If a car can be a fun drive, can a watch be a fun time? It seems like a fair question but hopefully this story, at the very least, shows you that it is not relevant. If watches were not exciting or charming – offering an addictive pleasure even – why would we all bother buying them… No, watches have their own ways of being fun and if you will stick with us till near the very end, we will show you at least one watchmaker who invites you to participate in the making of your own timepiece.

By way of contrast, a crazy watch is easy to comprehend in relation to motoring. An F1 racing machine is an insane feat of engineering, just as the Hublot MP10 is a totally wild expression of watchmaking. By some measures, a racing automobile does not even qualify as a car: its extreme engineering makes it unsuitable for normal roads and regular drivers.

All that sounds very exciting indeed but this story is less about crazy than it is about fun. In some cases, it might be both but it must always be fun. Time then to get into the uncomfortable mechanics of fun in mechanical tickers; yes, we are excluding quartz models but not out of hand – there just were not any that we thought were cool enough, like the Nixie that we previously shortlisted. That is still a good one, by the way, and we have no problem recommending one if you are looking for something out of the ordinary, or feel the need to go down a diversionary rabbit hole in the watch collecting world.

BUTTERFLIES AND HURRICANES

Unusually, we preface this story with some caveats. To begin with, this very introduction is meant to be a space-saver, given that we have decided to only go with one page per watch for the list proper, with some exceptions that are purely design choices. That means each piece gets far less room to breathe than a watch would in our typical Highlights section. In turn, this means we will not be specifically explaining any given piece fully, focussing instead on what is fun or crazy about them. This introduction spells out some elements all the timepieces share (even though they will not share all elements, obviously), including many more than are included in our selection of nine timepieces.

This brings us neatly into the next important caveat, which is the use of the word ‘timepiece,’ here. This is not meant as an alternative to the word ‘watch,’ as it normally is in our stories. As usual with this type of list from us, we also include clocks so we needed a more generic word. In our context, when we write about watches, they are almost certainly wristwatches. That is simply not the case here, with close to a third of the list given over to clocks; no Atmos this year but one can certainly make the case for this Jaeger-LeCoultre standard every year. Anyway, this list in our Festive issue is one of the few occasions where something other than wristwatches gets some attention, and we know the audience is into all manner of timekeeping devices. Actually, the introduction foreshadows this, as you can clearly see (from the opener).

Perhaps most pertinent of all here is a note on this specific moment in time, which might seem odd to some of you for a list like this. This year in watchmaking has seen some powerful disruptions and this boils down to one word: China. It gets much worse when you add Hong Kong to the mix. The Federation of Swiss Watchmaking (CH) dutifully pushes out monthly reports on exports and these have been wild, and not in a good way. Basically, both China and Hong Kong have lost their enthusiasm for high-end watches. Informally, Japanese watchmakers report facing the same headwinds. As we remarked in the Editor’s Note for Legacy, these headwinds are more like hurricanes that have set sales back by double digits. In fact, demand for Swiss tickers has been blown back into the 2010s, with the USA now eclipsing China and Hong Kong combined. Even tiny Singapore comes in just behind China in some recent months.

KNOCKING YOUR SOCKS OFF

While this is all pretty interesting for us in the trade, why should it matter for fun and crazy watches? Most obviously, watchmakers respond to market forces with extraordinary amounts of conservative vigour. Smaller and simpler watches cased in precious metals sounds about right, and that is what we have been seeing. Indeed, specialist publications (this one included) have been singing this song, or some version of it, since 2023. With the next installment of the trade wars on the horizon, this tune will characterise the watch fairs of 2025. All this bodes darkly for watches that will knock your socks off, which is precisely what this story claims to be about.

We do offer a specific point of view on this subject, and that is why there is an opinion piece, with some first-person narration, attached to what is otherwise a (hopefully not) humdrum list of watches.

Finally, fun watches will not solve what ails watchmaking today, but these sorts of pieces should remind us why collecting watches might be enjoyable. This goes right to the heart of what Ruckdee Chotjinda still calls a “hobby,” because watches that are fun reward you for pursuing them. Most likely, the reward is not financial but emotional and that is the point. These might be the only sort of watches, along with the crazy type, that are worth buying new because collecting watches is a passion. For every other kind of watch, and all other types of payoffs, vintage is probably better.

It should also be noted for the record that while we have tried to avoid unique pieces, there is at least one in the mix, and many of the others are very limited production pieces. It is a sad fact that fun watches are not for everyone, and it is a rare brand, like Christopher Ward, that dares to make the watch part of the permanent collection. Remember the Rolex “Puzzle”? It is gone now. Once more, watchmakers do like to show their humorous sides, but they do not for a moment believe that such watches can become a permanent part of their collections.

Having said this, what are fun or crazy watches anyway? In other words, it is time for some definitions. For our purposes, a fun watch is one that makes you smile and might do the same for people in your company (or the company of the watch, if you share with your partner, which is apparently a real thing that happens). If the watch happens to also knock people’s socks off, which is a description we are liking more and more, so much the better. We add this bit to reaffirm that it is the watch itself that bears the burden of being entertaining. Historically, the best and brightest minds in watchmaking devoted part of their energies to making such entertaining clockwork for emperors, kings, queens and other such figures who might be in need of extreme distractions. The most famous watchmaker in this arena must be Pierre Jaquet Droz, who thrilled to delight not only various European courts but also in India and China.

INSTRUMENTS OF WONDER

In reality, Droz created various mechanical automata to fund and market his watchmaking activities. These appear to have been just fine but Droz is remembered today mainly for the amazing automatons he invented, which are displayed as examples of human ingenuity in places as far afield as the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Neuchatel. Arguably, Droz’s fun pieces are better remembered than his more prosaic horological work; they even form the spine of the brand that bears his name, Jaquet Droz. The Swatch Group-owned firm has made a lot of contemporary mechanical wonders that this magazine has featured over the years, and experienced in person at BaselWorld, if not at the brand’s headquarters in Neuchatel.

Obviously, you will have now thought of some examples of appropriate timepieces, including any watch from the likes of MB&F and Urwerk but also outstanding objets d’art from Van Cleef & Arpels, including the aforementioned opener. You will also have considered the not-inconsiderable expense of these types of horological machines. Happily, in the last 10 years or so, some watchmakers have recognised the potential of this admittedly niche segment and presented lovely pieces for the average collector.

Think, for example, of the Konstantin Chaykin Joker, which although hardly inexpensive, is not priced at nawab levels. The watch is high on the fun scale, by virtue of being funny, intentionally. At a similar price point, we also find Ressence, whose watches are not exactly laugh-out-loud but still definitely fun. For an even better price, see the redoubtable Christoper Ward Bel Canto, which drove home the point to many Swiss watch executives that there exists a market for quirky watches with a big horological punch, without a knockout pricetag. The MAD One also made a similar case. Of course, any number of brands making watches in Hong Kong and China such as Behrens, CIGA Design and, most recently, Denisson already made this point, but that is a story for another time because it must also include local hero Azimuth.

FINDING THE FUNNY

That last bit about being intentionally funny while possibly being fantastical is crucial for this list. Of course, you might not like a humorous watch and it definitely only works for a tiny sliver of society, as noted above and in our original take on these types of watches. Now, if you are reading this in Singapore, the watch community here is arguably more accepting of outrageous watches like the Joker and the Audemars Piguet Kaws – on that note, something like the Black Panther model would not qualify for this list because it was clearly not meant to be funny. Of course, as motivational speaker Avi Liran likes to say, it is always good to “find the funny,” in any given scenario, especially awkward ones. Any watch with a sense of humour about itself is bound to lead to awkward moments, silent judgment and outright condemnation. Let the buyer beware, as they say.

On the other hand, even something very serious, and singular in purpose, might make it onto this list, as what we call a crazy watch. Take the Greubel Forsey Nano Foudroyante for example. This and other watches like it differ from fun pieces by playing everything straight, yet still bringing a smile to the faces of everyone who likes watches. The Vacheron Constantin The Berkeley pocket watch is another such object, and so is the Chanel Automaton, which joins a couple of pieces from Hermes this year in automatically being in the crazy and fun subset by virtue of being automatons. Needless to say, there are not many automatons created every year and most of them are from Van Cleef & Arpels. Anyway, we even toyed with the notion of including the Parmigiani Fleurier no-hands pocket watch because this is precisely the sort of watch that qualifies as both crazy and fun, and yet entirely in line with the brand’s mission of understatement.

Of course, this issue is already packed with Parmigiani Fleurier models so we will just give the watch an honourable mention here. To be sure though, there is scarcely a more deserving watch. To our minds, Parmigiani Fleurier and H. Moser & Cie have been at the forefront of toying with conventions in watchmaking, thus adding a sorely missing dash of insouciance. Stripping the dial of the brand name? Shock, horror. Calling a watch a rattrapante when there is no chronograph in play? The shame! And do not even get started on a case made of cheese…what madness is at work here! Interestingly, there are plenty of parallels between H. Moser & Cie and Parmigiani Fleurier; the brands should consider a collaboration.

GETTING FREAKY

Consider the aforementioned pocket watch then because H. Moser & Cie has made a minute repeater without hands in the recent past. A watch without hands such as the current example from Parmigiani Fleurier and the wristwatch from H. Moser & Cie also offer a convenient riposte here to how far one can take this. If you think watches should indicate the time at the bare minimum, or not obscure their timekeeping attributes, then watches that break these rules may not even qualify as watches. Even when the timekeeping indication is the point of wonder or what is fantastical about the watch, telling the time is not the main thing. Perhaps no watch illustrates this point better than the OG: the Ulysse Nardin Freak. In the Freak S Nomad of 2024, Ulysse Nardin reminds us why the watch is fun and crazy with this mantra: No dial, No hands. No crown.

What is fun or crazy, or both, is divisive and not destined for unqualified commercial success, even if targeted squarely at collectors. The Parmigiani Fleurier watch is a unique piece, and this is often the fate of highly idiosyncratic watches. Of course, a watch meant as an official birthday present for Michel Parmigiani is representative of what the brand thinks of his tastes. Any watch meant for just one customer can break any commercial rule, so long as the eventual owner will be wowed. For the purposes of this story, we wanted watches that represent the desires of more than just one lucky person. Unfortunately, that means that the watches selected for this story are just as likely to appear on ‘Worst Of’ lists as they are on the opposite.

So, can a watch be a fun experience? What does it even mean for a watch to be fun? Looking back on the opening example, it seems patently obvious that it is poorly thought through. A watch tracks your progress through space and time while a car propels you through the same. We submit, humbly, that there is a parallel to be found and we sum it up in one word: interactivity. In a standard watch, whatever the quality, the indicators keep moving forward while the device is powered. No user intervention is required. The fun part is when you can interact with the device; this makes the experience fun, but does not make the watch ‘fun,’ as we have it here. One might also call such a watch playful, because it invites you to play with it.

When you operate your chronograph or minute repeater, you are playing an active role in the operation of the watch. Watches with these complications are typically presented as serious propositions – works of phenomenal accuracy or art. Also typically, such watches come with all sorts of warnings… Patek Philippe President Thierry Stern says that his clients are often too afraid to handle certain complications, most often annual and perpetual calendars, going so far as to bring them to the boutiques just to have them set. This goes precisely against what makes a watch fun. Sometimes, these can also be whacky and thus we make space for one such piece on our list, which happens to be a totally crazy watch.

Finally then, on the wilder side… We have not spent a lot of time on a definition here and that is because what is crazy in watchmaking is usually self- evident. Most of the timepieces we have selected this year are both fun and crazy, except something like the Amida Digitrend, which is all fun and yet perfectly sane. That itself is a rarity and gives the watch a certain cachet. Only time will tell where Amida will go with this but that is fair enough because with crazier pieces such as the Vacheron Constantin scent of time piece, we will soon learn if there is a market for such watches. We should say such a watch because it is unique but if it is desirable enough, and there are enough crazies out there, we might see something like it again, or at least echoes of it. Who knows, it might even be in a more accessible style.

And with that morsel of improbability decorating the air with its perfume, on with the show.

HUBLOT MP10 TOURBILLON: WEIGHT ENERGY SYSTEM TITANIUM

While automatic winding is considered a key feature of a properly commercial watch, there are only a handful of brands that pursue improvements in this vital area. Somewhat surprisingly, that short list of industrial powerhouses, which includes Rolex and ETA, is now joined by Hublot with the MP10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium. That word salad of a name is remarkably useless at delivering all the news that is fit to print about the watch; this might be one of the most important watches of 2024 and it was a frontrunner to lead our list of forgotten watchmaking gems of the year (coming up in Spring).

We have it right here though so it is definitely on our minds; it also serves as a fantastic send-off for the now-retired CEO Ricardo Guadalupe. While the watch is undoubtedly impressive on the pure horological front, it also manages to look the part, which is a very Hublot thing to do. Automatic winding has never looked this ready for action in an alternate universe – one that the watch itself can unlock. Ok, that last bit is pure whimsy but one imagines that this is the sort of watch that a Warhammer Primach might wear. It just gurgles “Tremble before the might of the Emperor of Mankind.”

AMIDA DIGITREND

This is perhaps the only watch on this list that bucks our contention that a fun watch is probably not commercial. Amida, in its former state, was known for all sorts of watches; Amida today trades on one iconic look and that is this one. The reborn brand needs this model to sell out and we have every indication that it may already have sold out its initial run. We think this must be the case because Amida is taking orders for different editions, as seen here. If you want this, and missed out on the cannily priced (CHF2,900) launch piece, it can very easily be yours. Standard editions of this ingenious optical illusion drive watch also start at that fetching price. So what’s the magic? Well, it lies in knowing that the hour and minute discs are actually flat (part of an in-house module attached to a Soprod automatic calibre) but appear vertical on the case flank thanks to the power of optics. Simple stuff really, but the best watches arguably are just that. Anyway, we think Isaac Newton would approve.

PANERAI SUBMERSIBLE LAB-ID ELUX PAM01800

Panerai shows off the fruits of its no-limits research and development team with the ELUX, a watch we have written about extensively. This makes the watch an outlier as far as this list goes because we know enough about it to sigh when we see it on the aforementioned best-of worst-of lists. Make no mistake, PAM01800 is gleefully outrageous; it pairs a massively out-of-trend diver with a virtually – and ironically – transparent complication. This is inevitable when a brand decides on making a dive watch that makes room for a kinetically driven (four of six mainspring barrels do the heavy lifting) dynamo that powers a system that lights up the dial markers, hands and bezel on command. Panerai is obviously taking many risks. As the brand bosses told us, it was by no means certain that the watch could actually be made. While plenty of watches make you wonder how and why they were made – especially the watches on this list – PAM01800 is weirdly low-key. It is not a conversation piece, except with those who know better, making this a candidate for world’s craziest stealth wealth watch. If this lighting system can be somehow made to work in even more compact forms, then PAM01800 might yet become legendary.

IKEPOD MEGAPOD HOURGLASS

At first, we fell for the illusion here that we were going to get a clock, just like the Hour Glass Marc Newson designed for Ikepod back in the early 2010s. Instead, this series is all about wristwatches with signature hourglass-shaped second hands. Yes, the hourglass you see prominently on the dial is not merely a design feature, like the various types of struts and the like seen with other brands. Not having seen these watches in person, we feel like they must look for all the world like an hourglass spinning one’s wrist. Or, you might also recall some annoying computing moments with Windows! Ok, so not the happiest memories for most but these might appeal to those with a certain kind of nostalgia and just about anyone who wants to be able to mesmerise people on planes and trains. Not having thought about Ikepod for many years, we were surprised by the USD 1,400 pricetag. The Ikepod of old was pricey and it was famous for those actual hourglasses that were shaped and made by hand, featuring tiny golden balls where sand would normally have been used. This incarnation of Ikepod features more affordable wristwatches designed by the legendary Alexandre Peraldi (formerly of Richemont). Credit to LUXUO for reminding us about this brand, and Ruckdee for selecting it.

HAUTENCE RETROVISION ‘47

Proudly flying the vintage nostalgia flag in this story is this amazing watch that looks, well, like scale model of a radio from the 1940s (we assume 1947). Specifically, it is a tribute to the Model 5A5 that came out in that era and it is a wide release (still limited though to 10 pieces) based on popular demand at WWG. For a brand famous for so-called TV screen shapes to be rekindling interest in its flavour of watchmaking via a wristwatch that evokes the sense of an old radio is highly unusual. It would be a bit like RC Cola reintroducing itself to the market with a milkshake; for its part, Hautlence says this watch is what it imagines its watches could have been, in an alternate universe. Colourful digressions aside, the Retrovision ’47 is what plenty of Hautlence watches were and are: time-only tourbillon models. What makes the difference here is the form factor and the cheek, of course. And on the earlier note about colour, it does not get wilder than this, which your eyes will already have confirmed. Where is the tourbillon? Obscured by the grille of course. Like many of the watches on a list like this one, the main downside is the principal upside: it looks a little like a toy.

SPACE ONE TELLURIUM

In a list full of oddballs, this one actually has balls, literally. Yes, it is another one of those watches that you will find on both best-of and worst-of lists. The difference? You can get this watch for EUR 2,990…still, if you are lucky. Basically, this is one of the best value astronomical complication watches out there, with some stellar watchmaking talent attached to it too. This watch, at least one model of which is sold out, is the Bel Canto of this story and, if this is the first you are hearing of it, go look it up. In short, it presents a model of the solar system, with just the sun, the earth and the moon; the earth rotates around the sun, and the moon rotates around the earth. The base calibre is a simple Soprod automatic and the tellurium module is the work of Theo Aufret. This makes the watch one of the most interesting moon phase trackers out there, with month and date to booth, and, for its price, unbeatable. This, and other Space One efforts are also fully collaborative, with watchmaking entrepreneur Guillaume Laidet being the key man here; you might recall his name from Nivada Grenchen and also Vulcain. The Space One company itself has an interesting history and we should like to get into it sometime. A final note about this one watch: if Copernicus or Keppler are your heroes, it is a keeper, and makes a nice counterpoint to the Digitrend.

LA VALLEE ATTIMO GOLF

What say you to a clock that was tested by a five-year-old? If you answered ‘Say what now?’ then you will have had the same reaction as us. This was our introduction to La Vallee clocks, in this case a very unusual perpetual calendar with a five-minute tourbillon that can be set to the owner’s resting heart rate. Well, this right here is a different kind of ticker from La Vallee that tugs at emotional heartstrings. Needless to say, golfers will appreciate this, it being the shape it is and everything like that. Does it help that it looks a little like a trophy? Probably, and it also does not hurt that when you are busy at your desk, the clock will always motivate you to hurry up and get to the course because it is an hour striker, with a twist. It is a real golfer’s twist here because the minutes are retrograde, with the little golf ball creeping ever closer to the golfer’s waiting putter.

The hour striker works its charm on the hour, just as the ball reaches 60, to then roll towards the hole as if reacting to the perfect stroke. It is all meant to capture a singular moment of perfection, understood by all golfers, and repeating every hour, on the hour; no matter what, you still have to patiently wait for the perfect moment to arrive. Done in the spirit of good fun, this clock will only appeal to those who love golf, although this was another Ruckdee special. He is not an avid golfer, as far as we know.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN EGERIE THE PLEATS OF TIME

Awatch that gives your time a specific scent sounds like some sort of watchmaker’s fever dream. Instead, it is quite real, albeit as a concept piece that shocked everyone at the Vacheron Constantin booth at WWG. The Vacheron Constantin Egerie The Pleats of Time is the sort of watch that giant exhibitions are built to support – something that delights to thrill and is just a little preposterous. Any watch with two potential ‘the’ articles in its name is very much in danger of being outré. Like concept cars, the best watchmaking concepts are meant to show what brands can do – they are literally dreams come to life. As a concept watch, the Egerie is not even meant for anyone’s wrist and features a brand new technology that no brand has ever attempted: nano capsules built into the fabric of the straps. These high-tech ampules release a signature scent by perfumer Dominique Ropion; said release is triggered by the wearer’s movements, reportedly. Despite wowing virtually everyone, the Internet and social media have stayed relatively quiet on this wonder, which was made in collaboration with haute couture designer Yiqing Yin and Ropion. Perhaps this would have gone differently had the innovation been directly related to the case or even the movement. Nevertheless, we say bring on the new developments in strap creation!

MAISON ALCEE PERSEE

When we heard that a watchmaker was offering people the chance to assemble a timepiece themselves, we were pleasantly surprised, if a little apprehensive. Sadly, our budget does not allow us to simply buy this just to test it out. Maison Alcee gained a measure of fame for effectively selling a presentation box with both components and all the tools you need to assemble your own Maison Alcee clock. Well, technically it will be a Maison Alcee X (insert your name here) timepiece, and that sounds fantastic. There are 233 components to this clock (169 of which you will need to finagle yourself; the balance assembly comes assembled and regulated) and a total of 17 tools, which sounds way too few given that the clockmaker also includes the necessary finger cots (which you will need to replace yourself because they are disposable). Instructions are certainly included. Anyway, Maison Alcee estimates that putting the clock together will net you 10 hours of “accomplishment,” which really represents truth in advertising. Why? If you love watchmaking (not just buying watches), you will feel every moment of getting the work done right in the marrow of your bones. What are the features of the clock? Assemble it right and find out!

Sparking Joy

If your watches do not spark joy and make you smile, what is the point?

In the midst of writing the introduction for the return of the fun, crazy time story, it dawned on me that I need a closer too. This closer would take up valuable space and, worse still, it needed to be personal. So here it is, without any more preamble! Let me address the why, or whys because there are several. First off, lists do not need conclusions or concluding thoughts. These are extraneous, except when they are not. In the introduction, we wrote that tough times loom for watchmaking and so do not expect much in the way of whimsy. And then we carried on for close to 20 pages and many thousands of words. Seems a lot of effort for what we just explained is a vain hope for 2025.

The main reason for the above is rooted in how this story shaped up in 2020, and also by virtue of the fact that it celebrates the watches that came out in 2024. Not for nothing, the editorial team (that means the editors of the other editions) thinks this a vintage year for exquisitely amusing watches, a number of which have illustrated the aforementioned pages. As for the origin story, well that has to do with the pandemic and what I saw as the urgent need to perk watch people up. This year has all the makings of a difficult one but it is still not a pandemic nor a disaster of global proportions. In other words, there is no special call for cheery watches.

On the other hand, the idea is to dedicate one story in one year to all the whimsical pieces made that year, and some that are still to come. I have not changed this rationale and I do like the Wow Factor name, after all. You might recall the standfirst of that first story in issue #59, but if you do not, here it is again: “We bring our odyssey in 2020 novelties to a close with a few punchlines. This list of fun tickers is a tribute to the many watches of 2020 that sparked joy.” Seen with the lens of hindsight, this is obviously a nod to the trials and tribulations of the year, but it also points to our intention to make it a regular feature.

Now, as the person responsible here, I do like recurring features in watch magazines so it should come as no surprise that I would want at least the option of running a Wow Factor story every year. Even at that time, more than four years ago, the structure of the story was odd and seemed like it needed more time in the oven – think of a big hunk of meat that you are roasting at just the right temperature for collagen to break down into gelatine. You could also think of baking bread here and it works because once you start the process, there is no backtracking. Errors cannot be corrected once the process begins and will make themselves felt in the end result.

The fact that Wow Factor did not return in 2021 can be seen as a sign that the recipe was flawed. I will address this in a moment but something important happened in 2021 that simply took this story off the menu (yes, I will be running with the food and cooking metaphors here because it is me; deal with it). This was the rise of our now-standard series where the editors – including Men’s FOLIO Editor Asaph Low, who is also a huge watch nerd – discuss the watches they happened to buy in the year that was. The personal touch here had all the right flavours to appeal to our audience; perhaps it was the collaborative spirit of it, which also makes The Conversation series a hit.

Anyway, when you have a hit on your hands, you have to tap that and so we did. Have we lost steam? Not really, because we now have the World of Watches Malaysia Editor Daniel Goh joining us, bringing with him a tonne of positivity. The Conversation is still going strong, after all. Of course, a running series about watches we bought or are planning to buy has one major problem: capital, or the lack thereof. If enough of us run out of play money, then the story will not have the ingredients to get cooked up. It is pretty simple to understand, and yet that is not what happened this year.

In fact, a couple of us did get new wrist candy and mine was the most conventional watch I have ever bought. It also received the most amount of attention, completely unsolicited I assure you, and I was befuddled. How could people react so strongly to something so ordinary? Then again, success has many forms but perhaps not so many flavours. Well, I wanted something with complex flavours to close one year and open the next, hence Wow Factor is back, if under a different name. The recipe has been tweaked but it still operates under the same principle: celebrating watches that put time at your service.

This article first appeared on WOW’s Festive Issue #76

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