The Ones to Watch from Watches and Wonders 2025
Words by
Lisa Barnard
11th July 2025
Watches & Wonders Geneva is the top global gathering where novelties are presented to the world by the leading fine watch brands. SPHERE’s Lisa Barnard visited the salon and shares Part One of her highlights for 2025 from a dazzling array
Rolex Land-Dweller was the most talked about launch at Watches & Wonders this year. The completely new Oyster is inspired by vintage watches. With no specific complications other than a date, the standout element is the design, with a barrel-shaped Oyster middle case and a seamlessly integrated bracelet. At the core lies the new calibre 7135, a self-winding movement and its innovative, unprecedented escapement, the Dynapulse. The dial features a laser-etched honeycomb motif, adding depth and texture. Presented as a collection of 12 references and encased in a 40mm Oystersteel case, the Land-Dweller comes in three metals: platinum, rose gold and Rolesor (steel and white gold). After seven years in development and as the basis for just 32 patents, this model is worth dwelling on.
VACHERON CONSTANTIN LES CABINOTIERS SOLARIA ULTRA-GRAND COMPLICATION
Vacheron Constantin has done it again. Marking the Maison’s 270th anniversary, this made-to-order timepiece in Les Cabinotiers range, Les Cabinotiers Solari, breaks the record for the most complicated wristwatch. After eight years of development, an astonishing 41 complications are compactly contained within its 45mm white gold case, just under 15mm thick. At its core lies the new calibre 3655, comprising 1,521 components and protected by 13 patents. Notably, it introduces a world-first celestial tracking mechanism, alongside five chiming complications and 14 astronomical functions, including solar and sidereal time, and a Westminster minute repeater with four gongs and hammers creating a chiming sound. This will take you back to the Nine O’clock News. Complexity extends to the double-faced design, showcasing a rotating Earth dome with celestial maps, orchestrating a cosmic ballet of time on the wrist. True to its reputation for high-complication watch-making, Vacheron has knocked it out of the park… again.
CARTIER TANK À GUICHETS
Cartier is the undisputed master in reviving classics. It never fails to deliver and delight. This year, it has reintroduced the Tank à Guichets, a design that first captivated its audience in 1928. Guichet translates from French as “ticket window”, a reference to the hour and minute apertures on its discreet brushed case. Also known as “trench watch”, it was popular with soldiers. This watch is completely distinctive. It essentially has no dial, apart from the two small apertures which display the time, with a jumping hour at 12 o’clock and a dragging minute at 6 o’clock. The case is offered in yellow gold, rose gold or platinum, and maintains its predecessor’s elegant, slim proportions. It’s not just about aesthetics; it has a new movement, the manual-winding calibre 9755 MC, ensuring precision and reliability. Nearly a 100 years on, the new Tank à Guichets sums up Cartier’s ethos, honouring its heritage while introducing a mechanical complication that remains surprisingly modern. The cleverly conceived Tank à Guichets offers a tiny window with an expansive view.
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS LADY ARPELS BAL DES AMOUREUX
Romance is in the air and on dial. Van Cleef & Arpels has waltzed in with this enchanting piece of horology, adding to its track record of “poetic complications”. The stage is set on the dial, a scene where two besotted figures — one marking hours, the other minutes — frolic towards each other, meeting precisely at noon or midnight. It’s whimsical and delightful to behold, executed with Van Cleef’s typical meticulous detailing: enamel, miniature painting and gem-setting all contribute to its layered craftsmanship. For those, such as myself, who lack patience, the automaton can be activated on demand, setting the figures in motion when it takes your fancy. Housed in a 38mm white gold case set with diamonds, the watch is part of the brand’s high-art Extraordinary Objects collection. While the face is a scenic marvel, the draw is the precision engineering and craftsmanship — a mechanical love tale illuminated by moonlight.
ZENITH CALIBRE 135 GFJ
Blue is the colour! You may not be a Chelsea fan, but you cannot fail to be smitten by Zenith’s Calibre 135 GFJ, the spectacular launch to mark Zenith’s 160th anniversary. The new GFJ pays tribute to the founder (named after his initials) and the original Calibre 135 — a fabled 1950s movement which won numerous awards in its day for its precision in chronometry. “Blue” doesn’t do the dial’s hue justice – it’s a vivid, mesmerising lapis lazuli, set off by a subdial in iridescent mother-of-pearl, and an outer ring in deep, guilloché metal. This modern interpretation retains signature features, such as the oversized balance wheel and the offset centre wheel. It’s transformed by modern enhancements, including a high- tech version of the calibre 135, a 72-hour power reserve and a new gear train reducing energy loss. The platinum case and white gold hour markers and hands contrast against the deep blue of the lapis, evoking a starry sky. After 160 years, GFJ lives on in name and reputation.
TAG HEUER FORMULA 1
TAG Heuer enters the fast lane. As part of LVMH’s 10-year contract to sponsor Formula 1 (possibly the most generous sponsorship in history), TAG Heuer is in pole position to launch its sporty Formula 1 collection. It’s popping with colour, reflecting F1 livery, and harks back to the original Formula 1 watch from the 1980s, also on display at Watches & Wonders. There will be limited ranges for individual Grand Prix. TAG Heuer distils the speed and precision of motorsport into a watch built for everyday performance. The 41mm fine-brushed steel case and unidirectional bezel are designed for durability and functionality, with water resistance up to 200 metres. Powered by a quartz movement, it offers precise time- keeping, essential under high pressure. The sunray brushed dial features SuperLumiNova® hands and markers for visibility — critical when timing counts. The steel bracelet’s double safety clasp and driving extension allow it to fit securely over a racing suit. It’s a tool for those who know that for both the cockpit and everyday life, accurate timing is non-negotiable.
PIAGET PINK GOLD SIXTIE
Piaget’s Sixtie transports you in a time machine back to the brand’s golden age. Wrapped in pink gold with its signature trapeze form, this gorgeous timepiece resurrects the rebellious glamour of the late 1960s. Echoing the curves of Yves Saint Laurent’s trapeze dress, the Sixtie blends asymmetry with elegance, embodying a spirit that’s instinctive, daring and unashamedly feminine. Its supple, fluid bracelet with interlaced trapeze-shaped links flows like gold-knit fabric over the wrist, catching light with every movement. A satin-finished dial, trimmed with golden baton hands and Roman numerals, adds contrast to the richly textured gadroon bezel, alluding to the iconic Piaget watch owned by Andy Warhol. This is a watch every woman would want to wear. “At Piaget, a timepiece is first and foremost a piece of jewellery,” pronounced Yves Piaget. The Sixtie picks up where that philosophy left off — shaping time with every curve and demonstrating that Piaget is the trapeze artist of all time.
PANERAI LUMINOR MARINA
Built for the deep, the Panerai Luminor Marina sails into fresh currents with its most wearable and luminous dive watch to date. Luminor was launched in 1950 for the Royal Italian navy, and today it’s an up-to-the-minute interpretation of a military dive watch for professional divers. With this iteration, Panerai has done a rare thing — upgrading technical specs and not increasing the price. Panerai is synonymous with big, and it has not compromised on the 44mm case. However, the new Luminor is not chunky: it’s 12 per cent thinner and 15 per cent lighter, and offers an impressive 500-metre water resistance, the deepest in the collection. Super-LumiNova® X2 enhances legibility by 10 per cent, helpful for submersibles as well as divers. Matched with supple straps or the new V-shaped steel bracelet, the PAM Click release system makes strap changes a cinch. Powered by the calibre P.980 movement with its 72-hour power reserve, this watch crushes the depths without missing a beat.
CHANEL J12 BLUSH CALIBRE 12.1, 38MM
Chanel Blush powders and powers the shadows and shimmers of Chanel Beauty into the Maison’s watchmaking. It’s a nod to Coco Chanel’s reinvention of beauty and the colour palette crafted by Chanel’s Makeup Creative Studio. Its camaïeu effect — a delicate gradient of pinks and reds — graces the bezel and indexes, glowing against the deep black ceramic case. Beating within is a self- winding manufacture movement, Calibre 12.1, produced by Chanel’s co-owned Swiss manufacturer, Kenissi. The matte, black-coated steel bezel and lacquered sapphire crystal ring speak to the brand’s mastery of contrasts. From the screw-down crown set with a ceramic cabochon to the triple-folding clasp securing the ceramic bracelet, every element reflects the intention of Chanel’s inventive Director of Watchmaking, Arnaud Chastaingt, to “put makeup on time to make it more beautiful.” Your blushes will be saved when you wear this watch.
