OUR TOP PICKS FROM WATCHES AND WONDERS 2026
editor PATRICK BOYLE
Each year in Geneva, the industry gathers to discover what the biggest names in horology have been working on behind closed doors. New materials, refined icons, and occasional surprises that shift the conversation forward. Some brands double down on what they do best, others take risks, but together the releases build a clear picture of where watchmaking stands right now and where it wants to go. From technical breakthroughs to pure design statements, these are the novelties that stood out.
CARTIER
left: CARTIER Privé Crash Squelette, right: CARTIER Roadster
Cartier leans confidently into what it does best, focusing on form and shape. The standout is a reworking of one of Cartier’s most unconventional silhouettes, the Cartier Crash Skeleton. Part of the Cartier Privé collection, the face is opened up to reveal the movement beneath, shaped to fit the warped case. Sculpted in platinum and combined with a burgundy leather strap, one of the internet’s favourite watches has been elevated to a new level.
The Roadster returns after years away, keeping its automotive-inspired case and curved profile but refining the details around it with cleaner proportions, updated bracelets, and a more resolved dial that stays true to its original speedometer aesthetic. Alongside it, the Santos-Dumont shifts the focus to material and elegance, with yellow gold and platinum models with finely engineered multi-linked bracelets. The obsidian dial does a great job at catching light in subtle reflections and results in a very elegant iteration of the popular model.
Closer to a jewelry piece than a watch, the Myst de Cartier abandons conventional horological design. A sculptural bracelet of lacquer and diamonds harbours a hidden dial within its structure. Timekeeping is almost second to the object itself and results in a striking bracelet aesthetic.
ROLEX
left: ROLEX Oyster Perpetual 36 (ref. 126000), right: ROLEX Cosmograph Daytona (ref. 126502)
This year Rolex centres its Watches & Wonders novelties around the Oyster’s centenary. The Oyster Perpetual 41 “100 Years” celebrates the anniversary by combining a yellow gold bezel and crown with a steel bracelet. The anniversary is absorbed into the watch itself with the usual “Swiss Made” motif replaced with “100 years” on the dial, echoed by a raised “100” on the crown.
Alongside it, the Oyster Perpetual 36 takes a more overstated approach. Its multicolour dial spells out the Rolex name in layered tones, requiring multiple production stages to achieve the effect. An acquired taste, the watch brings a sense of fun to this year’s releases.
The Cosmograph Daytona (ref. 126502) introduces a new material direction. For the first time, the model pairs steel with a platinum bezel. At the centre, a white Grand Feu enamel dial provides depth to the Daytona’s familiar layout.
IWC
left: IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive, right: IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume®
In the watch industry, there is often talk of space and watches that have been, or could be used there. However, IWC has gone a step further this year by designing the Pilot’s Watch Venturer Vertical Drive specifically for use in space, rethinking both control and display. The traditional crown is removed entirely, replaced by a rotating bezel system that allows the wearer to set and adjust the watch even while wearing gloves. With a cosmic aesthetic to match, the chronograph itself follows this logic of usability, with a vertically oriented display that reads elapsed time along a linear axis, making it more intuitive under demanding conditions.
The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume® marks another major innovation for the brand. A painstaking material development process has resulted in IWC’s luminous ceramic technology. In daylight, the watch is quite restrained, rendered in soft tones of white and grey that emphasise its scale and clarity without overwhelming the eye. On the other hand, in the dark, the timepiece transforms completely. I had to make multiple trips behind the blackout curtain because I couldn’t believe just how bright the vivid glow was. This is not a watch to wear to bed but is sure to turn heads on a night out.
TAG HEUER
TAG HEUER Monaco Evergraph
For TAG it was the year of Monaco. The Chronograph leans into its 1969 origins, but the update goes beyond proportion and case material. The shift to titanium lightens the watch considerably, changing how it sits and wears, while the in-house calibre brings a more refined chronograph experience with smoother actuation, more precise reset, and improved overall efficiency. The dial is tightened visually as well, with clearer sub-dial separation and better contrast, making it feel more resolved without losing the graphic identity that defines the model.
The Monaco Evergraph, by contrast, rethinks the chronograph at a structural level. Instead of relying on traditional levers and springs, it uses a compliant mechanism system. Put simply, the movement uses flexibility within the material itself, replacing multiple moving components. This reduces friction, simplifies the architecture, and improves long-term stability. The chronograph action feels different as a result. Visually, this is all exposed through an openworked dial showcasing the hard work of the TAG Heuer Lab team.
VACHERON CONSTANTIN
VACHERON CONSTANTIN Calibre 2550 Overseas Automatique Ultra-thin
The new generation of the Overseas Ultra-Thin squeezes the integrated sports watch further (7.35mm) while introducing a newly developed in-house movement. The result is a piece that feels more architectural and resolved, with the engineering clearly driving the design forward. The timepiece comes with two replacement straps, one in orange and the other matching the dial, which are easily interchangeable thanks to a push-button system. Rightfully, the platinum watch has been one of the most talked about novelties at this year’s Watches and Wonders. Limited to 255 individually numbered pieces, all I can say is good luck getting your hands on one!
BVLGARI
left: BVLGARI Octo Finissimo 37, right: BVLGARI Serpenti Tubogas Studs Capsule
The Octo Finissimo remains the technical backbone of the collection, now reworked in a more compact 37mm format. A welcome, long demanded change that is less about aesthetics than wearability. The watch is equipped with a new generation of ultra-thin movement developed specifically for the smaller architecture. Alongside this, the Octo line goes further into boundary pushing horology with a platinum version of the world’s thinnest tourbillon, the Octo Finissimo Ultra, reinforcing Bvlgari’s position in record-level engineering.
TUDOR
left: TUDOR Black Bay Ceramic, right: TUDOR Monarch
The Black Bay Ceramic pushes further in material innovation, with its matte black case and highly legible dial reinforcing the model’s utilitarian roots. Ceramic, notoriously difficult to mold and finish due to its hardness, adds a layer of technical complexity to the watch’s construction. Its use here not only gives the model a more contemporary edge but also highlights Tudor’s growing capability in handling advanced materials, while maintaining the robustness and clarity expected from the Black Bay line.
Alongside it, the Monarch approaches watchmaking from a more classical direction. Its dial plays with a mix of Arabic numbers and Roman numerals, creating a slightly unconventional layout that feels both traditional and fresh. Combined with a cleaner case profile and dark champagne dial, it offers a more formal expression within Tudor’s collection.
PIAGET
PIAGET Swinging Pebble Sautoir Watch
The Polo Signature with sodalite dial refines the brand’s sport-chic icon through material rather than form. The deep blue stone brings natural variation and depth to the familiar gadroon-integrated design, turning the dial into a continuous slab of colour that shifts subtly with the light. It’s a simple intervention, but one that offers a new look to the original 1979 model.
At the more sculptural end, the Swinging Pebbles concept pushes the idea of stone even further. Worn from the neck, the dial is upside down to be legible when lifted up to the wearer. Entire cases are carved from blocks of ornamental stone, making each piece effectively a single material object. The watch becomes less about assembly and more about extraction with its form being revealed from within the stone itself.
CHOPARD
left: CHOPARD L’Heure du Diamant, right: CHOPARD Alpine Eagle 41 XP CS Gold
Chopard continues to move confidently between high watchmaking and jewellery-led expression The Alpine Eagle 41 XP CS in ethical gold brings a warmer tone to the sport-chic line, pairing its integrated architecture with a newly refined 41mm case in yellow gold. The dial retains its textured ‘iris’ pattern, now rendered with greater depth, giving the watch a more elevated, almost dress-like presence while keeping its contemporary proportions intact.
At the other end of the spectrum, L’Heure du Diamant leans fully into jewellery watchmaking. Diamonds are not applied as decoration so much as structure, framing the dial and case in a continuous surface of light. The texture of the strap runs through the dial creating the illusion that you could almost slide the watch along it.
FREDERIQUE CONSTANT
FREDERIQUE CONSTANT Manufacture Classic WorldTimer
Frederique Constant places the Worldtimer Manufacture firmly at the centre of its 2026 offering, continuing to refine one of its most recognisable models with a new manufacture movement. The watch retains its intuitive single-crown operation, allowing all functions to be adjusted without disrupting the clean symmetry of the case. This year, the dial is further resolved with the city ring, 24-hour disc, and central map brought into sharper alignment by removing the date indication. Subtle updates to colour and finishing give the piece a more contemporary feel, without losing the clarity that has defined the model since its debut in 2012.
CHANEL
CHANEL J12 Coco Game Black Version
The J12 remains the anchor of Chanel’s collection and has been further refined for 2026. Alongside the classic black and white ceramic executions, a new navy blue J12 introduces a deeper, more tonal variation to the line. The brushed ceramic brings a gentle texture to the watch while preserving its clean, architectural silhouette. Across the range, subtle updates to proportion, dial finishing, and movement architecture reinforce its position as Chanel’s most technically grounded watch, without disturbing its established identity.
The Coco Game collection introduces a more narrative-driven approach, taking inspiration from retro gaming while nodding to the house’s legacy. The Chanel Boyfriend Coco Game edition is a great example of this. Here, the familiar Boyfriend case becomes a canvas for a playful, graphic dial that reinterprets Coco Chanel as the queen of hearts on a playing card. Diamond framed and gold embellished, the watch is a fitting tribute to the brand’s namesake.
Chanel’s most conceptual expression of the Coco Game line is the one-of-one chess set, a creation that moves far beyond traditional watchmaking into full sculptural object territory. Conceived as a complete set, it brings together time, symbolism, and high jewellery craft within a single unified composition. As an added bonus, a diamond-set watchface is integrated into the base of the queen piece which doubles as a necklace pendant.
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Midnight Jour Nuit Phase de Lune
Van Cleef & Arpels continues to approach watchmaking through storytelling. The Midnight Jour Nuit Phase de Lune captures this idea most clearly, using layered rotating discs to track the passage from day to night alongside the moon’s cycle. The dial feels in constant motion with the scene slowly shifting across the wrist. For the impatient, a pusher on the side will send the dial in full motion on demand.
In contrast, the Ludo Secret highlights one of the maison’s most enduring gestures: concealment. The watchface is tucked behind a sculptural bracelet, revealing itself only when pressed from either side. Together, they frame the collection which is on one hand expressive and animated, the other discreet and intimate. However, both reinforce Van Cleef & Arpels’ ability to balance artistry, atmosphere and functionality.