The Watchmakers Making Their Debut at Watches and Wonders 2026

GENEVA — Watches and Wonders kicks off Tuesday and it’s a bumper edition, with 66 watchmakers poised to release their latest horological creations.

Clocking in at 11 — Audemars Piguet included — the contingent of brands that are joining the fray for the first time is the largest yet. Here, WWD gives an at-a-glance briefing of the new-on-the-roster names hailing from France, China, Germany, Japan and, of course, Switzerland.

Credor

Founded in: 1974 in Ginza, Tokyo. It boasts two manufacture locations in the country, one in Shizukuishi, northern Japan, dedicated to mechanical timepieces, and another one inside the Seiko Epson facility located in Shiojiri, in the central Japan province of Shinshu, where it manufactures the Spring Drive and Spring Drive Masterpieces creations.

Origin story: Credor is a luxury dress watch brand from Japan that embodies craftsmanship and elegance. Centered on the “The Creativity of Artisans” philosophy, its timepieces are designed to celebrate all professionals involved in the creative process — from watchmakers and engravers to designers — and their pursuit of perfection and beauty.

Fun fact: The name Credor derives from the French word “crête d’or,” or “crest of gold” in English. The logo is shaped after a Japanese character meaning “mountain,” a reference to the pinnacle of watchmaking.

Noteworthy creation: Named after the Japanese word for wisdom, Credor’s Eichi II is a handcrafted timepiece from the Masterpiece collection that aims to embody perfection through simplicity. The 12 indexes and the Credor logo are hand-painted on a porcelain dial by artisans at the Micro Artist Studio, located within Seiko Epson’s facility in Shiojiri. It features the same silent glide motion of the second’s hand of the Spring Drive movement. Credor’s famous Locomotive watch was designed by none other than Gérald Genta.

What to expect at the fair?: Credor brings a distinct expression of Japanese high watchmaking to Watches and Wonders, where heritage crafts such as urushi lacquer and Japanese engraving are brought to life through the creativity of its artisans.

B.R.M Chronographes

Founder: Bernard Richards established the watch brand in 2003. The company is based out of its manufacture in Magny-en-Vexin, in the outskirts of Paris.

Origin story: A French watchmaking brand, B.R.M Chronographes’ timepieces are inspired by the automotive world and precision engineering. Each piece is assembled and hand-finished in Magny-en-Vexin, with a strong focus on customization and technical design, driven by the passion for precision mechanics of its founder.

Fun fact: Every watch is entirely machined from solid raw material in its workshops. All the components — lugs, case, and crown among them — are produced and machined separately; dials and crystals are printed and engraved; the hands, flange and automatic bridges are hand-decorated by artisans, allowing for a wide range of customization possibilities.

Noteworthy creation: The B.R.M Chronographes Art Car collection, including the V6-44 Art Car model, is the brand’s hero range, comprising colorful automatic watches inspired by Pop Art racing cars from the 1970s and 1980s, with components such as the case, dial and crown hand-lacquered using traditional craftsmanship techniques. Each timepiece integrates the brand’s innovative Shock Absorber spring system, designed to absorb shocks and vibrations, protecting the movement while enhancing the watch’s sporty identity.

What to expect at the fair?: B.R.M Chronographes’ automotive-inspired watchmaking approach sets the independent brand apart. It designs and develops its own automatic movements expressive of the racing DNA through piston-shaped cases, brake disc-inspired bezels, and steering wheel–nodding hands. True to the demanding standards of motorsport, the brand employs cutting-edge materials such as titanium, carbon, the registered Fortal HR and Makrolon, Inconel, and tantalum. As part of the approach, the brand has developed ultralight, 48.8-gram automatic chronograph, shock-absorbing, three-hand watches, as well as the first automatic watch with a floating movement, and the registered Isolastique innovation, a flexible suspension system for the movement enhanced by the Shock Absorber technology.

Bianchet

Founders: Husband and wife Rodolfo and Emmanuelle Festa Bianchet founded the namesake watch brand in 2017. The company is based in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, with its manufacture located in the Swiss town of La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Origin story: Bianchet was born from the Festa Bianchets’ shared passion for watchmaking, design, and beautiful objects. The brand stands at the crossroads of art and watchmaking performance, crafting tourbillon timepieces that combine aesthetic vision with cutting-edge horological engineering.

Fun fact: Before founding Bianchet, the husband-and-wife team had previously launched a successful fintech company. After selling the business in 2017, they turned their focus to realizing their dream in watchmaking, bringing a wealth of intellectual background with them. Their designs draw inspiration from mathematical concepts such as the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci sequence, which they had previously applied to model equilibrium in financial markets. These principles now guide their watchmaking, infusing each creation with a sense of balance and harmony. Over time, Bianchet has grown into a true family enterprise, with their sons joining the venture.

Noteworthy creation: The crown jewel of Bianchet’s offering is the UltraFino timepiece, billed as a feat of material engineering and the slimmest sapphire tourbillon watch ever crafted, with its 9.8-millimeter in thickness.

What to expect at the fair?: Bianchet specializes in tourbillon timepieces, designing them to account for today’s active lifestyle. To this end, the brand has engineered advanced shock-absorbing solutions that protect the most delicate components of the flying tourbillon and suspended barrel, all without compromising the hand-finishing and technical feat expected of grand complications. The brand is a favorite among tennis professionals including Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Bublik, Flavio Cobolli, and Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, who wear the UltraFino tourbillon during international tournaments.

Favre Leuba

Founder: Abraham Favre established the watch brand in 1737 in Le Locle, Switzerland, and it is now headquartered in Grenchen, Switzerland.

Origin story: The second oldest Swiss watchmaking brand — founded two years after Blancpain — Favre Leuba has traditionally offered instrument-driven timepieces built for real-world conditions. Since its relaunch in 2024 the brand has provided an updated perspective on its legacy, balancing functional watchmaking with a more architectural and design-led approach.  

Fun fact: The brand developed the world’s first mechanical wristwatch featuring an aneroid barometer for altimetry and air pressure measurement, called Bivouac. Similarly, it was the first brand to introduce a timepiece, called Bathy, that displayed not only dive time, but also current diving depth.

Noteworthy creation: Since its relaunch in 2024, the Chief Tourbillon has been Favre Leuba’s star timepiece developed in collaboration with master watchmaker Jean-François Mojon. It features a 3D Sablier dial showcasing Favre Leuba’s embossed hourglass emblem and mounting a FL T01 movement crafted after Mojon’s signature Chronode movement. The watch was launched in 2025 in a limited run of 25 pieces.

What to expect at the fair?: Favre Leuba debuts at Watches and Wonders with a focus on neo-vintage timepieces reinterpreted with a contemporary sensibility, including the Harpoon Revival, a new iteration on the namesake watch, which marks its 60th anniversary in 2026.

Sinn Spezialuhren

Founder: Helmut Sinn established the watch brand in 1961 in Frankfurt, Germany.

Origin story: Established by Helmut Sinn, a pilot, blind flying instructor and watch enthusiast from Frankfurt, and owned since 1994 by Lothar Schmidt, who serves as managing director, Sinn Spezialuhren has been the watchmaking brand of choice for pilots, divers, firefighters, emergency doctors, rescue workers and special units of the German police force. Hinged on functionality, its mechanical timepieces embed varied technologies such as Diapal, Ar-Dehumidifying Technology, Hydro, Tegiment and Magnetic Field Protection ensuring durability, quality and precision both in everyday life and in extreme situations.

Fun fact: In October 2014, 57-year-old American engineer Robert Alan Eustace parachuted from the stratosphere at a height of 135,889 feet wearing the Sinn Spezialuhren’s 857 UTC Testaf watch and breaking the parachute altitude record previously established by Felix Baumgartner. The timepiece endured low pressure and temperature and a free-fall speed of 821 mph, above the sound barrier. The watch is currently displayed at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Noteworthy creation: The 717 “The Cockpit” wristwatch is inspired by a late 1970s model called Nabo 17 ZM, originally designed for the German Luftwaffe’s Tornado program. The novel interpretation features a central stopwatch display with chunky orange hands for seconds and minutes and mounts the signature SZ01 chronograph movement. Awarded with the iF Design Award and the German Design Award in 2022, the 45-millimeter watch boasts pilot’s bezel and sapphire crystal glass.

What to expect at the fair?: The brand will present the 144 St Sa Sporthilfe at Watches and Wonders, a chronograph with a matte, silk-like white dial featuring the foundation’s values — Performance, Fair Play, Togetherness — engraved on the inner ring. The bead-blasted stainless-steel case is paired with a sapphire crystal front- and back-case. Limited to 300 pieces, the watch is water-resistant and pressure-resistant up to 20 bar, as well as resistant to low pressure. A portion of the proceeds from its sale goes toward supporting Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Behrens

Founder: Lin Bingqiang established the watch brand in 2012 in Shenzhen, China.

Origin story: The Chinese independent brand was established by Lin, who set up full capabilities spanning design, R&D and manufacturing. It says that since its establishment it has remained committed to innovation while upholding a passion for mechanical art.  It has continuously introduced its forward-thinking watchmaking philosophy to the industry, evolving into an independent watch manufacturer with sustained innovation and global influence.

Fun fact: Lin conceived Behrens’ Ultralight series after losing an auction for a “hu” flat scepter, a ceremonial instrument since the ancient China’s Jin dynasty. Exploring the subject further after the lost auction, the watchmaker’s founder learned about the hu’s unique design features, including their ergonomic curvature, which informed his approach to watch design and led to the Ultralight series. The company says it expresses a distinctive Eastern aesthetic while allowing the case to conform more naturally to the wrist, enhancing overall comfort.

Noteworthy creation: The now sold-out Ultralight 11G watch inspired by an ancient Chinese note-taking tool known as “wat” is among Behrens’ hero timepieces. Crafted from carbon fiber and equipped with an in-house movement, the mechanical watch features a symmetrical double retrograde display and power reserve display at 11 o’clock, as well as a free-sprung balance and shock absorber. It was manufactured in a limited run of 33 pieces for each of the four colors — green, purple, red and black.

What to expect at the fair?: Behrens said it brings a distinctive perspective to Watches and Wonders, rooted in modern artistic expression, crafting an imaginative, boundary-pushing horological art space through the innovative use of diverse materials. By combining Eastern and Western references as well as ancient and contemporary cultures, it views timepieces as dynamic, cross-cultural artworks.

L’Epée 1839

Founder: August L’Epée established the clock brand in 1839 in Sainte-Suzanne, France. The company is now based in Delémont, Switzerland.

Origin story: L’Epée 1839 produced horological products and music boxes until the second half of the 19th century, when it started manufacturing platform escapements for alarm clocks and carriage clock makers, delivering as many as 200,000 in its peak year, 1889. In the 1970s the brand pivoted toward luxury clockmaking, manufacturing mechanical clocks entirely in-house and blending high watchmaking techniques and cutting-edge design. The company says it’s committed to pushing creative boundaries and explore new territories in the watch field.

Fun fact: The inspiration for each new creation draws on a story and emotion, rather than a mechanism. The movement is often conceived to bring that story to life, with every component serving both function and design purposes. In 1976, the brand supplied the Concorde with wall clocks, making them the only ones to ever feature on a supersonic aircraft used in civil aviation. In 1981, some guests of the wedding of then-Prince Charles and Lady Diana were gifted L’Epée 1839 clocks, placed inside Hermès leather cases, while more than a decade later, in 1994, the company earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the biggest clock in the world, a 7.2-foot piece known as the “Giant Regulator” that weighted 1.2 tons.

Noteworthy creation: L’Epée 1839’s hero timepieces include Time Fast II, which features two independent movements and an interactive dashboard, one dedicated to timekeeping, the other animating a V8 engine with moving pistons. Similarly the Albatross, or L’Epée 1839 x MB&F, is a clock equipped with an integrated mechanical computer system that controls and configures the animation of 16 pairs of propellers, alongside a chiming mechanism that strikes the hour and a single note at the half-hour.

What to expect at the fair?: L’Epée 1839 is debuting at Watches and Wonders with a “toy store for adults” concept, spotlighting its full offering of clocks, which it bills as “mechanical sculptures.”

Corum

Fun fact: Corum is considered a pioneer in the watchmaking space, having for example launched the signature Golden Bridge model in 1980, one of the first watches with a fully linear movement. It’s also one of the first watch brands to jump-start a partnership with an automotive company, collaborating with Rolls-Royce.

Noteworthy creation: The Golden Bridge model is Corum’s star timepiece, with its linear, baguette movement defining both the calibre and most of the piece’s dial. The company bills it as “a true icon that defines Corum’s identity and legacy.”

What to expect at the fair?: Corum aims to bring its no-compromise approach to watchmaking by debuting at Watches and Wonders and is committed to putting design back at the forefront of the industry, planning to reject the mainstream and embrace boldness as its driving force.

March LA.B

Founder: Alain Marhic, a former long-standing executive at action sports company Quiksilver, launched the brand in 2009 in Paris, where it is still based and has two stores.

Origin story: Its moniker comes from Los Angeles, where March LA.B’s watch designer Jérôme Mage is based, and Biarritz, the city Marhic hails from. The brand describes itself as a watchmaking house that’s free-spirited, precise, and never static, where French elegance meets the raw energy of the West Coast. Timepieces designed as style statements, blending vintage codes with a bold modern edge, for those who wear time with character.

Fun fact: Everything is green — facades, displays, watch dials, cups of coffee, girls’ skirts, men’s shirts, and even the gaze of Marcel the cat, who reigns supreme in the historic Parisian boutique on rue Charlot. Long before green became fashionable, March LA.B bet on this color which, from a symbolic point of view evokes the thousand faces of destiny. It’s a deep, uniform, sometimes translucent green. A summery green reminiscent of the forests of the Basque hinterland after the rain, the bonnets of overheated Mustang Fastbacks, the sap of life, the foam of the waves of Bali in the fall, the callipygian tanks of Triumph motorcycles of the ’70s and the eyes of the founder, Alain Marhic. 

Noteworthy creation: The AM2, a bold, architectural square watch with sharp lines and signature green dial. A balance of vintage spirit and modern precision, it embodies the brand’s design DNA.

What to expect at the fair?: March LA.B is “not here to follow the codes but to shift the perspective,” it said. “We bring a freer, more design-driven vision of watchmaking, where vintage inspiration meets bold color, strong shapes, and a real sense of style — closer to culture than convention.”