Haute Time’s Top Ten Watches Of 2014

Best Men’s Watch – Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time

When Patek Philippe and Gerald Genta revealed the Nautilus back in 1976, they knew the design was going to surprise many. It was Patek’s first sports watch, and the high-end watchmaker made the rare choice of making it entirely out of stainless steel. It was a bold and confident move from one of the oldest and most traditional manufactures. Patek have since revisited Gerald Genta’s iconic design, and this year, decided to endow it with a Travel Time function. [Here’s a look at the new design…]

Best Ladies’ Watch – Richard Mille RM07-01

In 2014, Richard Mille expressed his feminine side with the RM07-01. While still possessing the DNA of a Richard Mille watch, the RM07-01 will definitely appeal to the ladies. There’s no denying the fact that women adore jewelry. And this specific model in rose gold called the Full Set comes dolled up with a diamond-encrusted bezel punctuated by rose gold hands on the dial set against a vivid red backdrop framed by diamonds. Raindrop-shaped indexes complete the elegant picture. In Richard Mille’s slimmed down iconic tonneau case size, the composition beautifully befits a woman’s wrist. [Here’s our review…]

Best Dress Watch – The Vacheron Constantin Malte Tourbillon

The Vacheron Malte tourbillon is a stunning timepiece elegantly showing the small second tourbillon within its beautifully finished tonneau shaped case which dates back to 1912 when Vacheron Constantin introduced this shape to its range. It is a piece that needs to be tried on for it to be fully appreciated. [Here’s our review…]

Best Chronograph – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Royal Blue

The 42mm “Beast” was released at BaselWorld 1993 and at the time, the size and boldness of the watch made heads turn. It was certainly a big risk to tinker with Gerald Genta’s iconic Royal Oak. Over the last twenty years the Offshore slowly became an Audemars Piguet favourite for many collectors around the world, so there was a lot to cheer about when the brand introduced a new collection for 2014, including this Royal Blue model. [Here’s our review…]

Best High Complication – Urwerk Black EMC

We picked this as the winner of this Mechanical Exception prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve, and we were proven right by the exceptional jury of the GPHG this year. [Here’s why it won…]

Best High Jewelry Piece – Breguet Classique «Grande Complication » Double Tourbillon

The Classique « Grande Complication » wristwatch in 950 platinum with baguette-cut diamonds, also known as reference 5349PT/11/9ZU DDOD, features a hand-wound movement. The hour hand is an extension of the bridge supporting the two tourbillon carriages. The back of the movement bears a hand-engraved drawing representing the solar system, inspired by the 60-second rotation of the tourbillons on themselves and their rotation in tandem around a center axis over a 12-hour period. [Here’s a look at the new design…]

Best Sports Watch – The Hublot Big Bang “Ferrari Limited Edition 60th anniversary in North America.”

Ferrari recently celebrated its 60th anniversary in the United States market with a historic display of its most iconic Prancing Horses on Rodeo Drive, including the newly released limited-edition F60 America. For Hublot, who is the Official Watch and Official Timekeeper of Ferrari and Scuderia Ferrari, the week-end was also the perfect occasion to introduce the Hublot Big Bang “Ferrari Limited Edition 60th anniversary in North America.” [Here’s a look at the new design…]

Best Diving Watch – Calibre de Cartier Diver Watch

This piece, Cartier’s first diving watch, was released this year at SIHH. The rose gold case measures only 42mm in diameter and 11mm in thickness, making this diver’s watch one of the slimmest on the market. It’s an outstanding feature for this ISO-certified dive watch, which also boasts a water resistance up to 300 meters. Its thinness also means the Calibre de Cartier Diver is also ideal for everyday wear. The main feature of all divers watches, a unidirectional bezel for setting the dive limit time, is featured here in steel with an ADLC abrasion-resistant coating. [Here’s our review…]

Best Independent Watch – MB&F Legacy Machine 101

Released this year during BaselWorld, it’s MB&F’s smallest watch to date and the first to feature an entirely in-house movement. According to Max Büsser, it should’ve been the brand’s first watch in the Legacy Machine lineup, and it would certainly be a fitting prequel. the proportions are simply perfect. The 40mm case wears larger than it looks and with the domed sapphire crystal, makes its presence on the wrist well known. Its main feature on the dial, the suspended balance wheel, looks even more impressive on a 40mm case than it did before. [Here’s our review…]

Best Homage Watch – The IWC Chronograph Edition “The Last Flight”

IWC’s flight of fancy: For years now, IWC Schaffhausen has delighted fans of pilot watches with special editions dedicated to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a celebrated French pilot – also recognized for his novella The Little Prince. In 2012, IWC celebrated the French aviator’s first flight, and now the brand is closing its homage with a watch commemorating his disappearance, 70 years ago, during a fatal reconnaissance flight over the Mediterranean. [Here’s our review…]

Photo Credit: Haute Time