Those were the days.

The watch specialist attended the two major trade fairs in Switzerland at the beginning of the year, so you knew what was going to happen over the course of the year.

But the times have changed.

The largest of these fairs, Baselworld, has now abolished itself due to persistent mismanagement.

The Geneva show, now called Watches and Wonders, is still around and has seen some prominent additions.

However, the entire world of watches does not come close to reflecting this.

Many watch brands, above all Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille, forego trade fair appearances entirely because they do not fit into their own marketing strategy.

Others simply do without for economic reasons.

Instead, you experience a new product presentation every week - mostly virtual, sometimes in person.

In the past few days it has become quieter.

A good time to give a first big overview of the watch year 2022.

This year promises to be colourful.

Instead of developing complex technology in uncertain times, manufacturers in many places simply give their watches colored straps, dials or cases.

The latter can be technically demanding if ceramic is used for the middle part of the case.

IWC Schaffhausen has decades of experience with ceramics.

So far it has mostly been black zirconium oxide, but now the German-Swiss company is presenting its pilot's chronograph in white, fir green and beige with the beautiful model names Lake Tahoe, Woodland and Mojave Desert, which are available for 11,200 euros each.

Hublot is charging more than double that, 23,800 euros, for its Big Bang Integral Blue Indigo chronograph.

This watch also has a link bracelet made of blue ceramic that matches the case.

This is also available from Rado, but in olive green and much cheaper.

The retro diving watch Captain Cook Hightech-Ceramic is cheap for 3450 euros.

If that is still too expensive for you, go to the sister company Swatch.

There, the ceramic was mixed with plastic and the design was based on the Omega Speedmaster Professional.

Swatch is allowed to do that, after all, Omega is also part of the large corporate family.

The Moonswatch is available in ten variants for 250 euros each.

However, the interested party needs patience.

The first batch was literally snatched out of the hands of the dealers, and Swatch is now producing.

The new Aikon #tide by Maurice Lacroix can be delivered directly for 690 euros.

Its housing is available in many candy colors and consists of a mixture of fiberglass, color pigments and recycled plastic waste from our oceans.

The upcycling topic is not entirely new.

The Danish designer brand Skagen also builds quartz watches from granulated plastic waste, prominent brands such as Breitling and Oris have long been offering bracelets made from discarded and reprocessed fishing nets.

Panerai also has straps made from former PET bottles in its range.

But not only.

The Swiss with Italian roots, for example, attach importance to the fact that they also use remanufactured steel in their so-called E-Steel models and that more than half of the watch consists of recycled material.

The Submersible Quarantaquattro E-Steel shows

that avoiding waste can also be very attractive.

But not cheap.

10,800 euros are to be invested for the diver's watch, whose dial and bezel are characteristically emerald green.

Rolex prefers fir green, not only as a corporate colour, but also on the bezel of their new GMT Master II, which is the first Rolex to wear the crown on the left.

No problem, then you simply turn the case 180 degrees, print a new date ring, and the model is ready.

That's what we call sustainable development.