This week delivered exceptional breadth across predictions for Watches and Wonders 2026 on Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Tudor, as well as a few exciting new releases from independent and established manufactures, that merit deeper consideration. These five essential editorials from January 26-30 provide deep information on where watch brands are heading in early 2026.
Introducing: Chopard Zagato Lab One Concept—A Racing Car on the Wrist
The intersection of motorsport and watchmaking has produced its fair share of automotive-inspired timepieces, yet few achieve the authenticity and seamless integration of automotive design cues into watchmaking that Chopard's third collaboration with Zagato delivers. Although let’s not forget Audemars Piguet’s integration of auto racing design cues into several Royal Oak Offshores, like the Pablo Montoya, the Michael Schumacher, and the Rubens Barrichello.
Perspective: Tudor Turns 100—What the Brand Will and Won't Do for Watches and Wonders 2026
First registered as a brand in 1926 by watch dealer and maker Veuve de Philippe Hüther, Tudor was officially taken over by Hans Wilsdorf—the founder of Rolex—in 1936. In his words, he wanted to make a watch that his agents could sell at a more modest price than his Rolex watches, and yet one that would attain the standard of dependability for which Rolex was famous. Wilsdorf's intent was clear: create watches at modest prices while maintaining Rolex dependability.
Introducing: Louis Moinet Tourbillon Puzzle Fire Horse—Celebrating Chinese New Year
Louis Moinet marks 2026—the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac—with a métiers d'art tour de force that demonstrates why this independent manufacture has become synonymous with artisanal puzzle dials. The new Tourbillon Puzzle Fire Horse arrives as a unique piece celebrating an astrological convergence that occurs once every 60 years, when the element of fire combines with the horse in the Chinese calendar, heralding a period of intense, assertive energy.
Introducing: Piaget Polo 79 Two-Tone—White and Yellow Gold Intertwined
When Piaget reintroduced the Polo 79 in yellow gold during 2024 as part of the manufacture's 150th anniversary celebrations, the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève validated this decision with its "Iconic Watch" prize. The following year brought the refined 18K white gold iteration we covered at Watches & Wonders 2025. Now, Piaget completes this trilogy with the Polo 79 Two-Tone—a harmonious marriage of both precious metals that recalls one of the original 1979 configurations while speaking directly to contemporary collectors who demand distinction without ostentation.
Perspective: The Oyster Case Turns 100—Reading the Signals on What Rolex Will and Won't Do for the Oyster's Centenary
The Rolex Oyster turns 100 in 2026—a milestone that would, at most brands, trigger commemorative editions, special casebacks, and marketing fanfare. For Rolex, January 1st brought something different: a 7% average price increase across its lineup, the third such adjustment in 12 months. If you're searching for signals about what Rolex will deliver this year, the pricing tells you more than any anniversary press release ever could.
Perspective: The Nautilus 50th Anniversary—Reading the Signals on What Patek Philippe Will and Won't Do Next
As Watches & Wonders Geneva 2026 approaches, speculation intensifies over how Patek Philippe will commemorate the Nautilus's golden 50th anniversary. But the signals have been clear for years—if you know where to look. Between Thierry Stern's public statements, the discontinuation theater, and the strategic repositioning through the Cubitus, Patek has telegraphed exactly what collectors should expect. And more importantly, what they shouldn't.
Weekend Reads: Haute Complications and Industry Shifts
This week delivered exceptional breadth across haute complications, independent manufactures, and strategic industry shifts that merit deeper consideration. These five essential editorials from January 19-23 provide frameworks for understanding where contemporary watchmaking stands in early 2026.
Perspective: Richemont Sells Baume & Mercier to Italy's Damiani Group—When Heritage Doesn't Guarantee a Home
Richemont and the Damiani Group, a prestigious, family-run Italian global luxury group, announced yesterday that they have signed an agreement for the Damiani Group to acquire full ownership of Baume & Mercier in a private transaction. This represents a moment of reckoning for heritage manufactures navigating the increasingly polarized luxury watch market, and raises uncomfortable questions about what happens when an almost 200-year legacy isn't enough to secure your place in a conglomerate's future.
Introducing: Frederique Constant Manchette Golden PVD with Onyx Dial
Frederique Constant isn't known for making provocative statements, but the Classics Manchette has become an unexpected disruptor since its 2025 debut. Now celebrating its first birthday, the Geneva manufacture unveils a golden 2N PVD iteration with a full-black onyx dial, a combination that trades subtle sophistication for unapologetic glamour. This isn't your grandmother’s dress watch; it's a cuff bracelet that happens to tell time, and it revels in that identity.
Introducing: L'Epée 1839 La Regatta Métiers d'Art Clocks—Where Grand Feu Enameling Meets Horological Grace
There's a particular elegance to rowing—the disciplined rhythm, the perfect posture, the singular focus required to move a racing skiff through water with precision and power. L'Epée 1839 has captured this quiet grace in La Regatta clocks, and now reimagines it through a series of Métiers d'Art unique pieces that elevate the vertical clock into wearable sculpture through the ancient art of Grand Feu enameling.
Introducing: Armin Strom Tribute² Aurum—Tremblage Technique Takes Center Stage
Armin Strom continues its exploration of artisanal finishing with the new Tribute² Aurum, a timepiece that builds upon the architectural foundation of the original Tribute 1 while pushing the boundaries of hand-finished decoration. Limited to just 10 pieces, this latest iteration introduces a rare engraving technique in independent watchmaking, tremblage, to a gold-coated mainplate that serves as the watch’s visual centerpiece.
Introducing: Zenith DEFY Skyline Tourbillon Skeleton Rose Gold—The Quest for Haute Horlogerie Continues
Zenith has unveiled its most technically ambitious DEFY Skyline to date, introducing the manufacture's first fully openworked tourbillon within the collection. Presented at LVMH Watch Week 2026 in Milano, the DEFY Skyline Tourbillon Skeleton in rose gold represents a compelling synthesis of skeletonized architecture and high-frequency precision, rendered in a striking contrast of warm precious metal and luminous blue finishing.
Introducing: Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Milano Cortina 2026
When Omega assumes its role as Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Winter Games for the thirty-second time since 1932, it will do so with a legacy unmatched in sports timekeeping. To commemorate the Milano Cortina 2026 games opening on February 6th, the Swiss manufacture has unveiled a distinctive interpretation of its legendary Seamaster Diver 300M in a 43.5 mm timepiece that translates the visual identity of these 25th Olympic Winter Games into a compelling collector's piece.
Introducing: MB&F LM Sequential Flyback EVO—Titanium and Aquamarine Dial Plate
When MB&F's LM Sequential EVO claimed the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève's Aiguille d'Or in 2022, it validated what serious collectors already understood: Stephen McDonnell had redefined chronograph capability in a manner both intellectually rigorous and practically transformative. The twin-chronograph architecture, governed by the ingenious Twinverter binary switch, delivered independent timing, split-seconds, cumulative, and lap-timer functions within a single 44 mm case—functionality that made one wonder why conventional chronographs had settled for so little.
Introducing: TAG Heuer Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph—Rattrapante Arrives in La Chaux-de-Fonds
TAG Heuer's ascent into haute horlogerie continues with remarkable momentum. Following the Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph, the manufacture now introduces the complication to its most iconic collection—the Carrera—marking the first time a rattrapante has graced this storied lineage since Jack Heuer conceived the original in 1963.
Introducing: Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin 250—An American Tribute (Live Photos)
Laurent Ferrier has forged a particularly meaningful relationship with American collectors since the manufacture's inception in 2010. It was American enthusiasts who first championed the independent watchmaker's debut creation at the GPHG that year, providing the early validation that encouraged Laurent Ferrier to build not merely a collection, but a lasting brand.
Experience: Bern's Zytglogge Clock Tower—Where Swiss Horology Truly Began
There exists a peculiar pilgrimage undertaken by serious watch collectors, one that has nothing to do with boutique openings or manufacture tours. It leads instead to a tower erected in 1218—27 years after the founding of Bern in 1191—by Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen. Here, in this structure that predates Swiss watchmaking by centuries, a clock has been marking time since 1530—nearly three centuries before the first Vacheron Constantin left the atelier of Jean-Marc Vacheron.
Insider: Richard Mille RM 33-03 Carbon TPT 5N Red Gold—New Skeletonized Automatic with Micro-Rotor
Richard Mille's latest creation, the RM 33-03 Automatic, marries the sporty essence of their signature tonneau aesthetic with the timeless appeal of a circular case. As the successor of the RM 33-02, this timepiece introduces greater mechanical complexity while maintaining exceptional wearability. Available in full Grade 5 titanium or Carbon TPT with 5N red gold middle case and accents like the watch we are reviewing here, the RM 33-03 delivers Richard Mille's uncompromising standards in a surprisingly approachable 41.7 mm package that wears just perfectly.
Perspective: What the 2025 Swiss Watch Export Numbers Really Mean
The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry's export figures for 2025—from Jan-Nov, as December is still unavailable— tell a story of an industry navigating profound market shifts. On the surface, we see a 2.2% decline to CHF 23.4 billion through November 2025—a modest figure in an industry that has weathered far more turbulent periods. But that number, like a dial with multiple complications, requires careful reading to understand what's actually happening beneath the surface.
