to the established case shape. Genta, of course, is best known for designing some of the most famous bracelet-based watches of all time, so the Masterlink presents itself as the heir to that tradition. It is an eye-catching, sleek, futuristic watch which makes a neat job of seamlessly integrating the curved “chin” of its case into the flat links of the steel bracelet. Created without any visible screws, the steel bracelet features a slender adjustable clasp and – combined with the 7.9mm thick case – makes for a comfortable, vertically striped dials in silky blue or silver lend a retro, sartorial touch,

The America’s Cup, sport’s oldest and most inscrutable competition, returns this autumn with regattas held in Barcelona between August and October. As a long-standing sponsor of Team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, the entry from Sicily’s Circolo della Vela yacht club, Panerai has produced Luna Rossa-branded watches since 2017. This year, it adds four new collaborative references to its Submersible collection, spearheaded by a skeletonised tourbillon GMT limited edition. Our pick, however, is this 42mm stainless-steel edition with a gradient blue dial and black ceramic bezel. Limited to 300 pieces, it bears its connection to the sailing team lightly, with a fine red stripe on the strap, a red seconds hand and some discreet dial text alluding to the Italian representatives at the tournament.

The unexpected “winner” of Watches and Wonders 2023, for its ProPilot X Kermit edition, Oris is riding high. For 2024, it is launching a complete redesign of its staple dive watch, the Aquis. Without departing radically from the path, the watch becomes slimmer and more balanced aesthetically. A thinner case and more tapered bracelet improve its wearability, while a redesigned bezel, colour-matched date and new interchangeable straps (on the larger, 43.5mm model) add to a sense of sophistication. The bigger model (it also comes in 41mm) will receive the brand’s in-house, five-day movement, but our heads are turned by the introduction of a new 36.5mm version, which is available in black, mother-of-pearl or – most interesting – upcycled PET plastic, a unique appearance that speaks to Oris’ credible sustainability initiatives.