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WATCHES & STYLE
Watches & Wonders 2026 Greatest Hits: The Art of the Hour
by Charmian Leong
24 Apr 2026
24 Apr 2026
Watches & Wonders produces thousands of column inches every spring. But these are the pieces that will still be earning them all the way through to December ¬– the ones that define the conversation long after the fair ends.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
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A celebration of the birth of the Oyster, a tribute to the very essence of time, the Oyster Perpetual 41 in a yellow Rolesor version consecrates 100 years of watchmaking achievements and perpetuates the echo of its origins. This celebratory model pairs a yellow gold bezel and crown with an Oystersteel bracelet – reinterpreting the Rolesor aesthetic of a two-material combination – while “100 years” appears at 6 o’clock in place of the usual ‘Swiss Made’ marking on the slate dial.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
Many watches have travelled to space, but this one was built specifically for it. Developed with Vast – the company behind the upcoming Haven-1 station – IWC’s astronaut-ready tool watch features a crown-less control system, allowing setting and winding via the bezel even with thick gloves. Other space-ready touches include a glare-free dial for legibility, an integrated GMT, 120 hours of autonomy, and a white ceramic case paired with a Ceratanium bezel and caseback.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
The Hublot timepiece's 45mm case set with 500 diamonds is hard to ignore. Totalling more than 40 carats, the stones alternate between baguette and fancy cuts, arranged in a vortex-like pattern using invisible and closed settings for a striking three-dimensional sparkle. But at its centre sits the real showpiece: A flying tourbillon powered by the hand-wound HUB9015 calibre with a five-day power reserve.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
Sometimes even the most restrained watchmakers indulge in a little spectacle. Here, A. Lange & Söhne debuts its newly developed self-winding calibre L225.1 in a Lumen edition, where a semi-transparent dial allows the perpetual calendar indications to glow in low light. The 685-part movement also features a one-minute tourbillon with a stop-seconds mechanism for precise setting to the second. Housed in a 41.9mm by 13mm platinum case, it is limited to 50 pieces.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
Tool watches from Grand Seiko have a reputation for being big and brawny – so this new collection comes as a welcome surprise. The Ushio 300 Diver measures just 30mm across, making it the brand’s smallest dive watch yet, while housing its biggest technical feat: The Spring Drive U.F.A. Calibre 9RB2, accurate to ±20 seconds per year. That makes it the most precise wristwatch movement powered by a mainspring. Debuting in blue or green wave-patterned dials, the watch is cased in Grand Seiko’s High-Intensity Titanium.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
CARTIER ROADSTER
Fourteen years after it quietly disappeared, the Cartier Roadster makes its return. Once the sportiest outlier in the maison’s line-up, the revived model arrives with subtler case proportions, smoother lines and refined finishing to better suit Cartier’s modern design language. Thankfully, returning favourites include the signature tonneau case, headlight-style date magnifier and conical crown. Available in two sizes across seven variants.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
The first automaton wristwatch in the contemporary history of Patek Philippe, the Ref. 5249R-001 is a rare piece of horological theatre. Inspired by a pocket watch automaton developed by Louis Cottier in 1958, the dial springs to life with a push of the button at 2 o’clock: A fox indicates the hours with its snout or paw, while a crow drops a piece of cheese to mark the minutes. Release the pusher and the animals return to rest. Inside the 43mm rose-gold case, the 31-260 PS HMD AU calibre is hidden beneath an officer-style cover.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
Seven years of development have produced the thinnest Overseas yet. Measuring just 7.35mm thick, the 39.5mm watch is powered by Vacheron Constantin’s new in-house Calibre 2550 – a remarkably slim 2.4mm movement that still delivers 80 hours of power reserve. The debut edition, limited to 255 pieces, pairs a platinum case with a salmon-coloured lacquer dial featuring a satin-finished centre and will be sold exclusively through the brand’s boutiques.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
Complex watchmaking deserves to be seen up close. That’s the premise behind Ferdinand Berthoud’s Mesure du Temps 1787 collection, debuting with a flying tourbillon and fusee-and-chain constant-force mechanism on full display, dial-side. The Calibre FB-T.FC comprises a staggering 1,240 components, including 777 for the chain alone, each painstakingly hand-finished over roughly 300 hours. All of it sits within a substantial 44mm by 15.46mm 18K white-gold case.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
TUDOR MONARCH
Centenaries are a good excuse to look back and revive a page from history. But the 2026 Tudor Monarch looks notably different from its predecessors from the 1990s. Now sized at 39mm, the watch comes with a sharply faceted, angular case. The dial is a curiosity too – a dark champagne tone with a California layout mixing Roman and Arabic numerals. More elegant than the Black Bay, but less dressy than the Royal, the Monarch feels like Tudor rediscovering one of its more offbeat personalities.
- ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 41
- IWC PILOT’S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE
- HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION
- A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR LUMEN
- GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE U.F.A. USHIO 300 DIVER
- CARTIER ROADSTER
- PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5249R-001
- VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS SELF-WINDING ULTRA-THIN
- FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMETRE FB2TV
- TUDOR MONARCH
- PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
PANERAI LUMINOR 31 GIORNI PAM01631
While some enthusiasts enjoy winding their watches as a way to feel connected to the timepiece’s beating heart, others understandably see it as a bit of a chore – especially if it has to be done every couple of days. This year, however, Panerai offers a solution that lasts an entire month. The PAM01631 is powered by the new hand-wound P.2031/S calibre, using four barrels and 3.3 metres of mainspring to deliver a 31-day (744-hour) power reserve. A patent-pending torque limiter halts the movement once that reserve is exhausted, helping prevent damage while maintaining consistent chronometry. The 44mm watch is cased in the brand’s red-gold alloy Goldtech and limited to 200 pieces.
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