When it comes to the inevitable task of picking, if not the best, then at least your favorite watches from Watches and Wonders, there are a few ways to slice the cake. You could take the populist path, where the watches you choose are simply the biggest crowd-pleasers — nothing wrong with that. Alternatively, you could chase clout by picking the deepest of cuts, either the bleeding-edge indies who will be the toast of the town in 12 to 24 months, or the obscure releases from the major makers. Finally, you could follow your heart and go with the watches that you would like to own the most. I tend to take this final approach, as it invariably has some overlap with both the crowd-pleasers and the clout chasers, though I will say I have a terrible track record when it comes to picking the cool kids of the future.

So, the first cab off the rank in my “favorites of the fair” is, naturally, Rolex. It’s hard to escape the influence of the Crown or deny its appeal. Having said that, this year’s release schedule felt a little more scattered than previous ones, with quite a few core releases leaving me cold. The new Oyster Perpetual with the Jubilee-motif dial, however, excited me in all the right ways. Not only is it a clever and quite on-trend reimagining of one of the brand’s most famous historic dials, but it’s also good to see a relatively accessible steel watch get some special treatment.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 (©Revolution)

Next, I’ll head over to another of the major maisons — Cartier. While lots of people were oohing and aahing over the Privé and Tortue releases, I felt myself drawn to a watch that I will never wear, the Cartier Baignoire Clous de Paris. The bracelet version of the Baignoire is already incredibly cool, and embellishing the case and bracelet with the Clous de Paris hobnail pattern — traditionally found on dials — is a smart move that plays right into Cartier’s sweet spot as a jeweler and watchmaker.

Cartier Baignoire Clous de Paris

The above two watches are both firmly in the “Felix thinks they’re cool for what they represent” category, but the next one is something I just want to have on my wrist — the Chopard Alpine Eagle XPS with the “Mountain Glow” dial. The Alpine Eagle is already an impressive watch, but with its slimmer movement and tapered bracelet, this XPS version is sublime on the wrist. Plus, it comes with a newly improved micro-adjustment system for the clasp. Chopard is that incredibly rare beast in an industry full of marketing and PR — under-recognized. Its watchmaking on every front is truly second to none, and this Alpine Eagle can go toe to toe with any other Swiss luxury steel sports watch.

Chopard Alpine Eagle XPS

Another watchmaker that deserves its flowers is Van Cleef & Arpels. This year, the brand took one of its more popular celestial complications, the Day/Night, and added a new trick. The Midnight Jour Nuit Phase de Lune tells time with style. Not only does the watch have a relatively simple day/night indicator — a 24-hour display which sees the top half of the dial in constant motion, with a sunny sky or starry night — but within that starry night sits a functional moonphase. All of which can be revealed in its current phase with on-demand automation.

Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Jour Nuit Phase de Lune (©Revolution)

Finally, one of the major themes of Watches and Wonders was space. It might be gimmicky, but space is cool, and one of the coolest space watches is the IWC Venturer Vertical Drive — a space pilot’s watch, if you will. Not only does it look cool and raise some interesting design questions, but more than anything, it reminds me of IWC in the late ’90s: purposeful, cool tool watches.

IWC Venturer Vertical Drive