Another year, another exciting chapter in horological history. The 2025 watch season delivered everything collectors crave: technical breakthroughs that rewrite the rulebook, artistic masterpieces that blur the line between timepiece and sculpture, and heritage-driven designs that remind us why certain icons endure for generations.
This year's Square Mile Watch Awards proved particularly challenging for our esteemed panel of judges. From Geneva's exhibition halls at Watches & Wonders to the independent ateliers pushing boundaries beyond Switzerland's borders, the industry demonstrated remarkable vitality. We witnessed established giants making bold statements about their future direction, while innovative independents continued to prove that creative fearlessness knows no corporate boundaries.
What struck us most profoundly was the sheer diversity on display. Technical innovation reached new heights, with developments that promise to influence watchmaking for decades to come. Meanwhile, the revival of traditional craftsmanship – from diamond-polishing with gentian wood to faithful reproductions of 18th-century complications – showed that horology's past and future needn't be adversaries.
The judging process, as always, sparked passionate debate. Every category featured worthy contenders that could have claimed victory in any other year. Yet certain pieces rose above the competition to claim their prize.
Without further ado, we're delighted to present this year's winners…
Watch of the Year
Rolex Land-Dweller
It just had to be, didn’t it? The Rolex Land-Dweller set off a depth charge at Watches & Wonders that sent waves through the entire industry. It represents the Crown’s first high-beat movement in the form of the Calibre 7135, boasts no fewer than 32 patent applications, and sees the brand return to integrated bracelet designs after discontinuing the Oysterquartz in 2003. There’s even a design language that traces its lineage back to the 1970s.
“In ten years’ time, most of this year’s watches – though fantastic – will be long forgotten about by all but die-hard collectors. Not so this Rolex,” one judge remarked. The reason for this is primarily the Dynapulse escapement – a technical innovation that offers game-changing chronometric performance.
Ultimately, it was Rolex’s power to enact change that saw it crowned the winner: “It feels symptomatic of a bigger shift as brands like Rolex recognise they need to innovate more than they have over the past 20 years. To me that’s only a good thing.” Hear, hear.
Art & Design Award
Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art ‘Tribute to the Quest of Time’
When we first introduced the Art & Design award two years ago, it came as a direct response to the multitude of magnificent timepieces that thrust horological creativity into the spotlight. Vacheron Constantin’s quite frankly bonkers Métiers d’Art ‘Tribute to the Quest of Time’ is exactly why we created this category.
Celebrating 270 years in 2025, this watch honours Vacheron’s centuries-long pursuit of horological excellence in maximalist fashion. At its heart lies a three-dimensional golden figure whose arms trace the passing of hours and minutes in a bi-retrograde display. Behind this humanoid, on a blue fumé double sapphire dial, stretches a faithful reproduction of the night sky above Geneva on 17 September 1755 – the night the manufacture was founded. “Anything in Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art series gets my adoration. The pieces are so bold and playful, yet are sophisticated high horology. The ‘Tribute to the Quest of Time’ is this and more,” one judge said.
Elegance Award
A. Lange & Söhne 1815 in 34mm
This year, we launched the Elegance Award to honour the dressier, more intricate timepieces that are underrepresented in our other awards categories – and, boy, are we glad we did as it means we can celebrate the quietly brilliant A Lange & Söhne 1815. This new addition to the existing 1815 line saw Lange create an entirely new movement, the Calibre L152.1, that is not only smaller but slimmer. Our judges were unanimous: “Lange nailed it with this 1815 release”; “I don’t think dress watches get much more elegant”; “This is as close as it gets to the ultimate dress watch proportions.” In other words, we all fell head over heels for this beauty.
Heritage Award
Breguet Classique Souscription 2025
The Heritage Award, once again, delivered a nail-biting contest that went down to the final vote. Our champion, the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025, is a spellbinding example of ‘less is more’. As one judge explained: “Aside from it being a gorgeous-looking watch, it’s also a symbol of everything that made Breguet famous as a watchmaker.” Under the guidance of new CEO Gregory Kissling, Breguet has used its 250th anniversary as a chance to make a statement about its future. Inspired by souscription pocket watches of old, the timepiece is “the shot in the arm the watchmaker’s comeback really needed,” our judges concluded.
Adventure Award
Tudor Pelagos Ultra
In our digitised society, it’s all too easy to forget that there was once a time where precision instruments and equipment ruled the world long before the iPhone was a mere glint in Steve Jobs’ eye. The winner of the Adventure Watch is the answer to the question: “What watch would you want on your wrist if you were trekking through the wilderness?” It’s about toughness, reliability and never letting you down.
This year’s award goes to the Tudor Pelagos Ultra. This “uber-spec diver” watch is now the brand’s elite technical performer, delivering a whopping 1,000 metres of water-resistance in an apocalypse-ready case with a Master Chronometer certified automatic movement beating for up to 65 hours. It’s an absolute tank and, as one judge explained, “Were I to embark on an adventure, it’s the watch that would give me the greatest confidence in surviving.” We’ve heard a lot about the Black Bay line in the past five years, but this launch has put the Pelagos firmly back in the conversation.
Technical Innovation Award
Rolex Land-Dweller
Rolex is well known for its investment in gradual development, but the Land-Dweller turned this ‘evolution rather than revolution’ ethos on its head. “One of the most advanced movements of the millennium from a surprising source!” our panel enthused. The Dynapulse escapement – an all-silicone sequential-distribution escapement that transmits energy by rolling rather than sliding – was the focus of much of the judge’s praise. “The new Dynapulse escapement is a genuine advancement, especially in a watchmaker that builds as many timepieces as Rolex. The concept may not be entirely new, but seeing it mass-produced? That’s ground-breaking.”
Collaboration Award
Behrens × Vianney Halter KWH
Chalk this one up as a win for the little guys. In a line-up dominated by big-brand partnerships, the judges united behind a watch that celebrates the true spirit of collaboration, as opposed to marketing. The KWH, inspired by old British electricity boxes and shaped somewhat like an Apple Watch, meshes together watchmaker Vianney Halter’s steampunk romanticism alongside Behrens’ playful eye for mechanical nostalgia. “It’s great to see indie watchmaking’s old guard and young guns come together, in a recognition of the fact that some of the most exciting watchmaking today hails from far beyond Switzerland’s borders,” the judges remarked.
The Icon
Cartier Tank à Guichets
The latest addition to the Tank dynasty – the Tank à Guichets – is Cartier at its theatrical best. Featuring an almost industrial brushed metal display with two apertures – one revealing jumping hours, the other wandering minutes – it’s a pertinent reminder that there are few icons quite as versatile and, indeed, iconic as the legendary Cartier Tank.
“There’s an industrial designer out there somewhere with a poster of this on their bedroom wall,” one of our judges said. “The Tank à Guichets captures Cartier’s heritage and innovation, offering a refined evolution of an icon rather than a simple refresh,” said another. And while it’s true that 2025 was definitely the year of the jump hour, the Tank à Guichets did it best. In truth, it was nearly a clean sweep for this year’s Icon category. Bravo, Cartier!
Gateway Award
Dennison ALD Dual Time
“Is there anyone who doesn’t love the new Dennison?” one judge queried when it came time to review the Gateway Watch category. It’s difficult to argue with that assessment when you consider the British brand has brought the wonders of stone dials to an all-new accessible price point. The ALD Dual Time is the latest example: a brilliantly silly design by Emmanuel Gueit that smooshes two sets of hands together in one cushion-shaped case. Can’t choose one precious stone? Great, choose two instead. It’s simple, stylish, “the kind of stuff you imagine finding in Andy Warhol’s attic,” and yet very clever indeed. “The sheer personality it offers collectors makes it an absolute must.”
Editor’s Choice
H. Moser & Cie Pop
H Moser & Cie’s Watches & Wonders booth was positively jumping with visitors clamouring to catch a glimpse of its kaleidoscopic Pop collection. If Dennison has democratised stone dials for broader appeal, Moser elevates these gems to rarefied standards through a vibrant medley of six dial compositions – featuring either a simple small seconds complication, minute repeater or signature tourbillon – that truthfully feel more like an art installation than a group of novelties. We’ve long admired Moser’s audacity when it comes to challenging traditional horological conventions without compromising on craftsmanship, but Pop knocks the brief out of the park.
Readers’ Choice
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 in steel
The steel Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 is one of those rare reissues that not only honours the past but improves upon it. The monobloc case and signature notched bezel remain wonderfully 1970s, but the execution is far more refined than its ancestor, delivering razor-sharp finishing and a brilliant bracelet composition that softly drapes around the wrist like jewellery. When it launched in gold in 2022, it bagged Square Mile’s Watch of the Year, but one question persisted among collectors: “When are we getting the 222 in steel?” Ask and you shall receive. In stainless steel, the 222 becomes even more compelling – and is truer to the original’s intentions. A worthy winner of your admiration.
Industry Hero
Laurent Ferrier
Laurent Ferrier’s brilliance lies not in spectacle but in the quiet conviction that great horology takes time to perfect. It’s an irony that isn’t lost on Ferrier. After four decades at Patek Philippe, he stepped into the spotlight with his eponymous brand back in 2010, carrying a philosophy honed by countless hours at the bench: purity of design, mechanical ingenuity – such as his celebrated natural escapement – and the courage to let the craftsmanship speak for itself. Visit his newly opened Geneva manufacture and you’ll find artisans diamond-polishing components using gentian and ebony wood while, elsewhere, watchmakers are in charge of a single calibre so that owners may trace their timepiece’s creation to a single source.
Celebrating 15 years of independence this year, Laurent Ferrier the man is a worthy winner of our 2025 Industry Hero award. Whether it’s the exceptional Sport Auto collection, a finer integrated sports watch you may never find, or this year’s teal-hued Classic Tourbillon, Ferrier instils a little piece of himself in each of his designs. His brand isn’t just a name; it’s a manifesto of thoughtful, unhurried excellence. Long live Laurent!
