The Watch Party Rages On

An emoji Rolex, a neon Blancpain, a Spider-Man Audemars Piguet: Old-school watchmakers are entering a wild new era

- CAM WOLF

AT THIS YEAR's edition of Watches and Wonders, the massive Geneva trade show where many of the world's finest brands debut their novelties, nearly every conversation I had took the same detour: So, someone would lean in conspiratorially, what do you think of the Emoji Rolex? The watch, which adds positive affirmations and exclusive emojis to the Crown's prestigious Day-Date, was so out of left field for the staid Rolex that many people reacted just as Max Büsser, founder of the Swiss luxury watchmaker MB&F, did on a recent call. "Did they all take acid?!" But it turned out that what's officially known as the Puzzle Dial Day-Date was only the beginning of the watch industry's new vibes era. Even super-collectors like John Mayer are feeling the wave. As he recently told me, "We're in a golden era of watches that I'm having a really fun time wearing."