These timepieces push the boundaries of watch design with their unorthodox dials and experimental ways of telling time.
Avant-garde is a French term that means “advance guard,” which is the first part of an advancing army, frequently a reconnaissance unit. In the arts, avant-garde describes experimental, unusual, boundary-pushing creations. Frequently, society considers avant-garde designs as radical and shocking but accepts them as great art over time. Think of Edouard Manet’s painting Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe from 1863. Today, experts consider it to be a great Realist-Impressionist work and a highlight of any trip to the Musée d’Orsay, but it was so shocking at the time of its creation that the Paris Salon refused it.
In horology, avant-garde frequently refers to unusual dials, radical ways of telling time, or watches with an unconventional mechanical look. When Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet launched the steel Nautilus and Royal Oak watches, people considered them shocking, but now they are two of the most sought-after watches on the market and have spawned countless watches with similar aesthetics. Our selection of the best luxury avant-garde watches today features unique watches for men that might look unusual now but could become the next cult classics in watch collecting, alongside exceptional timepieces with industrial yet refined looks.
The Best Luxury Avant-Garde Watches
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen
At first glance, many of A. Lange & Söhne’s wares are distinctly classically inspired, with pocket watch-like cases, alpha handsets, and outsize date displays based upon a famed clock in the Semperoper in Dresden, Germany. But a more careful examination of the new Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen reveals a decidedly edgier character: A UV-reactive coating on the semitransparent dial glows brightly under UV light, contrasting with the parts of the movement that you can see via the glass. Meanwhile, the incredible integration of chronograph, perpetual calendar, and tourbillon complications — the product of countless hours of dedicated craftsmanship — continues to amaze collectors. Both inspired by the past yet decidedly contemporary, the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen is an avant-garde masterpiece of the highest order.
Kari Voutilainen 20th Anniversary Tourbillon
A celebration of 20 years of independent horology, master watchmaker Kari Voutilainen’s 20th Anniversary Tourbillon is one of those rare modern pieces that doesn’t actually show off the tourbillon cage from the dial side. And indeed, this incredible watch doesn’t need to: Inspired by Voutilainen’s first timepiece, a pocket watch with a one-minute tourbillon that he completed in 1994, it features an impressive, hand-guillochéd dial in multiple, intersecting patterns, plus a playful take on Breguet numerals. The 40mm watch comes in 18K white gold, rose gold, or platinum and features the Tourbillon 22 movement. This hand-wound caliber provides a 72-hour power reserve via a double barrel and has extensive grained and gilded finishing. Unbelievably beautiful and semi-customizable, it looks like the type of wristwatch the legendary watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet might envision if he were alive today.
Audemars Piguet [RE]Master02
![Introducing: The Audemars Piguet [RE]Master02 - Hodinkee](https://hodinkee-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/images/81969957-038f-4acf-8159-e5b6bca1de94/ReMaster02.jpg)
It might be more accurate to say that it’s actually the reference 5159BA — the watch created in 1960 upon which the Audemars Piguet [RE]Master02 is based — that is an avant-garde icon. But the upsized reissue, released in 2024, is just as boundary-pushing and unusual as its vintage inspiration. Cut off the right side of the case and you might be tempted to think of it as having a distinctly 1970s form factor, but not quite — the asymmetric housing in 18K sand gold is elongated, pulling the eye to the right and away from a parted blue dial that is otherwise fairly restrained. Inside, the automatic caliber 7129 is self-winding, providing 52 hours of power reserve via an extra-thin design featuring a full-sized rotor. A Brutalist work of the highest order, the [RE]Master02 is proof that Audemars Piguet has more to offer than just the Royal Oak.
H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Blue Enamel
The Streamliner collection looks like where watch designer Gérald Genta’s mind might have run if he’d been working for H. Moser & Cie. With its clear “luxury sports watch” inspiration and scale-like bracelet, the Streamliner Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Blue Enamel artfully combines 1970s industrial design influence with more organic forms in a timepiece whose sportiness belies its complicated nature. Indeed, this is a watch that features both a minute repeating complication and a tourbillon. The hammers and gongs, which sound the time upon activation of a button, had to be specially formulated to compensate for the acoustic characteristics of a rectangular case. The blue enamel dial, devoid of any indications save the hands, is a picture of restraint, while the hand-wound HMC 905 movement boasts no fewer than 400 components. Now, here’s a watch that truly looks like nothing else on the market!
Ressence Type 5L
Ever since it debuted its first prototypes at the now-defunct watch show Baselworld in 2010, Belgian watchmaker Ressence has wowed collectors with its incredible wares, which functionally meld mechanical watchmaking with electromechanical regulation in seamless, futuristic designs. (Its ROCS, or Ressence Orbital Convex System, is driven by an otherwise ETA 2824-2 movement but looks like something from the heads-up display of a fighter plane.) The Type 5L is perhaps the boldest expression of the Ressence timepiece yet: Housed in a titanium case, it features an oil-filled upper dial that cancels out refraction underwater, ensuring that the time is always visible during dives. (Yes — this thing is a 100m-water-resistant dive watch.) Additionally, SuperLumiNova liberally coats the entire dial, so it glows like one of those stars you stuck to your ceiling as a kid. To be sure, few other brands can come close to the ingenuity at play at Ressence.
Hublot x Arsham Droplet Pocket Watch
We know what you’re thinking: Who wears a pocket watch in 2024? But kindly bear with us for a moment: Hublot teamed up with influential American contemporary artist Daniel Arsham on a special handheld timepiece that looks like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They designed the pocket watch in the shape of a droplet that would fit comfortably in the palm of your hand. You can also use it as a table clock on its titanium and mineral glass stand. Fashioned from titanium and rubber, its case is openworked to reveal a lace-like structure, while its dial is transparent, revealing the hand-wound MECA-10 movement with 240 hours of power reserve. The Droplet has an easy-changing, one-click strap system to quickly convert it from a pocket watch to a table clock to a necklace. In short: If this doesn’t change your mind about pocket watches, we’re not sure what will.
MB&F Legacy Machine Sequential Flyback
Few independent maisons can match Max Busser & Friends for sheer creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. The MB&F Legacy Machine Sequential Flyback, the brainchild of watchmaker Stephen McDonnell, is a case in point. After developing the LM Sequential Evo chronograph — a watch with dual mechanical chronographs and a “Twinverter” switch that inverts their start/stop functions — McDonnell and the MB&F team decided to up the ante with the addition of flyback mechanisms. (You don’t need to stop the chronographs before restarting them.) Set within a huge 44mm platinum case measuring 18.2mm tall, the Sequential Flyback shows off its impressive 619-component movement in all its glory via sapphire crystals front and back. With its impressive time-recording functionality and wild looks, it’s an incredible step forward for mechanical complications.
Gérald Genta Gentissima Oursin
Horological lore has it that famed watch designer Gérald Genta conceived thousands upon thousands of watches during his lifetime. Whatever the numerical truth may be, there’s no doubt that the Swiss designer’s wares were indeed some of the most compelling and important of the past century. One rather obscure timepiece — by his Royal Oak’s ubiquitous standards, anyway — is the Oursin, or “sea urchin,” said to be the favorite of his wife. Genta designed it in 1994, studding its convex case sides with beads in imitation of the aquatic animal. Now under Louis Vuitton/La Fabrique du Temps ownership, the Genta brand is reviving the studded design in the form of the Gentissima Oursin. Crafted from titanium, each of the five iterations boasts an octagonal sapphire crystal and 223 beads in white gold, yellow gold, or rose gold and diamonds.
Toledano & Chan B/1
Conceptual artist Phil Toledano teamed up with watch designer Afred Chan on an intriguing modern timepiece inspired by Brutalism — and, clearly, by the Rolex Midas. The B/1, with its distinctly 1970s-inspired architectural case and integrated bracelet, takes Genta-esque motifs and pairs them with a car collector’s sense of aesthetics and ergonomics. Its 33.5mm stainless steel case and bracelet have a concrete-like finish, while the crown is left-facing in a “destro” configuration. The dial affords a bright pop of color in the form of a lapis lazuli base against which a set of handsome alpha hands stands out. Powered by the Swiss-made SW100 automatic movement with 42 hours of power reserve, the B/1 allows access to luxurious ’70s watchmaking motifs at a distinctly reasonable price. However, this watch is released only in limited series, so be sure to monitor the company website to get ahead of the next drop.
Piaget Altiplano Concept Tourbillon
Piaget’s focus on ultrathin watchmaking dates back to the mid-20th century, when the 2mm-thick caliber 9P shocked the watchmaking world. Today, the Altiplano collection is home to wondrously slim creations that have broken world records and delighted legions of fans. The Altiplano Concept Tourbillon, released at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024, takes an already-stunning 2mm-thick watch and adds a tourbillon complication, elevating it to the status of an ultrasophisticated masterwork. But it isn’t just the thinness of this remarkable watch that sets it apart. Rather, its distinctive aesthetics — the tourbillon is combined with a running seconds indicator; the entire thing is cased in blue cobalt — lend a semi-steampunk quality, while its breathtaking mechanicals are indicative of the maison’s utter mastery of complicated horology.
HYT Moon Runner Supernova Blue
HYT, famous for its unusual, fluid-based timekeeping system, has designed and built some of the most unique watches for men of the past 15 years. Its Moon Runner Supernova Blue, a limited edition of just 27 pieces, combines many of the brand’s specialties in a single model: The fluid-filled capillary tube that functions as a retrograde hour display is present and accounted for, as are orbital calendar displays and a wondrously cool, three-dimensional central moon-phase indicator in blue and black. Housed in a 48mm sandblasted titanium case with blue and gray coating, the Moon Runner Supernova Blue looks more like a small planetarium than like a conventional wristwatch, with a wildly complicated movement visible through a sapphire caseback for all to admire.
De Bethune DB28 XS Steel Wheels
Based in the Swiss Jura mountains, De Bethune uses pocket watch cases as the inspiration for startlingly original timepieces that house an impressive array of complications. The DB28 XS Steel Wheels, a smaller take on the brand’s DB28 platform, is evidence of just how far watchmakers can push the “time-only” watch into avant-garde territory. The 38.7mm polished Grade 5 titanium case with signature skeletonized lugs features a unique, industrial-looking dial with a polished titanium base, a titanium bridge, and a satin-finished hour/minute ring with polished, blued hour markers. This watch features a hand-wound caliber with a self-regulating, twin–barrel design and an impressive six-day power reserve. The ultra-long power reserve indicator appears on the case back. One of De Bethune’s most wearable watches, the DB28 XS Steel Wheels is perfect for the collector who has seen it all and desires something decidedly left of center.
