Geneva Watch Days 2025: a very good vintage (Episode 1)
In just a few editions, the Geneva Watch Days have become a major event in September’s watchmaking calendar. This year, they allowed the 66 participating brands to present their novelties to the public, the collectors and the journalists, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. For the first episode, breathtaking artistic collaborations, remarkable complications and explosions of colours await. Thus, Bvlgari, Doxa, Gérald Genta, Trilobe and Zenith caught the attention of our tick-tock fanatic, who won’t be taking any rain check.
BVLGARI, Bronzo collection
A new chapter opens for Bvlgari’s Aluminium collection, with the introduction of a new metal that shifts the look of their iconic model entirely: bronze. This collection, renowned for audacious materials associations, is now welcoming an alloy whose particularity lies in its evolving patina that gives a unique identity to each copy. Bvlgari’s Aluminium collection is a direct descendent of the 1975 Bvlgari Bvlgari watch that went down in history thanks to its avant-garde design – and especially its bezel engraved with 14 letters. In 1998, Bvlgari took their inspiration from this aesthetic language to create the Aluminium collection, which was revitalized in 2020 as a self-winding edition. The original combination of aluminium and rubber that redefined the watchmaking sphere makes for the watch’s reputation.
The entrance of the bronze material follows this innovative logic. Although commonly used in the watchmaking industry, this evolving metal was rarely worked by Bvlgari. Depending on the use of it and its environment, the bronze patina changes over time, making the watch a personal item, encompassing its purpose as both technical apparatus and witness of the course of time.
For experienced travelers, the Bvlgari Bronzo GMT, and the Bronzo Chronograph for accuracy and speed amateurs.
This new model is available in 2 editions: the Bronzo GMT and the Bronzo Chronograph. The former is designed for travelers, with a double time zone feature. This model plays the contrast card: a 40mm bronze case, a black rubber bezel and a dark dial that underlines rose gold-plated hands. Its self-winding calibre offers a power reserve of about 50 hours. On the other hand, the Chronograph edition relies on accuracy and legibility. Its slightly bigger matt black dial (41mm) holds azure dials, a tachymeter and rose gold hands. Both are operated by a self-winding movement with a power reserve of 42 hours.
With these 2 editions, Bvlgari keeps on reconciling design and materials, the backbone of the Aluminium collection for more than 25 years.
Bronzo Chronograph: €6,500
Thickness: 6,90mm
Diameter: 41mm
Case material: Sandblasted bronze
Case peculiarity: Black rubber bezel (12,35mm thick), sandblasted and satin-finished titanium case back with black DLC coating
Sandblasted titanium crown and push-buttons with black DLC coating
Dial color: Varnished matt black
Display: Azure dials, white indices, tachymeter, sandblasted rose gold-plated brass hands coated with Super-LumiNova®, sandblasted rose gold-plated chronograph seconds hand with white lacquered tip, sandblasted gold-plated chronograph dial coated with Super-LumiNova®, date aperture between 4 and 5 o’clock
Strap material: Black rubber with sandblasted bronze links
Strap clasp: Hook and loop system buckle
Water resistance: 100 meters
Bronzo GMT: €5,200
Frequency: 28,800VpH (4Hz)
Thickness: 4,10mm
Diameter: 40mm
Case material: Sandblasted bronze
Case peculiarity: Black rubber bezel (9,70mm thick), sandblasted and satin-finished titanium case back with black DLC coating
Sandblasted titanium crown with black DLC coating
Dial color: Varnished matt black
Display: 24-hour disc with day/night indicator, white indices, sandblasted rose gold-plated brass hands coated with Super-LumiNova®, sandblasted rose gold-plated seconds hand with white lacquered tip, sandblasted rose gold-plated GMT hand coated with Super-LumiNova®, date aperture at 3 o’clock
Strap material: Black rubber with sandblasted bronze links
Strap clasp: Hook and loop system buckle
Water resistance: 100 meters
Octo Finissimo Lee Ufan x Bvlgari
This year, Bvlgari keeps conversing with the contemporary art world by inviting Lee Ufan to re-design their iconic Octo Finissimo. Indeed, the South Korean artist now living in Japan is both a painter, a sculptor, a poet and a philosopher – and one major figure of the international art sphere. For decades, he’s been questioning the relationship between the universe, nature and humankind through his art. More than their representation, the presence and the emotional echo of shapes are the source of inspiration of his work.
Octo Finissimo Lee Ufan x Bvlgari is the extraordinary result that was born from the meeting between Lee Ufan and Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani (Bvlgari Product Creation Executive Director). This project relies on one of the central themes of the artist’s approach: the contrast between the stillness of a stone and the infinite number of reflections cast by a mirror. “I know Lee Ufan from his amazing paintings. Then I discovered his sculptures, where a big rock sits on a mirror – I was intrigued, at first you think that these two elements don’t work together, but in the end, it works perfectly”.
This idea of harmony is reflected in the watch dial: a polished mirror with 2 black hands that seem to be floating in space. Minimalist-looking, the design plays both with the subtlety and the intensity of perception. The titanium case and bracelet extend this refined aesthetics. The pieces were exclusively hand-filed and surface treated, giving each copy a singular identity.
This special and limited edition hides under its subtle look a true technical exploit: the manufacture calibre BVL 138. This self-winding with microrotor movement is only 2,23mm thin, which gives the watch a total thickness of 5,5mm. This feat only confirms the Octo Finissimo to be an ultra-thin reference. Not only does the sapphire crystal back case reveal this movement, it also displays Lee Ufan’s hand signature. Such a detail definitively fixes this piece in the art sphere and makes this intimate item a piece of art in its own.
On the back of the case, Lee Ufan’s hand signature transforms this intimate item into a true art piece.
€22,000
See the Octo Finissimo Lee Ufan x Bvlgari details
Octo Finissimo Marble Tourbillon
As a timeless symbol of power and refinement, marble remains inseparable from the Roman culture. This material, used since the Antiquity for palaces and sculptures, embodies both greatness and delicacy. Yet, it is not widely used in the modern watchmaking industry: too heavy, too fragile, it is hard to shape under the tiny dimensions required by a watch. This is precisely why Bvlgari chose to rise to this challenge. Not losing its pioneer spirit, the Roman house never hesitated to push the materials’ boundaries: gold, platinum, titanium, carbon, ceramic or precious stones are already part of its repertoire. With the Octo Finissimo collection, the jeweller has found its new target material: marble, which at first glance seems incompatible with the extreme needs of ultra-thinness.
Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Marble: a challenging dial carved in Italian marble.
Carving a dial from such a stone is a true technical feat. Natural marble is sturdy, but once thinned to a few tenths of a millimeter, it becomes fragile and unpredictable. Bvlgari’s craftsmen had to conjugate traditional expertise and advanced innovation to be able to carve a dial as delicate as a watchmaker mechanism. But the result reflects the house’s audacity: a deep blue dial carved from the most renowned Italian quarries, and integrated into a 40mm case with a dizzyingly contained thickness (4,85mm).
The model holds the 1,95mm thin self-winding BVL 268 calibre that offers a power reserve of 52 hours.
The mineral surface shields an exceptional heartbeat: the 1,95mm thin self-winding BVL 268 calibre with a flying tourbillon and a power reserve of 52 hours. True virtuoso feat, this complication illustrates the house’s ability to conciliate mechanical fineness and artistic expression.
€140,500
Technical details:
Mechanical movement BVL 268 ultra-thin (1,95mm thin), manual winding
Functions: Flying tourbillon
Power reserve: 52 hours
Frequency: 21,600VpH (3Hz)
Case material: Satin-finished platinum
Case peculiarity: 5,75mm thin, transparent back case with a limited-edition-of-30 mention
Polished white gold crown with a black ceramic inlay
Dial color: Dark blue
Display: Blu Incanto marble dial, grey hands and indices
Bracelet: Blue alligator leather with a polished platinum pin buckle
Water resistance: 30 meters
DOXA, SUB 750T
More than 20 years after its introduction, the SUB 750T is back in the spotlights. Underwater adventurer icon since 2002, this professional diving watch water-resistant to 750 meters was just released as a more modern-looking edition. Doxa manages to achieve the feat of both keeping the original sturdy DNA of the model and injecting a lighter, modern design that suits today’s wear.
The oversized cushion case of the original SUB 750T model made a great impression upon its release. Designed for professional divers, it displayed a XXL dial (44,7mm diameter and 14mm thick), offering a perfect legibility under the most extreme environments. In 2025, the Swiss house redesigns this icon by keeping the case’s generous dimensions: 45 x 47mm (without the crown), yet worked to be less than 12mm thin. Conclusion: the model’s presence remains assertive but the watch gains visual balance as well as comfort.
But this aesthetic progression doesn’t erase the model’s identity. The key details of the SUB collection are present: a highly legible dial, contrasting hands, an oversized unidirectional rotating bezel. This patented feature allows the wearer to safely figure their diving and decompression periods. Water-resistant to 750 meters, equipped with a screwed-down crown and an angular stainless-steel case, the new SUB 750T completely assumes its professional tool-watch status.
The collection displays 16 references, available in the 8 emblematic brand’s colours: Professional orange, Sharkhunter black, Whitepearl white, Searambler silver, Caribbean dark blue, Divingstar yellow, Aquamarine turquoise and Sea Emerald dark green. Each tint can be associated either with a stainless steel “Beads of Rice” (Doxa’s favourite) or a matching FKM rubber strap, lighter and cozier. As usual, the hands, indices and markers are coated in Super-LumiNova®, ensuring an optimal legibility under any circumstance.
€2,690
GERALD GENTA, Geneva Minute Repeater
The minute repeater has always been Gérald Genta’s most revered feature. More than a watchmaking complication, it encompasses the rare alliance between technical feat, aesthetic research and quest for emotion. The masters-watchmakers Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas, co-founders of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, drew on the spirit of this alliance to create the GG-002 calibre. This manual minute repeater was entirely developed internally and designed as a living tribute to Genta’s legacy. Acoustics research was the watchword that guided the whole project. Each bell ringer is tuned by ear, flat polished by hand then directly attached to the case to enable propagation and resonance. This painstaking craft work results on a crystal-clear chime, with a volume perfectly convenient for a wristwatch. Barbasini and Navas describe this process as a patience and listening exercise: each part is carved, adjusted and modified until the ideal vibration is met. The result is an ample, pure tone that surpasses the usual expectations for such a thin timepiece.
The dial stands out by its audacious choice of material: black onyx. Dropping the traditional lacquers, the artistic director Matthieu Hegi wanted to revive Genta’s passion for hard stones. The association between onyx and yellow gold 3N evokes “the sunshine and the Mediterranean spirit” two important sources of inspiration for the designer. But yellow gold isn’t only an aesthetic choice, it is also a key material for the chime’s acoustic optimisation – another way to perpetuate the coherence between form and function.
The minute circle illustrates this search of subtle harmony. Composed of 2 segments: one inner circle for the indices and an external one that follows the cushion shape of the case, it plays on an optical illusion. According to Hegi, “we wanted to explore something that was not quite round. The effect mixes up the shape and is subtly transformative.” This detail, apparently secondary, is the perfect example of the attention given to each visual or symbolic element.
The 40mm case embodies Genta’s spirit, with its pure lines and functional elegance. Its cushion shape slightly evokes the octagonal shape revered by the master. Impressive feature: it is only 9,6mm thin overall, sometimes reaching a 0,6mm thinness, with a sapphire crystal slimmed down to 0,8mm. This lightening process aims for an increased sound. Alongside these technical choices, a refined work has been made on contrasts and materials: the alternation of brushed and polished surfaces offers light effects while the double polished gold gadroons evoke Genta’s memorable creations. The trigger, both discreet and blending, reconciles fineness and ergonomics. Yet another nod to the past: the black leather bracelet with a single lug that gives a more balanced-looking ensemble. The fluted crown, with its onyx cabochon, adds a touch of preciousness.
Assembling the GG-002 takes more than 4 weeks, and requires high watchmaking-like finishes: Côtes-de-Genève waves, hand-made bevelling and snailing. The octagonal fly wheel evokes Genta’s favourite shape. Besides, the movement offers a power reserve of 80 hours and is equipped with a linear click designed to give a thrilling sensation when the watch is set, reinforcing the emotional link with the item.
€410,000
See the Gérald Genta Geneva Minute Repeater details
TRILOBE, Trente-Deux
Seven years after its creation, Trilobe, the Parisian watchmaking house reaches a milestone: the launching of the Trente-Deux collection. The name is a reference both to the address of their Parisian workshop and to the internal code that was used during the last three years of research and development. The true heart of this collection is the X-Nihilo movement, the first Manufacture calibre of the house. Designed, built, decorated and assembled within the Trilobe walls, it displays a noteworthy architecture: an open island that spotlights an isolated wheel. Offering a power reserve of 42 hours, it combines technical innovation and refined aesthetics. From the polished black screws to the satin-finished bars, every detail shows the craft making requirement of the brand.
The 39.5mm case reveals an architectural shape made of seven distinct elements. The fluted bezel plays with contrasts, while the sapphire case back enhances the layers of the movement, engraved “Paris – France” – a nod to the French capital’s street plaques. The built-in bracelet, designed to look like a natural extension of the case, is remarkable by its bevelled links and its mirror-polished interlinks inspired by Trilobe’s signature motif. The deployment buckle offers an elegant and ergonomic flexibility. Finally, following the brand’s visual identity, the dial is off-axis. Available in blue or grey, it combines sun-brushed, grained and embossed finishes, creating a subtle play of lights and textures.
The bracelet was designed to fit the wrist closely.
€19,800
See the Trilobe Trente-Deux details
ZENITH, Defy Chronograph USM
Zenith and USM meet each other through an unexpected collaboration that reconciles watchmaking accuracy and modular design. The new Defy Chronograph USM edition is a tribute to the creative turbulence of the 1960s, when the two brands released iconic items: USM Haller’s furniture system (1965) and Zenith’s “El Primero” chronograph (1969).
The 37.3mm stainless steel case reproduces the angular shapes of the original Defy: octagonal figure, 14-sided bezel and “pump” push-buttons, that both add a vintage touch. Presented on the Gay Frères ladder bracelet (1969), the watch offers a water resistance to 100 meters.
The dial, displaying square indices with horizontal grooves, is directly inspired by USM iconic architecture and is available under 4 emblematic shades: green, orange, yellow and Gentiane blue. Each edition is limited to 60 copies. The 3 silver circled dials add depths and relief, while the chronograph central hand is adorned with a luminescent miniature USM Haller ball joint.
The calibre El Primero 400 powers the watch’s heartbeat, descendent of the first high-frequency self-winding chronograph released in 1969. With its 5Hz frequency and its full functions (hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date indication), it remains an obvious reference. The sapphire case back reveals a star-shaped oscillating weight.
€12,000
See the Zenith Defy Chronograph USM details
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