GENEVA — As the doors open Tuesday for the 2026 edition of Watches and Wonders, WWD selected two dozen timepieces that will surely make fairgoers tick.
Designed in the vein of the jewelry watches created under the direction of Jeanne Toussaint in the early 1930s, Cartier’s new Myst de Cartier in yellow gold features a case and bracelet set with 634 brilliant-cut diamonds alternated with black lacquer portions. The bead setting of the clasp-less bracelet, realized with stones of different sizes, provides a sense of movement. The domed crystal dial surrounded by an onyx frame is embellished with 47 snow-set brilliant-cut diamonds and a triangular hour-marker. The watch is also offered in a monochromatic white gold version fully swathed in brilliant-cut diamonds, 986 for the case and bracelet and 45 snow-set ones for the dial.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon À Stratosphère is the latest wristwatch in the eponymous series, which kicked off in 2004 with the Hybris Mechanica collection and was followed up by Hybris Artistica in 2014. Billed as the most precise tourbillon wristwatch with the widest positional coverage ever created by the brand, the timepiece features a single, patent-pending, lightweight, triple-axis tourbillon complication made of 189 components. The 42mm platinum case hosts the Calibre 178 finished with a host of the house’s Métiers Rares techniques, including guillochage, enamel and lacquer.
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Another depiction of Gabrielle Chanel sprang from the mind of the French fashion house’s director of the watchmaking creation studio Arnaud Chastaingt with the Coco Game long necklace. At first the timepiece appears to be a pixel art pendant of the legendary couturier, all bejeweled suit and hat, its grosgrain ribbon adorned with another diamond. On a back is a square-faced watch with a gem-set dial. For those seeking a more figurative approach, a sculpted version hides the time in the beaded tassel on which she sits.
Rooted in its original making of watches for military operations, Panerai’s Luminor 31 Giorni PAM01631 builds on the Italian brand’s signature power reserve capabilities, increased to 31 days in the new model, a first for the watchmaker. The 44mm case crafted from the trademarked Goldtech, a gold and copper alloy with traces of platinum and silver, houses the skeletonized hand-wound movement, which comprises 276 components and 25 jewels, as well as the patent-pending Torque Limiter system that optimizes the watch performance by cutting the power reserve’s operational window to 31 days from a potential 36 days to enhance chronometry and consistency while safeguarding the movement from potential damage.
Vacheron Constantin is debuting the Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin watch in a limited edition of 255 individually numbered pieces. Seven years in the making, the 39.5mm case hosts Calibre 2550, which combines three innovations in just 2.4mm of height, such as the micro-rotor, a suspended double barrel and a compact single-level gear train, which ensure an 80-hour power reserve. The 9.5mm-thin model is the thinnest watch in the Overseas family. The case, bracelet and clasp crafted from sunburst satin finished platinum contrast with the salmon-lacquered dial, a combination that nods to the brand’s vintage models from the 1940s.
Named after founder Georges Favre-Jacot, Zenith’s G.F.J. collection mounting the chronometer Calibre 135 welcomes a new addition crafted from the hyper-dense and resistant tantalum and set with baguette-cut diamond indexes. Boasting the metal’s natural grayish-blue finish, the 39.5mm case is paired with a dial featuring a central black onyx disc, a small second’s counter at 6 o’clock in mother-of-pearl, a guilloché ring at the periphery and white gold hands.
On its 30th anniversary, Parmigiani Fleurier is adding a new chronograph timepiece to its ever-evolving Tonda family. Aimed at enhancing readability, the restrained Tonda PF Chronograph Mystérieux mounts the specifically developed, 362-component PF053 Calibre, which allowed to reduce the chronograph counters to rhodium-plated gold hands, instead of traditional sub-dials. At rest, the 40mm watch — crafted from polished and satin-finished stainless steel with a platinum bezel — presents itself as a regular, three-hand Tonda PF. It deploys the chronograph function — via an instantaneous flyback of the hands — when pressing the monopusher integrated into the case at 7:30. The two additional, sequential presses trigger stop and withdrawal.
Celebrating the Chinese Year of the Horse, Genus is introducing the Eternal Gallop timepiece which features five miniature horses in 18-karat rose gold, all in different poses, gliding to form the infinity symbol and indicate the passing minutes across the hand-hammered, twin, crescent-shaped dials. The passing hours are indicated by a kite-shaped diamond. The 43mm case is crafted from titanium or gold, each version available in a limited edition of eight pieces, while the mechanical movement boasts a 50-hour power reserve.
In keeping with its astronomical undercurrent, Roger Dubuis’ Excalibur Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar pays homage to the founder’s fascination for that complication, which he co-patented with Jean-Marc Wiederrecht in 1989 and debuted in a watch in 1996. The new, 40mm, 18-karat pink gold timepiece mounts an updated, self-winding RD850 calibre made of 435 components — with 19 finishes including the inner angle technique — and boasting a 60-hour power reserve. The intricacy of the movement is furthered by the astronomical moonphase, crafted in aventurine stone with a domed pink gold moon laser engraved for hyper-realism. Integrated at 6 o’clock, it reflects the waxing and waning of the moon in the sky. The brand says that it was engineered to secure accuracy for 122 years before requiring any adjustment.
In a surprise move for a high watchmaking brand, H. Moser & Cie. is aiming to turn sneakerheads into watch collectors, debuting the limited-edition Streamliner Pump timepiece in collaboration with Reebok and its signature footwear model. Part of the Moser Exploration LAB collection, the 40mm watch in forged quartz fiber mounts a 131-component movement, hand-wound by pressing an orange anodized aluminum pusher at 8 o’clock, which simultaneously activates the power reserve indicator, an orange disc. The movement is fully visible from the skeletonized, sapphire caseback, while the lacquered dial, in black or white iterations, features white hands with anthracite gray or white Globolight inserts, that emit a green glow in low light. The watch is available in 500 pieces between the black and white iterations.
Bremont is quite literally shooting for the moon as it unveils a collaboration with the American aerospace company Astrolab to launch the Supernova Chronograph timepiece, the first iteration in the newly launched Supernova family. The British watchmaker’s 41mm, stainless steel release takes part in the Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One (Griffin-1), flying aboard the Astrolab’s FLIP rover, which is scheduled to land on the lunar south pole no earlier than summer 2026. The designs of the case and dial — the latter layered with the Super-LumiNova membrane emitting blue light — take cues from space stations and spacecraft. The chronometer movement boasts a 62-hour power reserve and is visible from the skeletonized case back.
Frederique Constant’s Classic Worldtimer Manufacture, first introduced in 2012, has been revisited with the new FC-719 movement and extended power reserve up to 72 hours, while providing the complication it is best known for: the watch offers a simultaneous, real-time display of the time in all 24 time zones. The stainless-steel watch, coming with a redesigned case and dial featuring an ocean view and continents in relief, is available in three variants, including a limited edition of 88 pieces set with 70 diamonds on the bezel and 12 diamond-set indexes.
Marking the 30th anniversary of the Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier, the L.U.C 1860 Chronometer is what copresident Karl-Friedrich Scheufele always imagined. Packed in a 36.5mm case in Lucent steel is a 3.30mm-thin COSC-certified and Poinçon de Genève-marked self-winding movement L.U.C Calibre 96.40-L, a direct descendant of the movement that started it all. Most eye-catching is the 18-karat white gold dial in hand-guilloché. Its sunburst pattern was created using a vintage hand-operated guilloché lathe.
It’s been 25 years since Ulysse Nardin unveiled the Freak, with a stupefying seven-person parade a day before the 2001 Baselworld fair. Thirty-five patented inventions later, its limited-edition descendant the Super Freak is poised to make its debut on Tuesday as the most complex time-only piece ever created. Among the highlights of this first automatic double tourbillon, both positioned on the minute bridge, are a newly patented world’s smallest gimbal system plus the smallest vertical differential — to mention but a few innovations enclosed in the 44mm white gold case.
Imagine a whirlwind of gemstones animated by every movement of a skeletonized central flying tourbillon. That’s in essence what Hublot imagined for the Big Bang Tourbillon Impact High Jewellery One Million, which marks the line’s first decade. A whopping 500 diamonds — almost 45 carats’ worth — in unconventional cuts radiate toward the central complication.
Charriol is introducing not one but three new in-house calibers for its Navigator collection. Among them is the C02, which is built around a GMT module with a central fourth hand to indicate the second timezone on a 24-hour ring. It has a 42-hour power reserve and a chronometric stability that meets COSC’s critieria, with an accuracy that deviates less than seven seconds per day.
Hermès is introducing the first skeletonized movement in its H08 family. Developed in titanium by the French brand’s manufacture, in collaboration with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, the mechanical movement has the feel of industrial architecture. Light plays on the structures and textures, while details reference the original design, such as the oscillating mass’ semi-square shape nodding to the shape of the bezel.
Evolution? Tag Heuer promises no less than a revolution with the Monaco Evergraph. Inside the signature square case is a one-of-a-kind compliant chronograph mechanism. Gone are nearly all of the levers and springs traditionally associated with the start, stop and reset functions, replaced by two flexible bistable components. And if that weren’t enough, a TH-Carbonspring oscillator ensures magnetic resistance and precision for the COSC-certified movement.
Six years in the making, the “Mesure du Temps 1787” collection is no less than “the start of a new decade” at Chronométrie Ferdinand Bertoux. At the heart is the new Calibre FB-TV.FC, which uses a flying tourbillon and a fusee-and-chain mechanism. All of this has been visible on the dial side, showcasing the watchmaker’s decorative expertise, as evidenced on the Chronomètre FB 2TV.
Van Cleef & Arpels turned its eyes skywards for “Poetry of the Heavens,” the theme of its horological releases of the year. Among them is the delicately hued Midnight Heure d’Ici et d’Ailleurs, which features a two-time zones jumping hour display and retrograde minutes. A single sector gear synchronizes the two discs and the retrograde minute hand, while one crown serves to set the hours, minutes and wind the movement. Also not to be missed is the Lady Arpels Planétarium, with its moving solar system display.
Marking the 20th anniversary of its collaboration with the heirs of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, IWC Schaffhausen is introducing a five-piece collection inspired by the writer’s iconic “Le Petit Prince” book. Among them is the 43mm Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Le Petit Prince, boasting a date and day display and chronograph functions for hours, minutes and seconds. Crafted from stainless steel, it features a deep blue dial with sunray finish and gold-plated hands. The collaboration is subtly revealed on the glass caseback engraved bearing the drawing of the Little Prince surrounded by the moon and two stars.
Clocking In
With games top of mind, Chanel’s Chastaingt thought back to his own formative years, where a teacher used chess to keep his pupils engaged and concentrated. The strategic game fused with the French house’s color codes and the famously canny founder’s spirit led him to imagine The Chessboard, its horological masterpiece of the year.
White gold on one side, black ceramic on the other — the one used here is seven times harder than steel — the pieces feature the Vendôme column as the tower, the lion as king and couture busts as bishops.
The queen goes without saying. Both of the couturier’s figures, clad in suits of diamond tweed — a new setting developed for the occasion — and hiding the time in the pedestal under her slingbacks, can be worn on a white gold, diamond and onyx chain.
Checkmate for fairgoers: Chanel’s masterpiece clock has already been sold. But fear not, the Rue Cambon maison has imagined a high-tech way to ensure the creation imagined by Chastaingt can still be enjoyed by all.
Part pocket watch, part carriage clock, the Établisseurs Nomade is one of an inaugural trio of creations springing from Audemars Piguet’s Atelier des Établisseurs, which is dedicated to remarkable timepieces rooted in collaboration and rare traditional crafts.
A striking combination of faceted metal and natural stones, this rectangular timepiece that comes in titanium or gold can be worn on a chain, slipped in a pocket or set on a desk. Its architectural case in bevelled metal mesh and faceted stone slides to reveal an outer dial made of natural stone.
Within resides the Calibre 7501, an iteration on the extra-thin Calibre 7121 from 2022 that has been skeletonized using a traditional fine handsaw, an exacting skill preserved by the Le Brassus-based watchmaker since the 1930s. It is used to great effect in this movement playing on transparency and symmetry, with bridges that act as hour-markers.
Patek Philippe’s “Macaws” is the first gem-set table clock produced by the manufacture. A ballet of multicolored birds frolicking in the verdant foliage of the Amazonian forest takes pride of place on this Grand Feu cloisonné enameled piece, which required no less than 20.75 meters of gold and 48 different enamel colors.
Echoing the birds’ sumptuous plumage is a rainbow array of spinels, sapphires, tsavorites and topazes, with snow-set white diamonds to boot.
