The Horological Bangers That Splashed Down At Watches And Wonders 2026

The lowdown on the steamiest timepieces from the biggest week in watches. 

Here we are folks: Watches and Wonders 2026. The annual fair is the fashion week of watches and sees nearly all of the industry’s movers and shakers unleash a slew of new timepieces over the course of the week. 

This year, things are looking particularly stacked: Rolex is riding the wave of a few anniversaries, cheersing to 100 years of Oyster (the sealed watch case the brand invented in 1926), as well as 70 years of its legendary Day-Date and Milgauss models. Watch sleuths were working over time in the run up to the event to see what they might offer. Patek Philippe is also celebrating this year, with its iconic Gérald Genta-designed Nautilus turning 50, and Tudor is toasting its centenary. And just to amp the hype metre to near stratospheric levels (at least for those suffering from the highly contagious watch bug) Audemars Piguet is making a hyped-up return to the schedule, too. Throw in more big names like TAG Heuer, Hublot, Jaeger-LeCoultre and, BVLGARI unveiling novelties, alongside a slew of high-powered independents, and you’ve got the makings for a very big week in watches. 

If it all sounds like a lot to contend with (we hear you), then worry not. Man About Town is on the ground at the fair to give you the low-down. So strap in and scroll on for a rolling selection of the biggest horological bangers unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2026.

Bvlgari takes the Octo Finissimo to smaller, skinnier proportions 

Bvlgari’s Octo Finissimo is familiar with breaking records – it’s in the DNA. In its first iteration, which launched in 2014, the watch broke the record for the world’s thinnest timepiece, and the distinct octagonal shape was a tasty addition to the luxury sportswatch world. But the brainboxes in Bvlgari’s watchmaking division don’t rest on their laurels, and this year they’ve shrunk the Octo Finissimo to 37mm. The new micro-rotor builds on the scaled-down advancements of the solotempo movements seen in the Maison’s Serpenti range. In this smaller size, you’ve got the best of both worlds. There’s innovation with movements displaying a steadfast commitment to watchmaking. But offering this octagonal beast in a more universal size with a prestige yellow gold and lightweight polished and brushed titanium options available makes them all the more killer.

Tudor marks its centenary with the Monarch

Anniversaries rightfully call for watch Maisons to look to the past. But Tudor marked its 100-year anniversary with one foot in the present and the other firmly in the now. How? With the introduction of the Monarch. It’s an all-new timepiece with a faceted steel case, a salmon-ish dial akin to ancient papyrus, and a combination of Roman and Arabic numerals. In other words, eye candy destined to age like a fine vintage red. It’s not shouting about crazy complications, tourbillons, or ultra precious metals – Not even a date. Just a solid MT5662-2U movement that comes COSC and METAS certified, and easy-on-the-eye, wearable finishing. This is simple, pure design executed well – exactly what Tudor has been doing for the last 100 years. Here’s to more of that. 

The Zenith G.FJ. gets an exclusive, stealthy glow-up

Zenith’s Calibre 135 movement was produced between 1949 and 1962, developed for chronometry trials. The competition version 135-O earned 235 chronometry prizes, five of which were firsts at the Neuchâtel Observatory from 1950 to 1954. This record remains unmatched to date. Naturally, this is the kind of thing you want to show off, which Zenith did last year with the launch of the G.F.J. (named after Zenith founder Georges Favre-Jacot) in platinum with a slick lapis lazuli dial. This year, the G.F.J is getting all dressed up, in tantalum metal (this rare, corrosion-resistant metal is the same stuff they use in jet engines), giving off a killer grey-blue vibe. Black onyx is used for the dial, and polished for the subdial. Indexes are crafted from baguette-cut diamonds, which are serenaded by white gold hands – a prime aesthetic companion of a movement like the Calibre 135. This, ladies and gents, screams with an assured, low-key sophistication, being both deeply luxurious and discreet in equal measure.  

Rolex’s Rolesor OP toasts the big one: 100 years of Oyster 

In 1926, Rolex introduced the Oyster – a fully sealed case that protected your watch’s inner workings from submersion in water, as well as dust and other nasties that could damage your timepieces’ accuracy. And it’s been used in nearly all of the watches the Crown has produced ever since. Rolex has released a number of heavy-hitter to mark the occasion, but we’re going to focus on the Oyster Perpetual. Specifically, the Rolesor edition, which comes in 36mm and 41mm sizes. It takes one of Rolex’s core models – displaying just hours, minutes, and seconds – and amps it up with a bezel and crown crafted from yellow gold, combined with an Oystersteel case and bracelet and slate dial. A nod  to earlier 1930s mixed metal Rolesors like the reference 5045 Bubbleback. And if you needed any more reminding of its anniversary status, the all-new OP is stamped with “100 Years” in place of the usual Swiss-made.

The Oyster Perpetual has always had a GADA status (go anywhere, do anything). But this anniversary OP’s precious metal touches gives it a touch more prestige; it feels extra special, fitting for a release so baked in Rollie history. But with the super-versatile Oyster bracelet it’s still oozes with an effortless ease of wear. 

Centre Court is calling the Gerald Charles Maestro GC Sport Tennis white

The Gerald Charles Maestro occupies a pretty sweet spot in high-end sports watches. It’s streamlined, thin, and its case is inspired by dramatic Roman Baroque architecture. When you’ve got this kind of combination you’re destined for some pretty world-class wrist time. One such home of sporty, world-class wrist checks is, of course, Wimbledon, which is what has inspired the Maestro GC Sport Tennis White. A velcro strap hugs the wrist, while complying with Wimbledon’s all-white dress code for players. And the Darkblast Grade 5 titanium case keeps things hardy, and extremely lightweight (clocking in at just 64 grams), with a dextro left-side crown to ensure maximum range of movement. The textured white dial keeps things balanced while resembling the meticulous lines found on Wimbledon’s grass courts. Yes, you could very easily play tennis wearing this watch. But, we won’t judge you if you reserve it for sipping champagne in seriously solid menswear, albeit while watching a singles showdown on Centre Court in July. 

Audemars Piguet goes all-in with its Atelier des Établisseurs project

Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet returning to Watches and Wonders sure did get a lot of people excited. Not least because the “Big Three” (AP, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin) were all under one roof. But it also left folks guessing what the Maison was going to do. Could it have released some killer Royal Oaks and Code 11.59? Sure. But AP’s legacy goes deeper than these newer, more hyped models. It’s been in the game since 1875 and has a lot of watchmaking mastery in the locker. 

This is what it explored with the launch of the creation of its Atelier des Établisseurs project. Launched at Watches and Wonders,  it honours its artisanal watchmaking game and celebrates the spirit of collaboration intrinsic to making seriously cool timepieces. The project draws inspiration from the établissage system, which would see the the farmers of the Vallée de Joux spend harsh winters inside making watch parts, coordinated by an Établisseur – like Audemars Piguet – that would collect the parts needed for the final timepiece. 

To celebrate this history, AP launched three watches: the Établisseurs Galets – a sculptural marvel, inspired by the region’s water-shaped landscape. This bad boy combines a natural-stone dial with a bracelet made from pebble-shaped links assembled by a single master artisan; the Établisseurs Nomade, honours watches designed to be used off the wrist, be it in the pocket, or on a table by hiding a miniaturised skeletonised movement behind a handy push-piece; and the Établisseurs Peacock, which nods to secret watches. Here, a white gold case unfolds into a winged peacock grail at the push of a button. Then, there’s the hand-crafted feather-style bracelet and a dragging hour display just to add to things. Was anyone expecting this? Likely not. But that makes it even better!  

IWC blasts flyboy watches into orbit 

Sure, time is a core component of watchmaking. But IWC dropping the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive – the brand’s first-ever dedicated space watch – at Watches and Wonders 2026, a mere matter of days after the Artemis II space crew’s successful splash down to earth, is extremely timely. Made in collaboration with space station makers Vast, it’s fully certified for space travel. This means every detail has been finely tuned, such as a matte black dial to prevent light reflection, displaying two timezones with a central and minute hand, and an outer dial 24-hour format (Astronauts use GMT or Coordinated Universal Time to keep the familiar rhythm of earth time while in space). But given that you might be doing all of this in a spacesuit, there’s no crown to fiddle with; instead, you set the watch via the rotating bezel. And to top off the otherworldly vibe, the case is crafted from white zirconium oxide ceramic, which as well as being robust also just looks really clean. 

Hublot and Kylian Mbappé unleash horological tiki-taka with the Big Bang Reloaded 

2026 is a big year for Kylian Mbappé. It’s 10 years since the Real Madrid and France forward scored his first professional goal; he’s joined the ‘I’ve scored 14 goals in the Champions League this season’ club, and now, he’s dropping his first-ever watch with Hublot.

The footie ace has worked with the Swiss watch manufacturer on the Big Bang Reloaded. The result of this sport-meets-horology link-up is a speedy, supercharged chronograph revamp, building on the OG Big Bang that dropped in 2005. It’s centred around Hublot’s in-house Unico movement, which is housed in a white, polished and micro-blasted ceramic case, primed to catch the sun as you dive into fresh Italian seafood during the off-season. As for the dial, you’re looking at a skeletonised matte grey beast that doesn’t shy away from its complexity. We don’t know what conversations Mbappé was having with the C-suite at Hublot, but the result is a definitive slice of horological tiki-taka. 

Ulysse Nardin goes Super Freak-y

The Ulysse Nardin Freak was made to rock the boat. When it was first released at Baselworld in 2001, it smashed traditional watchmaking to smithereens, deconstructing the crown, dial and hands, and allowing the movement to tell the time by rotating around the dial. Think mechanical watchmaking on acid. 

Anyway, that was 25 years ago, which calls for celebration. Enter: the Super Freak. This time-telling weapon is naughty by name and by nature. There’s a whole lot of record-breaking and boundary pushing going on here. It took four years to make and features the world’s first automatic double tourbillon. It integrates 8 patents, including a newly-filed one for the world’s smallest gimbal system and the world’s smallest differential (which, in non-watch speak, is a way of linking two mechanisms, such as balance wheels, or tourbillons). This mechanical madness is contained within a white gold case, with a rotating bezel removing the need for a crown, containing the craziness like a tightly locked-down lab. At Watches and Wonders 2026, the Freak just got freakier. 

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Hokusai Waterfalls watches remind us to touch grass 

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso’s flippable reversible design might have been originally created to protect your watch on the polo fields of India in 1931, but it makes for a mighty canvas, too. This year, at Watches and Wonders 2026, the OG Swiss Watchmaker used that canvas to house the “Waterfalls” series by Japanese artist Hokusai, which it reproduced onto the reverse of four 10-piece limited watches. The series sees that quartet of watches decorated with different artworks from the series: Rōben Waterfall at Ōyama in Sagami Province, Kiyotaki Kannon Waterfall at Sakanoshita on the Tōkaidō, Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province, and The Falls at Aoigaoka in the Eastern Capital. 

It’s all pretty clean, serene and calming stuff, but should you need the time, you’ll be greeted with an equally soothing guilloché enamel dial. Couple that with a slinky white gold Milanese bracelet or sleek leather strap, and you’ve got a tidy balance between wearable art and low-pro wearability. We all need to touch grass a little more, and taking in a bit of art is good for the soul, too. But should you find yourself short of time, and in possession of one of these new Reversos, you can get it with a glance at your wrist.

Piaget puts the Polo 79 into boost mode with a solodite dial 

Piaget designed the Polo for the jet-set crowd pulling up to fancy sports events. It’s solid gold, weighs a hefty 194 grams, and the seamless integrated bracelet makes for a sleek charmer on the wrist. This year, Piaget added to the watch’s fancy boy allure, with a solid white gold edition, amped up with deep blue solodite dial contrasted with the timepiece’s polished gadroons. It’s sporty, seriously  smart, and oozing with red carpet potential, too. Who knows, maybe notable Piaget guy Michael B Jordan is already eying this one up. 

Norqain serves up sprinkle dials for summer 

Few things hit like an ice cream on a piping hot day – it’s one of summer’s greatest culinary pleasures. Indie watchmaker Norqain is channeling that energy into its Freedom Chronograph, with a sprinkle dial as part of its latest round of releases. 

Firstly, the Freedom is a 1960s-inspired sports watch with all of the bells and whistles you might expect, like contrasting subdials, a tachymeter scale, and handy pushers. So with addition of pink, white, green, and blue sprinkles to a baby blue dial it helps soften things up and inject some fun into proceedings – which we’re very much a fan of. 

Panerai goes deep and Destro with the Luminor PAM01732 

If you needed any reminding of Panerai’s diving roots, then the near ceiling-height tank in its Watches and Wonders booth might have done the job. Said behemoth was a remake of the actual tank Italian military divers used to test their watches in the ’60s. So no prizes for guessing what kind of watches were unveiled.

We’re going to focus on the Destro Luminor PAM01732. Clocking in at 44mm, it’s a big boy (although smaller than the 47mm Luminors that also featured in this batch of novelties). The destro left-hand crown pays homage to the watches made for the Italian military, where divers would wear the timepiece on the right wrist to free up space for other underwater instruments like compasses on the right ––is a tidy nod to the Maison’s history. But a combination of a light navy dial, vintage pencil hands and a brown leather strap avoids things skewing aggressively tool-ish, and more suited to daily wear. Fancy a dip? 

Patek Philippe’s piping-hot trio of 50th anniversary Nautilus references is collector catnip

The Patek Philippe Nautilus turning 50 is a big deal. The Gérald Genta-designed grail has been sitting at the top end of the luxury sports watch genre since 1976, picking up legions of loyal fans and collectors  (which includes A$AP Rocky and Harry Kane) who crush hard on its porthole-inspired design.

Naturally, a very important watch’s golden jubilee calls for a proper celebration. In the run up to Watches and Wonders 2026, there had been rumblings of Patek bringing back the Nautilus in steel – which it discontinued in 2021 – in honour of the original. Instead, they doubled down on precious metals, referencing the original 3700, with a clean time-only dial, ditching the seconds and the date. The platinum Reference 5610/1P-001 clocks in at 38mm, feeling truer to the Ref. 3800 mid-sized models introduced in the 1980s, limited to 2000 pieces. Reference 5810/1G-001 (also capped at 2000) lands at 41mm, more akin to the original Jumbo (a nickname garnered from its whopping-for-the-time 42mm case) and is crafted from white gold, which might feel more similar to more recent Nautilus models. Then, the 5810G-001 takes things in a super premium direction, with diamond indices on the dial, pairing a 41mm white gold case with a navy and white contrast stretch composite strap. And this bad boy is limited to just 1000 units. How’s that for a half century celebration? 

It’s bulking season for the Chanel J12 Superleggera

The Chanel J12 has possessed a unisex appeal ever since it dropped in 38mm 2000 – a nice mid-sized watch for both men and women. But now it’s hit the horological gym and beefed-up to 42mm for the first time in the core collection. But the supersized J12 Superleggera stands out from the pack, combining matte black and steel, with a satin-finished steel bezel and lacquered black dial and red arrow to amp-up the date window. This is a watch set for summer getaways as much as smarter, more tailored clothing, and a shining example of the J12’s ease-of-wear, even in a larger size, and balance of luxury and functional discretion. Now with Pedro Pascal recently joining Chanel as an ambassador, we might be seeing this wrist on the actor in the very near future. Who can say? 

Van Cleef and Arpels celebrates day and night with the Midnight Jour Nuit Phase de Lune 

Serious watches can be fancy and fun. Van Cleef and Arpels proved that point with the launch of its Midnight Jour Nuit Phase de Lune, combining a moonphase with a second astronomical complication. Punctuating the black Murano aventurine dial is a guilloché painted sun which gives way to the moon throughout the day, bringing lunar and solar observation to the wrist from the confines of a starry white gold case. This is all powered by a 24-hour rotating disc. But should you wish to see the movements of the sun and moon at will, you can do so with a button on the rim of the case. See, we told you it was fun. 

Stay tuned for more updates from Watches and Wonders 2026 here and across Man About Town’s social media channels.