LVMH Watch Week: Here Are The Luxury Watches You Need To Know About For 2023

It’s official: 2023 has begun with a bang – at least for the watchmaking industry. In mid-January, LVMH hosted the first watch event of the year with LVMH Watch Week, presenting key novelties for Bvlgari, Hublot, Tag Heuer and Zenith. Global media representatives, retailers and VIP customers were flown in from all over the world to Singapore, where they discovered the brands’ launches for 2023.

So what does the year hold, in terms of watches and watch trends?

For one, watchmakers continue to explore colourful realms beyond blacks, greys, and blues with watches featuring bold hues on dials, cases and bracelets. The results are eclectic and fun, proving that the horological industry is bent on shedding its staid and traditional image.

Related article: 7 Jewelry Trends Experts Already Know Will Be Big In 2023

This experimentation continues to extend to the materials used as well, as watchmakers are leveraging materials beyond gold, steel and platinum for cases, dials, and even movement parts. This allows them to explore new avenues of expression, as evinced by the Hublot Big Bang Saxem (scroll down to find out more about the watch).

Further looking to push design boundaries, watchmakers are also testing new techniques to continue delighting their clients with updates on iconic collections.

Check out some of our favourites from the fair.

Zenith Defy Skyline

Zenith’s Defy collection was launched in 1969, marking the first-ever octagonal watch case ever made. While Zenith’s El Primero collection has received the most column inches in the past 20 years, the Defy has slowly earned its place in the spotlight, becoming a commercial success for the brand.

The sports watch has become a canvas for the brand’s creative endeavours, demonstrated most recently by the Defy Skyline. For 2023, the 41mm watch has been downsized to a gender-neutral 36mm, and importantly, been injected with a playful spirit. The Defy Skyline now features three distinct dial colours: pastel pink, mint green and blue.

Further proving its versatility, each timepiece comes with the option of two straps: A stainless steel bracelet for a more sporty look, and another matching coloured strap for a more casual aesthetic. The diamond-studded version of the timepiece is available for US$12,000, while the standard model is priced at US$8,500.

Related article: The Latest And Most Talked-About Jewellery Collections

Bvlgari Serpenti Tubogas Infinity

It would not be hyperbolic to call the Bvlgari Serpenti an icon – but how does a brand continue pushing boundaries and keep collectors intrigued, without losing the essence of the original? Trust Bvlgari to find the solution: The Italian brand has reworked the Tubogas bracelet, which now comes studded with diamonds.

Let’s be clear: It was not as simple as just setting diamonds on the bracelet. In fact, it’s taken the brand two years to develop this new technique that plumps up the bracelet and introduces distinct links without compromising the integrity of the malleable Tubogas bracelet. This inventive technique is a game-changer in its own right, and presents a blank canvas for the design team, allowing them to flex their creative muscles and further elevate the Bvlgari Serpenti with surprising new designs.

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The 2023 Serpenti Tubogas Infinity comes with diamonds set on the bracelet in a wave-like pattern. Each bracelet takes 150 hours to create, and is available with either one or two twirls.

Bvlgari Diva’s Dream

Rome has often served as the muse for Bvlgari’s creations. The Diva’s Dream collection is no different, as it derives its inspiration from the fan-like design on the mosaic tiles of the Baths of Caracalla.

Proving once again that its designers’ imaginations have no bounds, the Diva’s Dream has been interpreted in two distinct designs for 2023.

For the first, the diamond-set bezel is framed by a cornucopia of fans and coloured gemstones, paired with a matching strap. Three versions of this timepiece are available: a blue-toned with topazes and tanzanites; a pink-toned with amethysts and tourmalines; and a red one with diamonds and rubies.

The second Diva’s Dream launch is the Diva’s Dream Mosaica where the dial is the hero. Here, the skills of Bvlgari’s jewellers are put to test with the gem-studded dial, where gradient hues and sizes of stones depict the shape of a fan. The pink sapphire version comes with a pink alligator strap, while the blue sapphire version comes with a decadent, diamond-studded gold bracelet.

Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Saxem Yellow Neon

Known for its irreverent take on watchmaking, Hublot is no stranger to shock and awe. It’s the ultimate marmite brand of the industry, but one can’t deny that it’s been instrumental in introducing new techniques, materials and design codes to watchmaking. It was one of the first brands to use sapphire for more than just the watch crystal – in 2016, the brand released the MP5 La Ferrari Sapphire featuring a sapphire crystal case. Since then, the brand has introduced timepieces wrought entirely from coloured sapphire (think red, blue and purple) for the case, bracelet and even movement elements.

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This year, it further defies convention with the launch of the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Saxem Yellow Neon. Described as a sibling of sapphire, Saxem was first introduced a couple of years ago to enable the brand to experiment with an extended spectrum of colours. This year, the Big Bang comes in a fluorescent neon yellow version, from case to bracelet. The almost-indestructible material offers a full view of the movement, providing a bold visual spectacle that’s become synonymous with the brand.

Related article: The Newest And Hottest From The World Of Watches

Hublot Big Bang Unico Integrated Rainbow

The grandfather of rainbow watches is undoubtedly Rolex, but in the past couple of years, tons of watchmakers have joined the fray and launched their own version of the gem-setting technique. Essentially, a rainbow watch features a bezel set with coloured gemstones in gradient hues – it’s bold and not to everyone’s taste, but one can’t deny that it’s become the ultimate status symbol for its exclusivity, and for the fact that it’s a feat to find gemstones of of similar gradients.  

Known for its bombastic aesthetic, it’s no wonder that Hublot has released its own version of the rainbow watch, with the Big Bang Unico Integrated Rainbow and Time Only Rainbow. The gold case features a spectrum of rubies, amethysts, blue topazes, tsavorites, as well as pink, orange, blue and yellow sapphires on the bezel, case and bracelet. The Big Bang Integrated features 942 gemstones, while the Time Only features 924 gemstones.

Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary

The iconic Tag Heuer Carrera turns 60, and the Swiss watchmaker is planning a year-long celebration. To kickstart the festivities, the Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary comes in two versions: a panda as well as a reverse panda dial. For the uninitiated, a panda dial is essentially a white dial with black counters at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock, resembling the bear’s face as the name suggests.

The 60^th anniversary edition pays close tribute to the original version from 1963, emulating the elegant profile of the timepiece, and featuring a chronograph. Only 600 pieces of the timepiece will be available.

This article originally appeared in Her World.