Every September, Geneva comes alive to the rhythm of haute horlogerie. Once again, Geneva Watch Days offers an unusually free-spirited snapshot of contemporary watchmaking, bringing established maisons and independent names together in a shared celebration of creativity. If this year’s edition makes one thing clear, it is that haute horlogerie is no longer concerned solely with pushing the boundaries of mechanical engineering. Increasingly, it is also exploring new ways to tell the story of time.
Among the many creations unveiled this year, three in particular caught our attention: an unexpected meeting of minds between Bvlgari and Vianney Halter; a mechanical creature designed to be assembled by its owner from Maison Alcée and MB&F; and a tourbillon almost entirely rendered in Speake Marin’s signature blue. Three radically different propositions, united by the same desire to transform the timepiece from an instrument for measuring time into a genuine canvas for expression.
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo × Vianney Halter
For the first time, Bvlgari has opened the world of the Octo Finissimo to an independent watchmaker. Co-designed by Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani and Vianney Halter, the Octo Finissimo Dual Time brings the architectural language of the collection face to face with the French watchmaker’s unmistakable retro-futurist imagination. Drawing on Jules Verne, Victorian references and science fiction, Halter’s universe disrupts the refined minimalism typically associated with the Octo Finissimo.
The eye is immediately drawn to the four opaline dials distributed across the surface of the watch. Framed by stepped bezels reminiscent of miniature portholes, their construction pays direct homage to the Antiqua, the emblematic timepiece Vianney Halter unveiled in 1998. Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, day-and-night indication and a second time zone are arranged within an architecture that feels almost like the dashboard of some fantastical machine. A blue second-time-zone hand, red-tipped small-seconds hand and sculpted hands complete the unusual aesthetic, while the distinctive geometry of the Octo remains unmistakably intact.
At its heart is the new automatic BVF 200 calibre, housed within a 40.5mm case measuring just 9.70mm thick. Its platinum micro-rotor carries Vianney Halter’s signature, while the movement delivers a 60-hour power reserve. Two editions have been created: 30 examples in sandblasted and brushed titanium, and 15 in satin-finished and polished 18-carat rose gold.
More than a simple exercise in personalisation, the collaboration succeeds precisely because both identities remain clearly visible. The Octo Finissimo is recognisable at first glance, yet it feels as though it has travelled through Vianney Halter’s universe and emerged somewhere stranger, more mechanical and almost as if it had been imagined in the 19th century for a future that never quite arrived.
Maison Alcée × MB&F Nostromo
With Nostromo, Maison Alcée and MB&F take an entirely different approach. Here, the object is not simply there to be admired; it must first be built. Founded in 2021 by Alcée and Benoît Montfort, Maison Alcée has established itself through an unconventional proposition that allows enthusiasts to assemble a genuine mechanical clock themselves. It is a philosophy that feels entirely at home within the world of MB&F and its M.A.D.Gallery, where mechanical art, imagination and a sense of play have intersected for the past 15 years.
Designed by MB&F designer Maximilian Maertens, Nostromo takes the form of an uncanny creature from another world. Three organic-looking legs support its mechanical body, which can rotate on itself, while its angled dial leaves the gears and wheels that bring it to life deliberately exposed. The influence of the Alien universe is unmistakable, right down to its name, borrowed from the spaceship featured in the first film. M.A.D.Gallery’s emblematic peacock blue punctuates the steel, brass and German silver, lending the entire object an almost otherworldly quality.
Limited to just 50 examples, Nostromo comes with an illustrated manual and accompanying video content designed to guide its owner through every stage of the assembly. The result is less a clock you acquire than one you make — turning the collector from spectator into participant.
Speake Marin Tourbillon Royal Blue
At Speake Marin, colour takes centre stage. The Tourbillon Royal Blue pairs the maison’s 42mm Piccadilly case in 5N red gold with an entirely openworked architecture rendered in its signature blue, inspired by Pantone 287 C. The contrast between the warmth of the gold and the deep, almost electric blue is striking, highlighting the different layers of the movement while giving the timepiece an instantly recognisable presence.
The eye naturally travels towards 1:30, where the flying tourbillon makes its rotation beneath a bridge inspired by the shape of the Topping Tool, one of Speake Marin’s historic design signatures. Opposite it, the power-reserve indicator at 7:30 provides a visual counterpoint. The bridges, barrel and micro-rotor are exposed almost without obstruction, making the mechanics themselves the central element of the design.
The construction is powered by the manufacture automatic SMA05 calibre, comprising 290 components and equipped with a fully integrated micro-rotor. Operating at 3Hz, it provides a 72-hour power reserve, while Geneva stripes, microbeading and hand-bevelled surfaces enrich the elements visible through both the dial and sapphire caseback. A Royal Blue ostrich strap extends the chromatic identity directly onto the wrist.
Limited to just five pieces worldwide, the timepiece takes Speake Marin’s dialogue between colour and mechanics to its most concentrated expression.
