As we look back on the year, we take pride in the stories we’ve shared and extend our sincere appreciation to all our readers for their support. As 2024 draws to a close, we revisit some of our standout features, spanning in-depth explorations of complex movements, historical perspectives on timekeeping, and comprehensive reviews of the latest watch releases.

Our founder SJX looked at some of the most significant watches to emerge in 2024, including the record-setting F.P. Journe Tourbillon à Remontoir d’Égalité “15/93” prototype, and the fascinating Patek Philippe ref. 767 grand complication with double split-chronographs (which means triple elapsed time measurement) that was acquired by none other than the Patek Philippe Museum.

Together with David Ichim, he also co-authored a series of stories explaining notable Rolex innovations, including the brand’s most complicated watch, the Sky-Dweller; the instantaneous Day-Date; and the Deepsea with its unparalleled pressure resistance.

Based in Seattle, Brandon Moore nonetheless travelled to Geneva, where he visited the Vacheron Constantin manufacture in Geneva suburb Plan-les-Ouates and the Akrivia workshops in the city’s historic Old Town.

Brandon also managed to visit the Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts exhibition at the brand’s Geneva Salon, resulting in his photoessay. And in between all that, he pondered the last two decades of the perpetual calendar’s evolution, a span that has arguably given birth to some of the most innovative calendar mechanisms in watchmaking.

A veteran watch journalist who has been following watchmaking since the 1980s, Carlos Torres, delved into the fascinating history of Brazil’s watch clubs, which were set up by retailers to promote fine Swiss watches. Such clubs were arguably the forerunners of modern-day group buys and social media communities, and one of them gave birth to the Patek Philippe Gondolo.

Members of the Patek Philippe club of Gondola & Labouriau

Carlos also explored the history of equation of time (EoT), a historical topic so rich it was a two part story – part I explains the history of the concept, and part II focuses on the evolution of the complication that measures EoT.

An engineer in training at EPFL in Switzerland, David Ichim specialises in the mechanical details. His stories are mostly technically inclined, and highlights include the three-parter detailing the Ulysse Nardin Freak – part I covers its history, part II the pioneering use of silicon, and part III its unique escapement.

Equally notable is his detailed exploration of escapement design in The Geometric Efficiency of Escapements.

Best known for having founded the eponymous auction house, Dr. Helmut Crott is one of the world’s leading experts in vintage timepieces, with a particular love of German watchmaking. His knowledge and love of the topic is encapsulated in his in-depth examination of the flying tourbillon, which was invented by famed Glashütte watchmaker Alfred Helwig.

A watch collector based in Seoul, Jason S. Lee, looked at many of the year’s new releases.

Having been a writer for SJX since the beginning of the year, he also reviewed some notable debuts that are part of his own collection, including the TAG Heuer Carrera Dato “Glassbox” and the Omega Speedmaster “First Omega in Space”.