2019 Watch of The Year – winners of the 10th edition

Already for the 10th consecutive year CH24.PL honors best watches of the past 12 months. Hereby we present you 7 winners in 7 competition categories, including your own choice- the Public Prize.

60 nominated watches and merely 9 WOTY statuettes and 8 “Watch of The Year” titles – our annual best-of-the-best ballot highlights top premieres of the Swiss, German, Japan (and more) watchmaking craft. Watch of The Year has in 10 years earned it’s prestige of the most coveted and most important industry awards in Poland, with high visibility among not only winning manufactures abroad. We have reached that status not only thanks to transparent set of rules and international jury of highly respected watch journalists but also thanks to high public involvement, voting for the Public Prize.

What will be the final list of the 2019 laureates? – we will discover that on October, during the final gala in Sobanski’s Palace in Warsaw. Before we know who grabbed the 2019 Grand Prix and Special Jury Prize, here are first 7 winners in 7 WOTY categories. Just like every year, there were 10 nominated watches in each, resulting in 6 awarded watches. The 7th one is – Public Prize – has been selected by our CH24.PL readers, in an open vote at zegarekroku.pl. So, without further ado, here is our Best watch in Classic Watch, Sports Watch, Complicated Watch, Ladies Watch, Innovation in watchmaking and Watch priced up to 10 000 PLN category.

Public Prize – Tissot Heritage 1973 Chronograph

This year’s Public Prize winner, selected by CH24.PL readers, clearly shows watch sympathies in our country. Although the ballot is open to international audience, most of over 10 000 votes came from Poland – and once again it is Tissot who gained most of your respect. Heritge 1973 Chronograph is a vintage inspired, tonneau shaped chronograph with a “panda” dial and legendary Valjoux movement inside, powering all the indications. It’s yet another Tissot reference that reminds us all about the great times, when Tissot was one of the highest valued watch manufacturers in Switzerland.

Tissot Heritage 1973
Tissot Heritage 1973

Classic Watch – Grand Seiko Spring Drive Manual Wind Elegance

The definition of a classic watch evolves constantly, not only in terms of size. Back in the day man used to wear modest, small, minimalistic gold pieces around their wrists. Today’s perception of elegance has quite a wider spectrum, greatly proved by the Grand Seiko Spring Drive Manual Winding Elegance. The watch has an unusual, hand-hammered case in precious platinum, silver dial with an iconic “snowflake” pattern and a manually wound Spring Drive caliber inside – hybrid mix of mechanical and electronic components. Our 2019 “Classic Watch” of the year can is a great example of a classic watch of the XXI century.

Grand Seiko Spring Drive Manual Wind Elegance
Grand Seiko Spring Drive Manual Wind Elegance

Sports Watch – Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Chrono BiCompax Annual

While Classic Watch definition has its boundaries, modern sports watch presents quite an open field of interpretations. Some will say a proper Sports watch is a rugged piece, able to withstand the harshest of conditions, other will point to a casual, usually metal watch that can be worn daily, with almost every other outfit, without unnecessary overstatement. In the Heritage Chrono BiCompax Annuel Carl. F Bucherer managed to smartly combine all those requirements. It is a in-an-out sports watch with its steel case, rubber strap and handsome, readable “panda” dial. Chronograph complication has been added on top of that along with highly usable annual calendar. All spiced with a bit of vintage vibe.

Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Chrono BiCompax Annual
Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Chrono BiCompax Annual

Complicated Watch – Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel

Complicated watches are like a dinner at a 3 stars restaurant of the chef, who turned creating crazy food mixes into big passion of his life. In theory none needs that, but as it is with art, you appreciate its mare existence, not to mention craft and quality involved. Perpetual calendar combined with a Westminster minute repeater and multi-axis tourbillon, all packed in a white gold case with a gorgeous, enamel blued dial. Jeager-LeCoultre has been for ages respected for its special watchmaking skills, and Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel is more than a perfect, live example of that highly deserved respect.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel

Ladies Watch – MB&F Legacy Machine FlyingT

Taste of the lady that’s buying herself a new watch changes rapidly since a few years, but one thing remains constant. Ladies look for things of beauty, unique in its form and aesthetics. Precisely such watch has been created by Max Büsser and his MB&F. It were women in his life that inspired the creation, and the final product – Legacy Machine FlyingT – just simply takes your breath away. Complicated yet sublime structure with its high dome of sapphire glass and floating tourbillon perfectly represent the philosophy of the brand, that creates kinetic art for the wrist. At MB&F telling the time is only a byproduct, overshadowed by genius, artistic design.

MB&F FlyingT
MB&F FlyingT

Innovation in watchmaking – Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Twin-Beat Perpetual Calendar

There is no doubt that it is innovation that drives all aspects of our lives forward, also in a very traditional art of making watches. Although most of what we know and see in mechanical watches was invented decades and centuries ago, new developments try to push the craft of making perfect, precise watches ahead. In the Traditionelle Twin-Beat Perpetual Calendar Vacheron Constantin implemented genius energy-saving mode. Thanks to an additional, slow-beating balance wheel the watch can run for an amazing 65 days(!), keeping all the indications precise, including those of the Perpetual calendar. It’s a bit like power saving mode in you smartphone, but in a purely mechanical way.

Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin-Beat Perpetual Calendar
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin-Beat Perpetual Calendar

Watch priced up to 10 000 PLN – Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Burgundy

We always say at CH24.PL, that interesting, good quality watches don’t have be expensive at all. Innovations and complications cost money, but you can easily find something worthy of your wrist in a significantly lower budget. From 10 watches nominated in the Watch priced up to 10 000 PLN category, our choice went to Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Burgundy – deep-red colored dial version of a watch, that stole many collector’s hearts. In a fairly small, 40 mm watch made of stainless steel Oris managed to combine vintage aesthetics, functionality of an analogue date and a lot of character, that in a modest mechanical watch is quite an important achievement.

Oris Big Crown Pointer Date
Oris Big Crown Pointer Date

The big finale of the 2019 Watch of The Year comes on October. We will then announce the “Grand Prix” winner along with the “Special Jury Prize”. Our official partners are Porsche Poland, The Glenlivet and Ibis Styles Warszawa Centrum. Media patrons are Men’s Health and Elle Man.

You can read more on the 2019 Watch of The Year HERE.

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