Watches and Wonders 2026: This year’s best new men’s watches
The most significant talking points from the watch world in 2026, from Patek Philippe, Rolex, Tudor, Cartier, IWC and more
A lot to keep a watch journalist employed in 2026. Plenty to write about, between the impact of conflicts and tariffs (and invalidated tariffs and the threat of more tariffs). Then there’s the export picture (which changes, depending on which window you’re looking out of), supply chain issues, price hikes, shifting purchasing patterns, emerging trends, revitalised brands, and the weird side effects of all these things combined. Inventory rushes, market distortions, and (yet another) boom in the pre-owned watch market (especially in places where those tariffs hit hardest). That’s not to mention soap-worthy C-suite comings and goings. Or the whole retail/wholesale outlook.
But this, you’ll be pleased to know, is a piece about the best new men’s watches of 2026 – what constitutes a ‘man’s watch’, by the way? Plenty of debate raging on that, too, following GPHG’s decision to do away with its gender categories – so let’s concentrate purely on the product side of things, shall we?
January’s LVMH Watch Week set the tone, it seems, with Bulgari, Hublot, Louis Vuitton, Tag Heuer and Zenith helping initiate a wave of high-complication chronographs and ultra-thin skeleton pieces. Since then, there’s been a (refreshing) emphasis on design experimentation, and plenty of technical materials (titanium and ceramic, notably). Anniversary-driven releases are proving to big news, as ever. Heritage reissues aren’t going anywhere, but they’ve been joined by some markedly contemporary-looking designs. Are watchmakers getting braver? Weirder releases would suggest so. In today’s mad world, expect them to do well.
Bookmark this page for the wildest, finest and most talked-about watches of 2026 as and when they drop…
Patek Philippe shoots, and scores
Patek Philippe used April’s Watches and Wonders, the industry’s largest get together, to debut 20 new references, within which headline-grabbing pieces included a platinum perpetual calendar Cubitus (the first grand complication within the collection): a celestial watch that, as well as tracking the Geneva sky, charts sunrise and sunset (a technical first); a Calatrava alarm watch that chimes, instead of buzzes, on demand; and the ultimate office accessory – a 100-piece, scaled-up Nautilus desk clock. Speaking of the Nautilus…
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the porthole-inspired, waiting-list spawning, grail-of-grail sports watch. Three limited-editions marked the occasion. The original Nautilus of 1976 measured 42mm ear-to-ear. A whopper of a watch for the time, it was nicknamed the ‘Jumbo’. Faithful to that brawny forbear are two larger-format models in white gold – one on a metal bracelet, the other on a fabric-style strap with baguette-cut diamond markers. Arguably the real crowd-pleaser, however, was a smaller 38mm model in platinum. All three models house ultra-slim movements and are the only current Nautiluses to feature minute and second hands only, no date window or centre seconds (the original watch featured a date a three o’clock). The bracelet models will have a limited run of 2,000 pieces; the composite model 1,000 pieces. Expect the bulk to have been allocated before the wider world even got a peek.
Rolex bolsters both ends of the pyramid
The two biggest news stories from Rolex this year occupy polar ends of the watchmaking spectrum. First up, the Oyster, the world’s first waterproof watch when it was launched in 1926, celebrates its centenary. Today, the Oyster Perpetual line represents Rolex’s entry-level collection. The brand opted to mark the anniversary with a number of new models, most notably an Oyster Perpetual 41 with a bezel and crown in yellow gold, and a playful Oyster Perpetual 36 sporting an attention-grabbing multicoloured lacquer dial. There’s also a 28mm model in yellow gold with a green stone lacquer dial, and a 34mm piece in Everose gold with a blue stone lacquer dial. Both feature hour markers cut from natural stone at three, six and nine o’clock.
At the other end of the continuum, the Yacht-Master II is back, having been discontinued in 2024, are now represents Rolex’s most complicated watch. There’s a new dial and a new movement, which now allows the wearer to prepare for a regatta via an anticlockwise-running countdown hand. Unlike previously, all adjustments are now made via the pushers. Patent, at the time of writing, pending.
Visit rolex.com
Tudor coronates a new king
A titbit of watch design trivia: ‘California’ dials are those which combine Roman and Arabic numerals. Despite Los Angele’s Kirk Rich Dial Company popularising the style in the 1970s and ’80s, the design did not, in fact, originate in California. Rolex was mixing up its indices as far back as the 1930s and ’40s. As was Panerai with its early Italian navy pieces. Patchy provenance aside, it’s a quirky design that makes for an eye-catching dial – as you can see on Tudor’s new, retro-styled, time-only Monarch. Within a swathe of new bread-and-butter Black Bay releases – including a stealthy, fully blacked-out ceramic version – the 39mm stainless steel Monarch, with its sandy-champagne face and straight-line case, is a standout. All hail the King.
Visit tudorwatch.com
Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour
The first montres à guichet, or window watches, began to appear in the 1920s. A horological response to the straight-line design codes of the Art Deco movement, it was Audemars Piguet that debuted the earliest window watch in 1921, followed by Cartier and its Tank à Guichets in 1928. Why AP has decided to revive its rectangular jumping hour watch in 2026 isn’t exactly clear, but it comes off the back of a number of window watches dropped by other dial names last year. The Neo Frame Jumping Hour debuts Audemars Piguet’s first modern self-winding jumping hour movement – and makes for one of the standout watch designs of 2026.
£56,100, audemarspiguet.com
Piaget Polo Signature
What do Piaget’s latest Polo watch and the chair legs of 18th-century Chippendale furniture have in common? Apart from a solid, chiselled aesthetic, see the gadroons on the watch’s dial – a decorative technique that dates back to classical Rome, and Piaget timepieces since 1979. A regular appearance on Polo watches ever since, 2026 sees the parallel lines appear on the Polo Date for the first time. Seen here with a silver-coloured dial and khaki green rubber strap.
POA, piaget.com
Girard-Perregaux Minute Repeater Flying Bridges
Girard-Perregaux flexes its watchmaking credentials by combining two of the most complex complications in high horology into one mighty timepiece – conceived, developed and assembled entirely in-house. The Minute Repeater Flying Bridges is the first Girard-Perregaux to combine a minute repeater with a tourbillon – which means the watch will audibly sound the time of the day on demand, while being regulated by a device that negates the effects of gravity.
£471,000, girard-perregaux.com
Hermès H08 Squelette
Five years ago, Hermès created a contemporary ‘all-terrain’ watch. Of course, this being Hermès, the H08 was about as ‘everyday’ as a Lamborghini Miura. This year, we get the first skeletonised H08. It features a new movement, developed with a third-party, that’s made of titanium to ensure lightness, and a bezel crafted from sunburst satin-brushed ceramic with mirror-polished chamfers. Choose between electric blue or gunmetal grey numerals and hands.
POA, hermes.com
Harry Winston Ocean Tourbillon GMT Worldtimer
If you’re struggling to count the number of sapphires and diamonds on Harry Winston’s Ocean Tourbillon GMT Worldtimer, allow us (or a press release) to do it for you. Across the watch’s case, dial and buckle, there are 275 baguette-cut diamonds, 113 baguette-cut blue sapphires, and one stonker of an emerald-cut blue sapphire. There’s also black onyx, blue aventurine, and a sizeable 46mm case made of white gold. Time-keeping-wise, there’s a GMT, day/night indicator and a city display, all regulated by a tourbillon. A lot of watch, and stones, for your wrist, in other words.
POA, harrywinston.com
Panerai Luminor 31 Giorni
Panerai has been devising clever ways of increasing its power reserves since the mid-1950s. In 2005, a patented three-spring barrel movement design provided for an industry-leading eight-day power reserve. In 2007, the Italian brand went further, conceiving an in-house calibre that boasted 10 days of autonomy. Well, hold onto your loupes. Panerai’s latest Luminor need only be wound once in 31 days. The feat is the result of seven years of development, four barrels, and more than three metres of mainsprings – all wound up to fit on your wrist.
£69,100, panerai.com
Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar
It’s a niche claim, admittedly, and perhaps even more impressive coming from a dial name you wouldn’t necessarily expect: Breitling’s new Navitimer Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is the only series-produced watch to combine, as its name suggests, a perpetual calendar with a chronograph. Meaning it will automatically account for leap years and months of varying lengths, while allowing you to measure periods of elapsed time. The Navitimer celebrates its 75th anniversary next year. This is the most advanced iteration of the iconic pilot’s watch to date.
£43,000, breitling.com
Baume & Mercier Riviera 73
Baume & Mercier’s logo is based on the Greek letter ‘Phi (Φ)’, which represents the Golden Ratio – the mathematical concept associated with perfect proportions and, accordingly, beauty. The brand adopted the symbol in 1964, nine years before it debuted the first Riviera, a watch itself built around balance and symmetry. You can see that balance and symmetry in the latest additions to the modern Riviera 73 collection – three new, quartz-powered models with 39mm cases and timeless looks.
Price TBA, baume-et-mercier.com
