In January in Miami, LVMH hosted the fifth edition of its LVMH Watch Week at a private villa on Star Island. Whitewall was in attendance to see new timepieces—and an array of gorgeous complications, complicated movements, and revitalized silhouettes—from participating brands that included Bulgari, Hublot, Tag Heuer, Zenith, Daniel Roth, and Gérald Genta.
“Welcome to Miami for the 5th edition of the LVMH Watch Week,” said Frédéric Arnault, CEO of LVMH Watches and Jewelry, at the opening reception at the W Hotel. “It’s a concept founded by Bulgari, by Jean-Christophe [Babin], and the purpose initially was to kick-start the year and hold the moment of the beginning of the year for the watch-making industry. It started with three brands from LVMH—Buglari, Hublot, and Zenith—and I’m proud to see that grew over time from how successful it was. It’s a great moment for all of our brands that have launches to come together to show the strength and ambition of LVMH in such an important category in the luxury world. TAG Heuer joined in Singapore last year, and we also have two new brands hosted by Michel [Navas] and Enrico [Barbasini] at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton—new watches by Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta.”
For the next two days, the Star Island mansion and its guest house acted as a home base for timpepiece presentations. Shown in various rooms were videos, hands-on workshops, and talks with the leaders behind each brand, including historians, business strategists, and CEOs.
Each morning began with a double espresso in the outdoor garden bordering the infinity pool and Biscayne Bay, before we made our way through the villa’s rooms, anchored by each brand.
Bulgari Brings the Bulgari Bulgari Back
Bulgari Bulgari, courtesy of Bulgari.
First, we ventured upstairs to explore Bulgari’s latest offerings in a presentation dubbed “Bulgari Beyond Time.” Savoir-faire images hung on the walls, informative books on the brand’s history were positioned throughout the room, and coveted archive pieces were seen in glass cases. “The greatest challenge is to give shape to an emotion, especially when that emotion is measured in time,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari.
The presentation’s main attraction, however, was the brand new timepieces, arranged and displayed on a desk in leather display boards, including a new model the watch world has been waiting for since 1975: the revitalization of its tried-and-true Bulgari Bulgari model. Just ahead of its 50th anniversary, the model makes a debut in two new styles and case sizes: in yellow gold with a black dial and in rose gold with a silver opaline dial; and in 26mm or 39mm. Originally sketched by the legendary designer Gérald Genta and imagined by Gianni Bulgari, the iconic piece combines distinct beauty and sophisticated design, with its name seen on a bezel forged in yellow gold. Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bulgari’s Product Creation Executive Director, described it as “simultaneously simple and daring, always in step with the times.” He added, “With its pure aesthetic, the original Bulgari Bulgari perfectly embodies our DNA, without any need for further embellishment.
Octo Finissimo Tuscan Copper, courtesy of Bulgari.
Other new items build from the Octo Finissimo model Buglari released in 2022, which garnered many record-setting awards for its slimness. Now, the Octo Finissimo Automatic in yellow gold embraces the luster of the yellow gold material and combines it with an architectural, contemporary look that reinvisions the first Art Deco watches Bulgari released in the 1930s. And the Octo Finissimo Tuscan Copper, now in steel, showcases the collection’s Italian design DNA with a dial in a metallic copper color, taking cues from a Mannerist painting.
“Here, the metallic salmon tone draws its inspiration not from the usual vintage aesthetic prized by collectors, but from the very roots of Italian art, that of the 16th century, and more precisely from a disruptive movement of the time, called Mannerism, which marked my own training as a designer. Hence, my choice for this color symbolizes an experimental and disruptive artistic approach,” said Babin.
Bulgari Lucea, courtesy of Bulgari.
The presentation also celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Lucea model with a reimagined piece crafted in steel and gold with new lines. A new bezel and V-shaped bracelet links host an iridescent mother-of-pearl inlay—or an unmissable collage of upcycled malachite pieces. “It’s about capturing the best of both worlds, merging substance with style, at the nexus of high watchmaking and high jewelry. Rather than merely adding diamonds to a tourbillon, we craft a jewel and then envision the caliber that would best complement it,” added Babin.
TAG Heuer Debuts New Styles and Eyewear
Courtesy of TAG Heuer.
Downstairs and down the hall, we explored TAG Heuer’s latest offerings, guided by its new CEO, Julien Tornare, who departed from Zenith to join the brand last month. There were an array of new models: TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox, featuring a teal green azuré mono sub-dial at three o’clock, referencing vintage racing car hues from the 1920-60s; the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon, in the same hue but with an aperture at six-o-clock revealing a tourbillon cage; TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph watches, seen in a 34mm size and five unique dials adapted for Solargraph technology, featuring mother-of-pearl dials (with a diamond option), and deep blue and polar blue dials.
Courtesy of TAG Heuer.
Special for the presentation was also the unveiling of a new TAG Heuer Carrera Date Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde in 36mm, featuring lab-grown diamonds—one in particular is a yellow, shield-cut diamond. After a pink version was seen at the Watches & Wonders 2023, the brand revealed this one, featuring 1.4 carats of yellow-colored diamonds. Other items, like the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 in 45 mm and new faces for its Connected watches, also appeared.
Courtesy of TAG Heuer.
But the most anticipated ones weren’t watches at all. Moments later, the brand brought us around the presentation’s bend and unveiled something else: a line of eyewear featuring five designs. Returning to the category after 22 years, TAG Heuer’s new eyewear line was created in collaboration with the Italian manufacturer Thélios, including performance and dynamic everyday styles, like The Pro Performance, blending technology and design for extreme weather conditions, the Sport Performance line, joining together style and athletic silhouettes, and a Daily Performance line offering sporty eyewear for everyday occasions.
Special details—like the Shield Pro’s interchangeable lenses, the Vingt-Sept’s first-ever 3D metal frames, and the Line’s Dyneema® and 3D-printed titanium body—showed unique, versatile, and distinct design elements with innovative materials like elastic rubber frames and iconic hinges. One pair even used real gold in the lenses themselves, warding off heat and any vision obstruction.
Hublot Unveils the MP-10 and an Artist Collaboration
MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System, courtesy of Hublot.
Across the lawn and inside the villa’s guest house, we then attended a presentation by Hublot upstairs. Through both a detailed PowerPoint presentation and physical unveilings, we got a behind-the-scenes look at how the brand is embracing the possibilities of energy to create new watch styles. First, that began with a first look at the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System—a powerful piece hosted in a shiny micro-blasted titanium case with a structured rubber strap. 54.1mm long, 41.5 mm wide, and 22.4mm thick, the timepiece features a self-winding power reserve skeleton tourbillon inclined at 35 degrees. With two vertical bidirectional weights in 22k white gold to propel the piece, it encompasses 592 components and 66 jewels, has a power reserve of around 48 hours, and is water Resistant up to 30 meters.
Big Bang Unico Saxem Green, courtesy of Hublot.
Hublot also unveiled the Big Bang Unico Saxem Green—the brand’s second color in its Saxem material—and the Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon in polished purple sapphire crystal. Big Bang Integrated pieces also appeared in limited-edition sets of 200, in sky blue and blue indigo shades. We also saw two Classic Fusion Tourbillon Orlinski models, one in yellow magic and one in sky blue, that had a manual-winding power reserve with a Skeleton Tourbillon movement. Next, square-shaped Square Bang Unico models were seen in various shades of blue with various bezels—from satin-finished and polished titanium to 18k king gold or micro-blasted and polished blue ceramic. The gems in this set were the two models shining with rainbow gemstone bezels. Featuring 94 colored gemstones on its case and 50 baguette-cut colored stones on its bezel, the piece features the brand’s patented one-click system, a black-plated oscillating weight system, a gorgeous calendar display at three-o-clock, and more.
Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon, courtesy of Hublot.
Finally, the belle of the Hublot watch ball, and just in time for Lunar New Year: the Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon. Designed in collaboration with the Chinese paper artist Chen Fenwan, the 42mm watch features a satin-finished and polished titanium one-click system case and an incredibly unique black rubber strap with dragon scale decoration and titanium deployment buckle clasps.
Spirit of Big Bang, courtesy of Hublot.
No “Spirit of Big Bang” collection would be complete without a few extra razzle-dazzle pieces for extra measure, either, so Hublot sprinkled in an array of additional pieces with pavé diamonds across its cases, bezels, and dials—some seen at Watches and Wonders 2023 and reimagined in a selection of new materials.
Zenith Gets a New CEO
Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar, courtesy of Zenith.
In addition to presenting an array of new pieces, Zenith also greeted us to its brand-new CEO, Benoit de Clerck, who arrived after 25 years at Richemont Group. There in Miami, he ushered in a slew of new models that were made just in time for his arrival—including additions to the Chronomaster line—the Chronomaster Triple Calendar and the Chronomaster Sport. The rose gold piece in particular captured our attention for its bezel adorned with baguette-set white diamonds, black spinels, and shimmering grey and blue sapphires. The anticipated Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar also made a return after 55 years, first introduced in 1969. To perfectly blend history and innovation, it features a 33mm case and is available in two dial variations.
Gérald Genta is Revitalized
Gérald Genta x Disney, courtesy of Gérald Genta.
Special for LVMH Watch Week was also the presentations from two brands relaunched within La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton: Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta. The latter artist and designer, known less as a watchmaker, made his name with colorful, collaborative, and experimental designs—such as his early partnership with Disney at the Montres et Bijoux fair in 1984. In the main villa, we saw a 2023 re-edition of his Mickey Mouse watch while sitting with La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton’s co-founders, Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, who were both part of Genta’s team and helped with his creative practice in the 1980s.
Daniel Roth Revisits Its First Watch
Tourbillon Souscription, courtesy of Daniel Roth.
Perhaps the most exciting activation of all was the revitalization of the Daniel Roth brand with its Tourbillon Souscription, also spearheaded by Navas and Barbasini. Originally launched in 1988, the new watch keeps the silhouette exactly the same—a double ellipse shape, we learned from the co-founders, that is perfect for encasing the oddly-shaped tourbillon movements. Now, 35 years after the brand’s foundation, the new timepiece pays homage to its foundation with yellow gold—a metal that’s exclusive for this edition. With a single face on the front, showing a case 9.2mm tall, it keeps the watch’s original proportions with very small refinements—and the dial is decorated with Clous de Paris guilloche, just as it was in 1988.
