The word ‘considered’ comes to mind to express the mood at Watches & Wonders 2026, the largest and most important watch show of the year. Gone were the excesses and extravagances of past years, and in their place were refined upgrades with an emphasis on dial decorations. There was little innovation to be found in the space in between the entry-level watches and the high end, the buzz concentrated at either end of the arc.
The very high end proved its robustness with show stoppers such as Parmigiani Fleurier’s platinum anniversary editions and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Hybris Gyrotourbillon.Icons and entry level models were at the forefront of brand strategies with a surprisingly well-priced priced Rolex 100th Anniversary edition of the Oyster with the new colourful patterned Jubilee dial for a mere £5,600 for the 36mm steel version. The Rolex Oyster is arguably one of the most refined products of our lifetime, its design and mechanics thoughtfully improved year after year, yet remaining faithful to the original. The rigour of its design and performance make it one of the best priced high-end watches you can find.
Where there was mechanical innovation, it was with a clear purpose such as IWC’s Pilot's Venturer Vertical Drive (above) with a Ceratanium case that eliminates the crown in favour of a patent-pending rotating bezel system paired with a rocker switch on the side of the case, allowing winding, home time, and mission time functions to be operated by an astronaut wearing pressurised suit gloves.
Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda Chronograph Mysteriéux (above) is a stand out example of mechanical advancement with a practical end and the best watch of the show. The disarmingly elegant watch conceals a chronograph that simply vanishes when not in use. At rest, the mineral blue grain d'Orge guilloché dial has but three hands, serene and uncluttered. Press the single monopusher at 7:30 and five coaxial hands choreograph a mechanical transformation, as rose gold hands emerge beneath to quietly continue keeping time. Parmigiani calls it complex minimalism, embodying the house philosophy of ‘private luxury’.
Chanel offered the usual array of Mademoiselle Chanel animated watches with the famous couturier spinning around on dials, as a miniature pendant watch or holding court on a bejewelled chess set. The watch that most captured my attention, however, was the realtively restrained Noued de Camelia cuff secret watch (above). As much a work of couture with exquisite embroidery and beading by Lesage as watchmaking, it epitomises the style of Gabrielle Chanel and the house’s skill in preserving meticulous craftsmanship to create stylish and beautiful objects with enduring and cross-generational appeal.
Cartier has revived the Baignoire (above), first created in 1958. Named for ‘bathtub’ in French the new models feature a pattern of Clou de Paris gold pyramids across the case, dial and bangle, bringing a contemporary and edgy look to this classic design. The sculptural and angular elements of the Clou de Paris contrast with the smooth, sinuous form of the watch creating a fascinating tension that marks Cartier’s most successful designs, and a key feature of Art Deco designs that underpin the house style.
Piaget has refined the Andy Warhol watch that was created in 1972, with the anodyne name of '15102' that became one of the American artist’s favourites. Renamed to reflect the collaboration between Piaget and the Andy Warhol Foundation, this year's additions include dials in tiger’s eye and black opal with sapphires (above) confirming the adaptability of the original 1972 design and its place as a stalwart in the Piaget line-up.
It may be a canny timing by Bvlgari to launch a Gold & Steel series of watches and jewellery in the light of record highs for the price of gold and elevate steel to the level of a precious metal. But the result confirms that the move is design-led, and harks back to the 1970s when the house used steel in its Tubogas creations, propelling the utilitarian metal and the ubiquitous gas pipe (tubo gas) into the realms of luxury. The designs are dramatic and offer taut compositions of minimalism tempered by the soft glow of gold and the opulence of diamonds. Gold & Steel was in fact one of the most exciting and progressive launches of Watches & Wonder, proving that Bvlgari is a directional force in luxury design.
