Bigger than ever, Watches and Wonders showcased novelties from 60 brands and welcomed more visitors than any year before. In other words, watches are more popular than ever—and demand continues to grow year by year.
2025 marks my 25th watch fair visit—interrupted only by COVID. That means I’ve traveled home with printed pictures in paper folders, even slides that had to be scanned back at the office. From CD-ROMs packed with digital material to USB sticks to where we are now: downloading everything directly to our devices. Watch communication has come a long way. What was once a niche product covered only by specialized press has become a popular lifestyle category that now attracts fashion bloggers. A Rolex is no longer just a mechanical watch of stellar quality and precision—it’s also a fashion item, an accessory if you like, that fits just as well in the pages of Vogue as it does on, say, Benjamin Clymer’s Instagram feed.
I spent four days inside the bright Palexpo halls, rushing from meeting to meeting—trying my best to avoid running into my dear colleagues, as our long and warm chats would often make me late for back-to-back appointments. But that’s exactly how I like it: bouncing from brand to brand by day, and celebrating friendships by night. I’ve gathered a few novelties that truly stood out to me. And to honor one of the most important platforms for watch culture—Instagram—I’ve written this article in the style of the captions I use on my own profile.
Chopard L.U.C Quattro
When the L.U.C Quattro was introduced in 2000, it offered a very traditional look, but what was under the hood impressed the world of horology: no less than nine days of power reserve, guaranteed with a COSC certification as well as a Poinçon de Genève hallmark that emphasizes the skills of the Chopard manufacture. Now introduced in platinum, with a diameter of 39 mm and a thickness of 10.4 mm, it offers a stunning frosty blue dial. If you miss the power reserve on the front, all you have to do is flip it around and enjoy its new position on the back of the calibre 98.01-L movement.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds
The 45.6 x 27.4 mm Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds in 18k pink gold hit me hard when I put it on my wrist. Not only does it look stunning with that Milanese bracelet, it also fits like hand-in-a-glove, due to the weight of said bracelet made from 16 meters of gold threads that ensure a fabric-like comfort on the wrist, aka “pezza” or “piece of cloth.” The manual-wind movement is calibre 822 with 42 hours of power reserve. Dream-like!
Cartier Tank à Guichets
The Tank à Guichets not only impresses with its rather Art Deco eccentric design, offering one window for the jumping hours and another for the minutes, but it also impresses with a production history that dates back to 1928. It was re-released in 1996 in a very limited production of six pieces, and again in 1997 with only 150 pieces. This year, the Tank à Guichets sees a very elegant relaunch, where the apertures are set at an angle, making one think of a driver’s watch. Also, the winding crown is now positioned at “12” and does not feature a stone on top as it would interfere with the strap as well as the perfection of the case shape. The indices on the hour and minute discs are painted burgundy, which gives the watch a somewhat vintage look. This watch is not just a watch. Rather, it is an object of design – or forme de l’objet to stay with the French.
IWC Ingenieur Ceramic 42
There’s a new Ingenieur in town—this time in all-black ceramic. This impressive 42 mm iteration of the new-generation Ingenieur runs on the automatic cal. 82110, visible through the smoky sapphire crystal case back. And yes, this is the model Ed Sheeran was spotted wearing courtside at a basketball game, as well as on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon—well before it was officially launched.
Gerald Charles Maestro GC Sport Tennis
Gerald Charles is serving up style with the Maestro GC Sport Tennis. A bold new piece in the GC Sport collection, this limited-edition timepiece (only 200 made) features a yellow dial, same colour as a tennis ball, all housed in a sleek, super-light Darkblast® Grade 5 titanium case. Perfect for athletes, but would look good on the wrist while working on the laptop as well.
Rolex Land-Dweller
The Rolex Land-Dweller is a pretty child that had the unfortunate fate of being named awkwardly. Yet, no matter the name, the Land-Dweller is a slim, dressy watch with a rather pleasing dial. The movement, cal. 7135 with Dynapulse escapement, ticks at 5Hz, making it one of the most precise tickers on the block. A funny observation: the Land-Dweller is shaped like the battery-powered Oysterquartz, which debuted in 1977. Back then, precision was key—and it seems as if the Land-Dweller, in terms of design, is an ode to the accuracy offered by this new 36,000 bph high-frequency movement, measuring time to a tenth of a second.
Patek Philippe Calatrava
Patek Philippe introduced a new 40 mm version of the much-discussed Cubitus that was launched in 2024. However, the model that really caught my eye was the extremely handsome 38 mm Calatrava, ref. 6196, in platinum. It features a stunning rosy-beige dial with black PVD-coated gold hands and indices. Fitted with the manually wound cal. 30-255 PS, this one is a true winner from the family-owned brand.
Tudor Pelagos Ultra
Rolex’s forever-young sibling, Tudor, went deep this year—literally—with the Pelagos Ultra. “Ultra” because it’s water-resistant to no less than 1,000 meters. Despite its 43 mm diameter, this extreme diver’s watch isn’t a heavyweight, thanks to the use of titanium. It feels amazing on the wrist, whether worn on the titanium bracelet or the included black rubber strap. Movement-wise, it runs on the automatic cal. MT5612-U, which is not only COSC-certified but also METAS Master Chronometer certified—ensuring top-tier precision and resistance to magnetic fields over 15,000 Gauss.
