Many of the year’s most notable watches were expensive, especially complications and independent watchmaking, but there were still a few standouts at the affordable end of the price spectrum. Some relied on familiar formulas, like the Grand Seiko SLGW005 or Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT, while others like the Louis Erard Vianney Halter collaboration were unexpected.

Here’s our team’s take on the year’s best watches under US$10,000.

Albishorn Type 10 Chronograph — David Ichim

A great debut from the recently-established micro brand is the Type 10 Chronograph. Albishorn’s tagline is “imaginary vintage” — drawing inspiration from actual vintage watches, but reimagined with an entirely novel composition, resulting in watches that are highly suggestive of an era without actually being remakes.

The Type 10 Chronograph exemplifies this philosophy. The hands, typeface, bezel, and slim lugs pay homage to mid-century aviator chronographs from the likes of Airain, Breguet, and Heuer. The unusual arrangement of the chronograph display however makes it entirely unique. 

Inside is a heavily reworked 7750-derived movement, that is positioned unconventionally, leading to the unusual crown and pusher arrangement along with the unorthodox chronograph layout. The manually-wound movement is also C.O.S.C certified and incorporates a chronograph-function indicator.

In fact, the calibre is arguably more than just heavily reworked, amongst other things, it has shorter pinions than a 7750, allowing it to be thinner while requiring assembly by hand. This reflects the technical talent of Albishorn founder Sébastien Chaulmontet, who was head of innovation at La Joux-Perret and then Sellita.

At a bit over US$4,000, the Type 10 is an appealing proposition. 

Grand Seiko 45GS Re-creation SLGW005 – Brandon Moore

The launch of the manually wound, high-beat cal. 9SA4 was one of the highlights of Watches & Wonders for me, and I immediately liked the watch in which it debuted, the “Birch Bark” SLGW003. And I still like that watch, just not as much as I like the vintage-inspired SLGW005 that debuted a few months later, which in my view is one of the most compelling vintage remakes on the market from any brand. And it’s priced a little under US$10,000, which is good value considering the movement.

The SLGW005 is appealing because it delivers on the promise of the original 45GS from 1968, which also contained a manually wound, high-beat movement that ticked at 5 Hz. While Grand Seiko has made 5 Hz movements for years, the cal. 9SA4 is a step up sophistication and performance, featuring an overcoil hairspring, a free-sprung balance, and a proprietary escapement that helps boost the power reserve to 80 hours, in conjunction with twin mainspring barrels.

Among the many mechanical movements produced by Grand Seiko today, the cal. 9SA4 is, in my view, the one that best embodies the spirit of innovation that led Grand Seiko to success in the 1960s and 1970s.

The cal. 9SA4, seen here in the SLGW003

In the SLGW005, that excellent, modern movement is combined with a faithful vintage remake. The vintage elements are nicely done, particularly the font choice for “HI-BEAT” and “36000”, which look a lot better than the painfully plain font choice used for the equivalent markings on the SLGW003. Even the Daini Seikosha lightning bolt symbol is present, lending the watch an extra bit of historical flair.

Louis Erard Le Régulateur Vianney Halter II – SJX

Louis Erard has been rolling out collaborations with independent watchmakers for a long time now, so there are many of them on the market. The second edition of the Vianney Halter regulator, however, stands out as the best collaboration to date.

Not only does it capture the look and feel of the Antiqua perpetual calendar at a modest price, but it is also unique amongst Louis Erard’s collaborations. While most of its past collabs employed the stock case and movement, with only a dial swap, the Vianney Halter II has a case, bezel, back, crown, and dial that are unique – all for a little under US$5,000, or about 10% more than past collaborations.

The detail on the bezel, crown, and dial are impressive for the price, especially in how they manage to replicate the look of the Antiqua. The bezel has gold-plated rivets, while the applied chapter rings on the dial have mirrored edges.

Like all Louis Erard regulator models, this suffers from a large and thick case due to the movement, but it is forgivable given the price.

Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT – Brandon Moore

It’s easy to understand the appeal of the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT. The design is popular, the compact case fits most wrists well, and the movement is among the best in its class in terms of both its performance and its functionality, offering an independently adjustable hour hand for easy adjustments when crossing time zones.

Furthermore, it benefits from Tudor’s relationship to its parent company, Rolex, enabling it to lean in to the vintage GMT-Master aesthetic without coming off as a copy. It’s a difficult balancing act to pull off, but it works. And if that weren’t enough, the price is right, with the version on the bracelet priced at US$4,600, which arguably makes the BB58 GMT the best value amongst dual-time watches in this price segment.

Omega Speedmaster “First Omega in Space” – Jason Lee

The Speedmaster “First Omega in Space” (FOiS) offers a range of features that will appeal to enthusiasts, including a vintage-inspired “soleil” dial and the latest-generation Moonwatch cal. 3861.

While it does share the design of the original FOiS, and of course it’s a remake of the vintage CK 2998, the latest FOiS is an entirely distinct watch that’s arguably the ideal fusion of classic and contemporary.

Unfortunately, the FOiS also features prominently pronounced faux-vintage lume, which is inevitably controversial. However, it harmonises well with the dial’s blue-grey colour.

Lume aside, the FOiS excels in most tangible aspects, which makes its US$7,900 retail price on a bracelet (and a bit less on a strap) a good value proportion.

Perhaps echoing the paucity of highlights in indie watchmaking, the best complications of 2024 were not numerous, but those that stood out were outstanding. Vacheron Constantin, for instance, unveiled the most complicated watch ever, while Bovet solved the longstanding problem of summer time across continents in an enormous (and enormously expensive) wristwatch.

Here’s the team’s take on the best complications of the year.

A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Handwerkskunst – Brandon Moore

The iconic Datograph turned 25 this year, and collectors were treated to three different limited edition variants to mark the occasion.

We were first introduced to the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” and the Datograph Up/Down 25th Anniversary at Watches & Wonders, but Lange was arguably saving the best for last: the first Datograph to receive the brand’s artisanal Handwerkskunst treatment.

Featuring a hand-engraved tremblage dial and limited to just 25 pieces, the Datograph Handwerkskunst is a fitting way to celebrate a quarter-century of being best-in-class. While not particularly creative, this very-limited edition captures both the magic of Lange and its Datograph perfectly.

Bovet Récital 28 Prowess 1 – SJX

The introduction to our story on the watch sums it up best:

“The Bovet Récital 28 Prowess 1 is an ingenious solution to an age-old problem: accounting for daylight saving time (also known as summer time) in a multi-timezone wristwatch… the solution is extraordinarily complicated, requiring two dozen rollers and many more gears and springs.”

The 24 rollers, each with four positions, inside the Recital 28 allow it to switch between summer and winter time across continents, a first in watchmaking.

However, that results in a movement that is almost impractically large, explaining the 46 mm by 18 mm case. Wearability aside, the Recital 28 is an impressive technical achievement, especially since it largely an in-house development.

In fact, the movement has a part count of over 700, putting it in grand complication territory. In other words, it is an extraordinary complex answer to a simple question – but one that could not have been solved any other way.

IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar – David Ichim

It was a full year for IWC, which debuted an entirely updated Portugieser collection. Among the numerous new Portugieser models, one stood out: the Portugieser Eternal Calendar.

The watch boasts two exceptional complications — an “eternal” calendar (which stays correct, without adjustments, for at least 400 years, unlike a conventional perpetual calendar that needs to be reset by a watchmaker during the same period) and the most precise mechanical moon phase.

Building upon Kurt Klaus’ calendar module that’s now an IWC signature, the watchmakers from Schaffhausen added a clever system that tracks the centuries to create the “eternal” calendar, while adding a complex gearing ratio for the moon phase display, making it accurate to a day in 45 million years. 

The watch itself is a modest departure from the traditional Portugieser design that installs a glass dial on the front and sapphire bridges in the movement. This gives the watch a more modern look but it still remains elegant at its core, albeit with a large case. The only gripe with the Eternal Calendar is the price, which is high despite the added complexity. 

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph in pink gold – David Ichim

The history of Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) is marked by notable movements in great watches – not all of which were branded JLC.

One of those movements, however, was in a JLC watch. The cal. 829 from 1995 was a rectangular chronograph movement for the Reverso. The original was a limited run of 500 pieces, but last year JLC brought the movement back into production as the cal. 860. The new calibre was gently updated but largely similar to the original.

This year the brand launched the Reverso Tribute Chronograph in 18k pink gold, with both the famous case as well as the movement plate and bridges fashioned out of the precious metal. This calls to mind special Reverso models from the 1990s, which also featured solid gold movements. Admittedly, this watch is not wholly new, but it is particularly appealing.

The only element missing in the Tribute chronograph are the chronograph-function indicator and date, both of which were found on the 1995 model and added to the movement’s uniqueness. Nevertheless, the watch is appealing, especially with the striped dial and solid gold movement (though the high price is a challenge).

Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon – Brandon Moore

The Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon is a record-breaking watch, being the thinnest tourbillon ever made. Does that matter? Not really. At the rate that records are falling for slimness, its record will surely fall eventually. It’s equally certain that when a slimmer tourbillon is created, it will win by an insignificant margin; the difference will be measured by the tenths of a millimetre, at most.

The records don’t matter, because what makes the AUC Tourbillon special is the remarkable cohesion of its build quality and design, which work together to create an almost miraculous wearing experience that is unlike anything else. Though thinner than a five-franc coin, it manages to look and feel quite robust thanks to its novel materials, like a cobalt-alloy case. If that weren’t enough, it beats at a sporty 4 Hz, and is water resistant to 20 m, meaning it’s actually usable as a watch.

And best of all, it looks like a conventional watch with a round case and crown at three, avoiding a pitfall common to other record-setting ultra-thin watches that have to contort themselves into shapes resembling a credit card or biscuit.

Vacheron Constantin “The Berkley” – Brandon Moore

The creation of a watch like “The Berkley” is not something that happens every year. Though monstrously large, The Berkley is the most complicated watch ever made, surpassing its sister watch, the Reference 57260 that made for the same American collector almost a decade ago.

Among The Berkley’s 63 complications, the most significant is the perpetual Chinese calendar, which is a world first. While it’s said to be extremely complicated to set, the large size provides plenty of space for the various indicators, making it surprisingly legible and elegant for a watch of such complexity.

As an achievement, it rivals historical masterpieces like the Breguet Marie Antoinette and Patek Philippe Calibre 89. And The Berkley perhaps hints at what’s in store for Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary in 2025.

Independent watchmaking continued its hot streak in 2024, with interest and demand for this niche segment holding up better amidst an industry-wide slowdown. But surprisingly – or unsurprisingly depending on how you look at it – there were relatively few outstanding new creations from the indies.

A handful, however, did stand out. We look at the team’s highlights of the year, which range from Konstantin Chaykin’s thinnest-watch-ever to the debut by Swiss-based Japanese watchmaker Takahiro Aigaki.

Aigaki Direct-Impulse Tourbillon – Brandon Moore

I still remember the moment I stumbled across Takahiko Aigaki’s Instagram profile earlier this year, because the close-up image of the tourbillon cage made me do a double take.

Sure, it was well finished, but in 2024 good finishing no longer provides the competitive advantage it once did; the top end of the market is just too competitive. No, what struck me was the unusual double direct-impulse escapement.

When the Direct-Impulse Tourbillon was finally revealed, it was worth the wait. While arguably a bit plain on the outside, the movement exhibits a degree of grace and technicality that is still quite rare. The watch is truly a sleeper, in the sense that the case and dial reveal little of the horological magic within.

Daniel Roth Tourbillon – Brandon Moore

It’s counterintuitive to be writing about the launch of the Daniel Roth brand in 2024, considering the man himself was one of the seminal independent watchmakers in the late 1980s.

But after a couple tumultuous decades, during which time the Daniel Roth name largely disappeared, the brand has found a new home within the LVMH stable, and is poised to be a major beneficiary of the group’s renewed focus on fine watchmaking.

The regular production tourbillon (left), and the souscription edition

First launched in a 20-piece souscription edition in yellow gold, the Tourbillon collection now includes a standard production model in rose gold. Aesthetically, the watch succeeds in its resemblance to early Daniel Roth tourbillons, with a few tweaks to details like the lugs.

But despite the visual similarity, the movement is completely new. Early Roth tourbillons were built on an off-the-shelf Lemania ebauche, coincidentally designed by Daniel Roth himself during his tenure at Breguet. In contrast, the new DR001 movement is produced by Louis Vuitton subsidiary La Fabrique du Temps (LFT) and features improved finishing and a pleasing form that perfectly fits the iconic double ellipse case.

Greubel Forsey Nano Foudroyante EWT – David Ichim

Greubel Forsey’s big moment of 2024 came with the introduction of the Nano Foudroyante EWT. A first for the brand, the chronograph is almost dwarfed by the flying tourbillon regulator that has a foudroyante hand fixed to the rotating cage. The foudroyante hand continuously makes one rotation every second alongside the one-minute revolution of the tourbillon carriage.

Despite its lightning-fast speed, the seconds hand barely registers in terms of mainspring energy consumption (thus leaving chronometry unaffected) as it requires energy in the order of nanoJoules. 

The timepiece also marks the 20th anniversary of the brand, but more importantly it suggests the innovative manufacture has returned to its original motivation of making chronometrical pieces defined by advanced mechanics and high finish.

The movement bears all the trademarks of a Greubel Forsey calibre — inventive architecture and on-point finishing to the smallest detail. The future looks bright for the independent watchmaker, which seems again ready to experiment with new concepts and complications.

Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing – David Ichim

One of the year’s most surprising creations by an independent was without a doubt Konstantin Chaykin’s ThinKing, an ultra-thin timepiece that measures just 1.65 mm in thickness. The watch comes as a surprise because it beats establishment powerhouses in ultra-thin mechanical watchmaking like Bulgari and Richard Mille.

In building the ThinKing, Chaykin heavily reworked basic watch components, from the stripped-down barrel to a regulator with the hairspring and flywheel fixed on different axis.

Beyond the audacious concept, the work must have been tremendous, given the fact that Konstantin Chaykin is a small independent manufacture without access to a large-scale research and development facility (or help from an external specialist).

The ThinKing manages to also touch on some aesthetic sensibilities — the regulator-style time display along with the engraved brand name make up a grinning face, a recurring motif in Chaykin’s Wristmon collection. 

Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad – Jason Lee

The Freak S Nomad is the first Freak to unite artisanal craft with its forward-thinking movement in a successful blend of tradition and high-tech. It features a hand-engraved guilloché dial that, in a unique twist, also serves as the barrel cover for the unconventional movement architecture.

Building on the Freak S introduced two years ago, the Nomad adopts a more subdued colour palette and introduces texture and depth with the engine-turned dial. Although the Nomad retains the underlying mechanics of the original, the aesthetic updates — most notably the rotating guilloche dial — lend the watch a sportier character that complements the design.

Not only does the Freak S have most of the movement mounted on a rotating carousel, it’s upgraded with twin inclined balance wheels in silicon, underlining the original Freak’s pioneering use of silicon.

Voutilainen Tourbillon 20^th Anniversary – SJX

The anniversary tourbillon captures the greatness of Voutilainen – exceptional quality and consistency. Every element is executed well, and it’s not particularly surprising or imaginative, the watch is greater than the sum of its parts. And as expected for Voutilainen, the tourbillon is priced reasonably for what it is.

Zoom into the watch, front and back, and the quality of work is apparent. The guilloche on the dial is tidy and refined, while the hands are clearly hand made yet almost perfect. While the dial designs on some of the prototypes were not to my taste, Voutilainen offers extensive dial customisation, which is another of the brand’s key strengths and something that many clients particularly enjoy (perhaps sometimes too much).

The movement is equally well done, a feat that is perhaps even more impressive given that few other makers can achieve this quality at Voutilainen’s scale. Not only is the finishing and construction excellent, Voutilainen also offers several finishing styles for its movements, again demonstrating the brand’s strength.

It is traditional in almost all respects, from finishing to construction, illustrating Voutilainen’s preference for old-school watchmaking. Mr Voutilainen doesn’t try too hard to be different or radical, but instead focuses on doing a few things very, very well.

More broadly, the watch also encapsulates the strength of the business that Kari Voutilainen has built, which now includes a dedicated guilloche building. The breath and expertise across its workshops enable Voutilainen to create the kind of quality found in the tourbillon, and at scale. This is both amusing and ironic given that Mr Voutilainen told me he dreamed of selling two or three watches a year when he first started out on his own.