After what was arguably a relative quiet instalment for 2024, the watch industry’s standard-bearer, Watches & Wonders, came back with a bang in 2025.
Records were broken – the world’s thinnest tourbillon; the world’s most complicated wrist watch; and the show’s most visitors – 55,000 in total.
There was a host of exciting, creative, technically proficient, culturally relevant, well considered, compelling and (we're happy to report) downright delightful launches.
Hopefully, it signals the watch world collectively facing back in the direction of its ‘True North’.
A. Lange & Söhne
Odysseus HoneyGold
As its name infers, with the Odysseus HoneyGold, Lange has, for the first time, combined its sports-lux Odysseus design with its proprietary HoneyGold metal. Debuted in 2010 and reserved for Lange’s most exclusive pieces, aside its namesake honey-like warm lustre, HoneyGold is notably harder than most other gold alloys and, impressively enough, most steels. Limited to 100 units, the HoneyGold Odysseus bears ‘big date’ and ‘day’ complications, employs a self-wound manufacture movement with 50-hours of power reserve and is guaranteed water-tight to a depth of 120 meters.
See more at alange-soehne.com
Tudor
Black Bay 68
Looking to its archives, W&W ’25 sees Tudor expand its lineup of beloved heritage reimaginings with the new Black Bay 68 model. Named in honour of the year 1968 – the year which saw Tudor initially conceive its signature ‘snowflake’ hand shape – the watch measures in at a broad 43mm and joins the existing 39 and 41mm Black Bay models to create a full range of size options for customers of all wrist sizes. The 68 is driven using Tudor’s automatic, in-house METAS Chronometer certified Calibre MT5601-U and is available with either a contrast blue or tonal silver dial.
See more at tudorwatch.com
IWC
Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month
With the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month, IWC has crammed both a perpetual calendar and a flyback chronograph into one of its Ceratanium (a patented material which combines the strength and lightness with titanium with the abrasion resistance of ceramic) cases. 43mm in diameter, the watch is remarkably legible thanks to a combination of large digital display calendar windows and an intelligently laid out chronograph sub-dial at 12 o’clock. Definitely not one for wallflowers, a polished-ceramic tachymeter bezel, modern-look dial cutouts, and a Ceratanium 3-link bracelet finish off the bold design.
See more at iwc.com
Grand Seiko
Tokyo Lion Tentagraph
Best known for its work on the more technical, movement focused side of things, it’s always a joy to see Grand Seiko release a design focused piece like the Tokyo Lion Tentagraph. Really playing with shape and form, the Tentagraph is a medley of angles, textures and geometric lines. Found, to name just a few, across: the concave ‘dish’ sub-dials, ‘herringbone’ dial stripes, wedge-shape hands and hour markers, faceted 43mm curved-back case and, ridged pushers. Pressure rated to a more than respectable 200 meters, it uses a high-beat automatic movement with 3-day power reserve.
See more at grand-seiko.com
Zenith
G.F.J
Celebrating its 160th birthday, Zenith debuts the G.F.J; named in honour of brand-founder, Georges Favre-Jacot. And Monsieur Favre-Jacot’s namesake timepiece is certainly quite the watch, boasting a well-proportioned 39mm platinum case, a guilloché ‘brick’ pattern / lapis lazuli / mother of pearl dial, plus a revival of Zenith’s Calibre 135. One of the brand’s most celebrated movements, Calibre 135 was first produced between 1949-1962 and was developed specifically to compete at the chronometry competitions of the day. Successful in this endeavour, the movement received no less than 235 chronometry prizes from around the world.
See more at zenith-watches.com
Hublot
Big Bang 20th Anniversary All Black
Also celebrating a birthday this year, Zenith’s LVMH-owned stablemate Hublot sees its flagship Big Bang model turn 20. As such, a wide range of limited edition Big Band pieces have been made, including the All Black. A monochrome take on the OG Big Bang, it’s been updated to include Hublot’s in-house Unico self-winding flyback chronograph movement, a black high-tech ceramic case and the brand’s patented ‘one click’ strap change system. The rubber strap itself – something of key attribute for Hublot, as the first brand to use rubber in a luxury context, originally pairing it with a gold case – has been given a loving tweak too, with a subtle update to the design of its knurled pattern.
See more at hublot.com
Piaget
Polo 79
Following the success of last year’s yellow-gold Polo 79 reboot, Watches & Wonders saw Piaget present its white-gold twin. Stand out features comprise the integrated block-rectangle link bracelet design, whose horizontal lines continue in an unbroken motif across both the 38mm case and colour-matched dial, the contrast brushed/polished ‘dauphine’ hands and, the in-house automatic micro rotor movement. Visible thanks to a sapphire crystal caseback, the movement’s been beautifully finished with a semi-circular Côtes de Genève pattern. Go the full ‘Roger Moore’ and pair this one with a safari suit for a superlative louche wannabe Roger Moore (and who doesn't?) look.
See more at piaget.com
H. Moser & Cie
Endeavour Pop Collection
Moser has been experimenting with negative space on watch dials for some time now, but the Pop range sees the brand really stretch its legs with this design credo. Substituting the fumé dials we saw previously for punchy coloured hard stone dials, mixing the likes of Burmese jade, pink opal, lapis lazuli, lemon chrysoprase, turquoise and coral, the Pop collection is an entertaining lineup indeed. Combining whimsy with serious haute horology, Pop includes tourbillons and minute repeater functions, alongside entry-point ‘small seconds’, in its number. They’re also available with either stainless steel or red gold cases, replete with either ostrich or alligator leather straps.
See more at h-moser.com
TAG Heuer
Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph F1
Commemorating TAG Heuer’s rightful reinstatement as Formula 1’s Official Timekeeper, after a 22-year sabbatical, this year comes the 10-piece limited edition Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph F1. Housed in a white ceramic case, under a red-tint sapphire crystal and a skeleton dial, lies a complicated self-wound split seconds chronograph calibre - capable of tracking multiple intervals, it’s perfect for more casual timing of an F1 race’s laps. In further reference to F1, note also the “LIGHTS OUT” and “AWAY WE GO” text beneath the respective side-by-side orientated sub-dials, a quote from F1 commentator, David Croft.
See more at tagheuer.com
