This is it – the big one.
The Watch of the Year award goes to the timepiece that has made the biggest impact on the buying public in 2018.
It’s about watchmaking excellence, striking designs, and (most importantly) the highest coveted model.
The watches below all stand out for their commitment to these three facets, but they also show five brands unwilling to sit still in their pursuit of horological perfection.
Breguet Marine 5517
One of the world’s great classic watchmakers gave us something a little bit different in 2018 in the form of the Marine 5517 - an elegant sports watch with impeccable finishing. The Marine collection had previously languished as something of an outlier among Breguet’s superb timepieces, but the watchmaker has used this opportunity to create a new design fit for modern wrists. The wave-like guilloché pattern that dominates the centre of the dial is as pretty as it gets. breguet.com
Breitling Navitimer 8 BO1 Chronograph
Under new CEO George Kern, aviation watch specialists Breitling underwent a wholesale rebrand at the beginning of 2018. The new focus is on elegant, timeless aesthetics like the tweaked Navitimer 8 BO1 Chronograph. It has a lot in common with the original Navitimer design, but it has tidied up the dial and removed the slide rule to create a more minimalist expression. breitling.com
Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 SBGH267 ‘20th Anniversary Of Caliber 9S’
The cult of Grand Seiko shows no sign of diminishing - and, with the brand’s emphasis on superior watchmaking and detailed finishing, it’s not hard to see why. This year saw the launch of a collection celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Calibre 9S movement. At the heart of Grand Seiko’s success since its creation in 1998, the new 39.5mm models are some of the finest examples of three-handed pieces on offer today. The SBGH267 model gets the nod for our shortlist on account of its exceptional value and Seiko’s world-beating handiwork with steel. grand-seiko.com
Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Pepsi’
The GMT-Master II ‘Pepsi’, so called because of its immediately recognisable red-on-blue bezel, is a watch that holds a special place among collectors. For 2018, Rolex has brought the icon back in a more attainable stainless steel construction (a full £18,000 less than the white gold version released in 2013), added a new movement with improved efficiency and power reserve, and switched up the bracelet. rolex.com
Vacheron Constantin FiftySix Self-Winding
The FiftySix, inspired by the Vacheron Constantin’s reference 6073 design from 1956, is a new collection which sees the watchmaker offer its timepieces in steel for the first time. That means a more accessible price tag for watches like the FiftySix Self-Winding – a watch that features Vacheron’s usual attention to detail and a new automatic self-winding movement. vacheron-constantin.com
Which watch do you think should be awarded Watch Of The Year?
To vote on other categories, visit the Watch Awards Homepage
