Watches & Wonders, the world’s premier horological fair, showcased an amazing selection of new timepieces for 2025. We shine a light on the best of the best.
Van Cleef & Arpels Pont Des Amoureux
Van Cleef & Arpels had another stellar showing led by timepieces from its Poetic Complications range. These include four new Pont des Amoureux automaton models with new bracelets and cases fully set with dazzling snow-set gemstones. These watches tell the story of two lovers who move toward each other at noon and midnight for a kiss on a Parisian bridge that lasts for three minutes (or on demand for 12 seconds). The colourways of the four new versions represent dawn (Aube), morning (Matinée), evening (Soirée) and moonlight (Claire de Lune) respectively thanks to the grisaille enamel on the dials and the gemstones chosen to adorn the cases and bracelets, which are entirely set with diamonds and sapphires owing to a meshing system that allows the bracelets to fluidly embrace the wrist. Price upon request
Jaeger-Lecoultre Reverso Monoface Small Seconds
Jaeger-LeCoultre is justifiably best known for its unisex Reverso model, which has been gracing wrists since 1931. The brand’s 2025 introductions were chiefly dedicated to exquisite variations of this evergreen model, some very complicated and innovative indeed, but the Reverso Monoface Small Seconds is especially beautiful in its seeming simplicity. The most striking features of this 45.6 x 27.4 mm rose gold watch with manually wound movement—aside from the iconic swivelling case—are without a doubt the matte, gold-coloured grained dial and the silky, soft, vintage-style rose gold Milanaise bracelet. Simplicity at its very, very best. €44,000; jaeger-lecoultre.com
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar
Vacheron Constantin celebrated its 270th anniversary with a large number of excellent limited-edition timepieces from the Patrimony and Traditionnelle ranges, including the brand-new Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar powered by a new automatic Calibre 2162 QP/270. These exquisite watches all share signature elements such as the Maltese cross-inspired hand-guilloché pattern on the dial, a rediscovered côte unique finish on the bridges, and a discreet anniversary emblem engraved on the in-house calibre. “This watch showcases the art of watchmaking that Vacheron Constantin has been cultivating since 1755 and embodies the quest for excellence that has been passed down through the generations,” said style & heritage director Christian Selmoni. Price upon request
Cartier Tank À Guichets
Cartier looks to past collections for inspiration in the Privé collection. And this is how we arrive at 2025’s Tank à Guichets, which heralds the return of a much-loved classic Cartier model. “Guichet” means “window”, and that’s really all one needs to know here. First seen in 1928, the Tank à Guichets offers a unique type of digital time display thanks to a wonderful combination of window design and movement technology. It arrives in the modern permanent collection in 37.6 x 24.8 mm cases in platinum (€50,000), yellow gold, and rose gold (both €43,000), as well as a limited run of 200 pieces in an off-centre iteration in platinum powered by a very thin handwound movement (€55,000). cartier.com
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona— known simply to most as “the Daytona”—is not a new watch. But for 2025, its maker has given it a new turquoise blue dial, and in conjunction with the 18-karat yellow gold 40 mm case, monobloc Cerachrom bezel, and offsetting black subdials, it simply is a killer combination. The bright-blue colour softens the look, making it almost seem like a new watch—even at night when the Chromalight luminescence kicks in. The cherry on top is the comfortable Oysterflex rubber strap. €37,150
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon
Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon set a tenth world record for ultra-thin watchmaking for this maker as it introduced a flying tourbillon watch only 1.85 mm in height. With a look reinforced by monochromatic grey aesthetics, purity seems to be its order of the day. And despite its extreme thinness, achieved for the most part by making the tungsten carbide baseplate and the caseback the same, the watch measures 40 mm in diameter, which allows it to nicely fill out the wrist. It is attached by an integrated titanium bracelet only 1.5 mm in height. €750,000
Hermès Arceau Rocabar De Rire
Hermès is one of the most playful brands in high watchmaking. Once again proving this, the quiet luxury brand introduced the light-hearted Arceau Rocabar de Rire, which combines an exquisite métier d’arts dial featuring horsehair marquetry, engraving and miniature painting with a (literal) tongue-incheek mechanical automaton: when the owner pushes an “on-demand” button on the case at 9 o’clock, a spring in the movement forces the illustrated horse to stick out its tongue. It comes in a 41 mm white gold case on—what else?—an Hermès alligator-skin strap in a 12-piece limited edition. €168,000
Chopard L’heure Du Diamant Moonphase
The moonphase plays a leading role on Chopard’s L’Heure du Diamant Moonphase, a mechanical wristwatch that revels in the romantic ideas conjured by the combination of large, flawless diamonds, a mysteriously glittering aventurine dial, and the phase of the Moon. This is the first time that a complication has graced the beautiful L’Heure du Diamant collection, characterised by crownsetting the gemstones on the bezel and lugs, a technique that allows more light than usual to pass through them thanks to V-shaped prongs developed by Karl Scheufele in the 1960s (father of current co-president siblings Karl-Friedrich and Caroline Scheufele). €111,500
Independent watchmakers
Among the indie watchmakers present at Watches & Wonders, Christiaan van der Klaauw and Grönefeld particularly stood out with their Grand Planetarium Eccentric Meteorite and 1944 Tanfana timepieces. They’re both adorned with aventurine dials, but the similarities between these two watches end there.
The Grand Planetarium Eccentric Meteorite, crafted to honour the 50th anniversary of this maker’s foundation, is the first wristwatch—and the first and as yet only mechanical timepiece—to contain a complete working planetarium displaying the orbits of all eight planets in our solar system, plus the Moon. Housed in a 44 mm meteorite case, is powered by a dazzling automatic movement that reflects the out-of-this-world nature of this masterpiece (price upon request).
The 1944 Tanfana (€118,000) was inspired by the mother of brothers Bart and Tim Grönefeld (“1944” references Antoinette Grönefeld’s birth year), though the watch’s name comes from the site of a former temple where “Tanfana”, a goddess, once stood—she is considered a guardian of peace and harmony. The intricate design of the 37.5 mm red gold case is traced by 233 brilliant-cut diamonds, and the crown is beautifully topped off with an aventurine cabochon. But the real stunner here is the automatic Calibre G-06, containing numerous examples of the third-generation watchmaker’s no-compromise approach to high horology.
