Luxury Watches

These watchmakers are redefining the way we traditionally read the time

by Karishma Tulsidas
Photography by Kevin Khng

Playful, irreverent and unexpected, these timepieces displayed at the 2025 Watches and Wonders Geneva eschew conventional displays and rework the way we read time.

Shot on location at the 2025 edition of Watches and Wonders in Geneva.

Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti

Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti. Top: Hermès Arceau Le Temps Suspendu brun désert (left) and rouge sellier.

Long a symbol of femininity, the Bulgari Serpenti takes on a new, masculine twist with the help of MB&F. Bulgari chief designer Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, inspired by MB&F’s HM10 ‘Bullfrog’, partnered with independent watch-maker Max Büsser to reimagine the sinu-ous icon. The result? A sleek, serpentine head with domes for eyes—one showing hours, the other minutes—while striped patterns mimic scales. Available in titanium, rose gold, and black PVD-coated steel, the Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti is limited to 33 pieces per version.

Hautlence HL Sphere

Hautlence HL Sphere.

Established in 2004, Hautlence has faced its share of ups and downs, but signs point to a fresh chapter. Now guided by a new steering committee (fun fact: it’s owned by H. Moser), the brand returns to its roots—creating unorthodox, eclectic timepieces that challenge conventional watchmaking. The HL Sphere features a retrograde minutes counter, with the hours displayed on the left dome, reminiscent of a magic eight ball. The case, inspired by a TV screen, is instantly recognisable—an Hautlence signature.

Bovet Virtuoso V

Bovet Virtuoso V.

Few maisons blend traditional artistry with technical ingenuity quite like Bovet. The Virtuoso V is a case in point: featuring a jumping hour and retrograde minute dial, it offers an impressive five-day power reserve. Synchronising these complications—so they operate in perfect tandem without losing accuracy—is no easy feat. Beyond its technical prowess, the watch dazzles with a deep-blue guilloché dial. Flip it over, and it transforms into a pocket watch with an open-worked reverse side. At 43.5mm, the Virtuoso V is forged in lightweight titanium.

Trilobe Nuit Fantastique

Trilobe Nuit Fantastique.

French watchmaker Trilobe might be relatively young, but it’s rewriting the rules of time. Nuit Fantastique may seem cryptic at first glance, but it’s actually quite intuitive: hours run on a peripheral ring, minutes at 11 o’clock, with a running seconds subdial below. The timepiece comes in a host of different colour variations, including this iteration with a silvered dial and grained blue subdials. Crafted in titanium, it comes in 38.5mm and 40.5mm sizes.

Franck Muller Crazy Hours Jisbar

Franck Muller Crazy Hours Jisbar.

Having reinterpreted artworks like the Mona Lisa and Basquiat’s self-portrait, French artist Jisbar works his magic on yet another celebrated cultural icon: the Franck Muller Crazy Hours. With a black dial as his canvas, the numerals have been reinterpreted using motifs and emojis that hearken to his ‘pop street’ genre. But look closely, and you will notice that the numbers are all jumbled up: This ingenious display, called ‘Crazy Hours’, is one of the Swiss watchmaker’s most emblematic collections—a perfect demonstration of how it melds play-fulness and technical mastery. As if by magic, the hour hand automatically jumps to the correct number, wherever it is, every hour. The Franck Muller Vanguard Crazy Hours Jisbar is available in five finishes, including carbon, steel, titanium, black titanium and rose gold, each limited to 50 pieces.

Hermès Le Temps Suspendu

Hermès Arceau Le Temps Suspendu sunburst blue.

Time waits for no-one, or so we’re told. But should we wish to make a moment last just a little longer, Hermès’ Le Temps Suspendu does the trick. At the click of a button, the hour and minute hands snap to 12 o’clock, stopping time until we decide we’re ready to go on. Press again, and the hands snap back to the real time. Beyond its quirky charm, it’s the details—a smoky sapphire dial revealing the movement—that elevate the experience. The Arceau Le Temps Suspendu comes in three variants for 2025, brun désert, rouge sellier, or sunburst blue, in rose or white gold cases.

Go further with the 2025 edition of Watches and Wonders in Geneva.

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