Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Of 2024 — Thomas’s Picks From Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Echo/Neutra, And More

The year is quickly coming to a close, so it’s time for some retrospective action! I have the honor of opening a new series of Fratello Favorites — the best watches of 2024! These watches made the biggest impression on me. Are they objectively the best? Of course not. Instead, these are watches that I found interesting, inspiring, or simply remarkably well done.

I feel 2024 was a transition year for the watch world. The market was tough, and fashion was changing rapidly. It seems big sports watches are making way for smaller, shaped, design-heavy watches. For me, this year marked the launch of my fledgling watch company, so you probably know what is my absolute favorite of the year. I will leave that one out, though, as it would be a bit on the nose. Without further ado, let’s have a look at what I feel are the best watches of 2024.

The best watches of 2024 —Pick #1: Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir

How could I start with any other watch after having waxed poetically about the Tortue on several occasions? I suspect we will see this one in other Fratello editors’ lists of the best watches of 2024 because we were all enamored with it.

Cartier reintroduced the Tortue, as the brand has done sporadically throughout the model’s 100-plus-year history. Cartier opts to keep this model exclusive, releasing small runs of high-end versions while keeping no budget-friendly option in regular production. To me, the yellow gold Monopoussoir is the pinnacle of the 2024 collection. Among its highlights, you will find a perfectly proportioned case, a truly beautiful caliber, and the iconic Cartier-style dial with stern black printing.

With a launch price of €46,000 and a production number of only 200 pieces, I don’t think I will ever see one again. Still, the experience made an impact. This is my #1 watch of 2024.

Next up, the Echo/Neutra Rivanera

From here on out, I will present my picks for the best watches of 2024 in random order. Consider them taking a shared second place behind the Cartier Tortue. Now, the chances of a Cartier landing on my favorites list are quite strong. However, I would not have expected to find a watch from Echo/Neutra here when the year started. In fact (I am ashamed to admit), the brand lived outside of my field of view in that purgatory between “I am aware of it” and “I don’t really care about it.” Until it released the Rivanera, that is!

The Rivanera surprised me with its ominous interpretation of a very familiar early 20th-century design. Although derivative, that design lends itself very well to a modern reinterpretation. The dark, matte titanium provides a hard contrast with the elegant shape and proportions.

The real hammer blow came when handling the Rivanera. Echo/Neutra simply did a stellar job! This is a very well-made watch with lovely details and a perfect fit on the wrist. Even the view from the back, which puts the nicely finished ETA/Peseux 7001 on display, is surprisingly beautiful. Echo/Neutra offers all of this for a very, very reasonable €1,490.

The best watches of 2024: Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Chronograph Moon

Next on my list of the best watches of 2024, we find a serving of Haute Horlogerie. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Chronograph truly stood out to me at this year’s Watches and Wonders. My infatuation did not come from the technical intricacies, although they are spectacular. After all, the entire concept of the Duometre is to split the watch into two power trains, with one for the time and one for the complications. This ensures that the chronograph does not affect the main time’s accuracy in any way.

No, my admiration for the Duometre stems from the way JLC executed it. I struggle to put it into words, and even the pictures don’t quite do this watch justice. In hand, the Duometre looks and feels like a pebble. The case and crystal flow organically and seamlessly into each other. The dial and movement are both shaped with great flair and artistry. Under the domed crystals, they appear as in 8K versus regular watches’ HD-ready components.

The Duometre releases triggered lust in me. I wanted to pull the press samples toward me and not let go. “Will you please pass the watches to other attendants, Mr. Van Straaten?” Oh, all right then… It’s a good thing I didn’t have €79,000 on me.

Unexpected choices

Next up are two watches atypical for me but still among the best watches of 2024 in my book. The first is the Rado Diastar Anatom 40th Anniversary. I have to admit to some sentimental feelings toward non-round ceramic Rado watches, dating back to my childhood in the ’90s. The Anatom pushes those sentimental buttons for me. With its ETA 2892-based caliber and rectangular case on a rubber strap, there isn’t much special about this watch. However, the baguette diamonds paired with the all-black ceramic just do it for me. Don’t tell anyone, okay?

The second oddball choice is the Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton in white ceramic. I don’t typically fall for tech-forward modern watches, but this one is just so neat! I don’t have any objective justification for it other than that the blue-on-white outfit suits the watch and makes it look deliciously fresh. It’s a perfect summer watch, especially on the rubber strap.

And last but not least: Audemars Piguet [RE]Master02

I would like to round off my list of the best watches of 2024 with one that typifies the stylistic transition we are in better than any other. The Audemars Piguet [RE]Master02 exemplifies the shift toward shaped and dressier watches we see all across the market.

This watch is all about design, with its Brutalist case in “sand gold,” an angled sapphire crystal, and a segmented brushed dial. It should not work. It is overly complicated and odd. Somehow, though, this makes it extremely cool to me. If you wish to declare your love of mid-century Brutalism on the wrist, bring a cool CHF 41,100, and call it a day!

Closing thoughts on the best watches of 2024

There you have it — the watches that spring to mind for me when thinking of the best watches of 2024. I found this quite an exciting year for watches as things seem to be moving. It seems old ways of doing things are no longer working, and watch brands have to reinvent themselves to some degree. Old brands have to try new approaches, and new brands are popping up to try to redefine watches. I am proud that I have also now entered that arena to attempt to make my mark.

This was a tough year for the watch world, but maybe that is a good thing. Heroes don’t rise when the going is easy, so I am eager to see which brands make waves in 2025!

Besides some unexpected inclusions, I also have some unexpected omissions. There was no Patek Philippe, Rolex, Tudor, or Omega among my year’s favorites. There weren’t any dive watches or GADA watches this time either, despite them being my two all-time favorite genres. Let’s see if they return to next year’s list. Let me end with one honorable mention — the Toledano & Chan B/1. I would have included it if I’d had the chance to try it in real life. I find it truly refreshing, daring, and a welcome new player on the watch market!

What are the best watches of 2024 in your view? Share them with us in the comments below!