Op-Ed: What I Hope to See in 2024

Travis Cannata has been writing about watches for a decade. He is currently the Editor-In-Chief for Wrist Enthusiast, a watch publication based out of New York City. Prior to working at Wrist Enthusiast, Travis was an Editor for aBlogToWatch.

2023 has provided watch enthusiasts with some really great moments. We saw the release of an entirely new model in the Rolex Perpetual 1908 – marking the brand’s first “new” model in almost a decade. Further, we witnessed Rolex’s acquisition of Bucherer, marking a major shift in how Rolex handles retail. We saw the Swatch Collaboration with Blancpain, which whether we like to admit it or not, has been extremely successful, and (let’s face it) FUN. A new CEO at Audemars Piguet took the reigns looking to mark a new era for the brand. Omega marked a major milestone with 75 years of the Seamaster. Overall, the past year had more than its fair share of monumental moments, with a number of significant shifts in trends and industry norms. Today I thought I would take a look at some of the trends I want to see more of in 2024, and some that I definitely want to see less of going into 2024. Lets start with what I want to see more of.

What I want to See More of in 2024…

Accessible Collaborations

Look, let’s not ignore the elephant in the room, the Swatch collaborations with Omega and Blancpain were controversial and divided the community on whether they were appropriate or not. There was very little indifference and some absurdly strong opinions on the “Moonswatch” and “Swifty Fathoms” (I’m sticking to this name in 2024. Sue me!). But let’s face it – the releases were a tremendous success and the people that have the biggest problem with it are just clutching pearls at this point. I have both a Moonswatch and a Speedmaster, and never once have I thought “Man, this Moonswatch really cheapens my Moonwatch”.

Storied brands willingly collaborating to create a more accessible watch in funky colorways that really (and I do mean REALLY) won’t be mistaken for “the real thing” did nothing to hurt Omega or Blancpain’s brand image (or sales for that matter). What it did do, however, was make a fun piece from a beloved brand available to the average watch enthusiast, without having to sell a kidney to buy it. Let’s be honest about what the watches actually are, they’re novelties. I’ve seen more expensive Omega branded pens on eBay! That being said, I’m all in. Was it a pain in the butt to get one when they launched? 1,000%. But it also created a fun atmosphere for enthusiasts who were on “the hunt”.

Seeing friends and family get excited to find a watch they love that they can also afford, opens the door for increased enthusiasm for watches in general and the specific brands as well. Whether they’re actually luxury items or not, let’s just let people enjoy things, shall we? I for one, would love to see more brands collaborate in the future, even outside of Swatch Group. I find the potential endless and want to see more of it in 2024.

Entirely New Models from Luxury Brands

I mentioned above that 2023 saw the release of the Rolex Perpetual 1908 – essentially an all-new addition to the brand’s catalogue. I want to see more of this from luxury brands. I’ll be the first to recognize that there’s a comfort in legacy models being released in new colorways or configurations, but it’s also so very boring. In 2023, I found myself saying “Wait, didn’t they already have a model like that?” quite often, so that made the Rolex Perpetual 1908 all the more unexpected and exciting. In fact, I consider it one of my favorite releases of the year.

We need to see more of this from luxury brands. The tried-and-true method is the easy route, but also the least exciting. Part of the problem is the collecting community and its brutality towards new models (I’m looking at you, everyone who hated on the Audemars Piguet 11:59!). I have to imagine this kind of scrutiny is intimidating for a lot of Production Teams, but I’m crossing my fingers that we see some bravery in 2024. I’m encouraged by Frederic Arnault’s promotion to CEO of LVMH Watches. He took risks at Tag Heuer that I feel paid off and hopefully we will see some new production models under his leadership in the near future. Are new models risky? Sure. But I think the potential reward is even more exciting.

What I want to see less of in 2024…

Incessant Brand Hate

Maybe I’m just jaded from being in the industry for so long, and maybe it’s just a community thing, but all the brand hate has gotten pretty tiring for me. I get when something isn’t to someone’s taste, but the constant bashing of brands like Hublot, Richard Mille, Jacob & Co, etc. needs to stop. Look, I understand Hublot has used ETA movements in $10,000-plus watches, but a lot of brands have done that. Hublot has also innovated in the world of materials, namely being the first brand to pair precious metal with a rubber strap, and the first brand to really utilize sapphire for cases and bracelets. There is a place in the industry for them and their watches, whether you personally like them or not.

If it’s not your cup of tea, move on. No need to drag a brand’s heritage, name, and the countless people that work for them through a bunch of negativity because you don’t like what they’ve produced. With the thousands of other brands to choose from, I find it fairly petty to constantly throw dirt at the same few brands, or have the same few brands constantly be the butt of every joke. Let’s leave that all behind in 2023.

Vintage Inspired Releases

I understand that this is going to be a little bit of a controversial hot-take, but 2023 felt like it was the year of vintage. Every five minutes, yet another brand launched yet another clone of yet another luxury sport watch. I get it, nostalgia is a massive driver of sales, but I’m feeling vintage’d out. I’d like to see these brands produce something newer, more modern, something original. I can only take so many off-white dials, fauxtina, and exaggerated bezel indices before it all starts to blend together. Recognizing that most enthusiast’s tastes are fairly reserved, I understand why brands might shy away from all-new modern designs. That being said, there was far too much of this in 2023 and I’d definitely like to see some risk takers in 2024!

Conclusion

To cap things off, 2023 was clearly a great year in the watch industry. And if 2024 is anything like 2023, it will be a great year as well. But like anyone who has spent some time in this industry, I have some opinions. With LVMH Watch Week at the end of the month and Watches & Wonders in April we will soon see how the watch industry is moving in 2024.