Best Watches From Watches & Wonders 2026

Talking Watches.
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1 Video View·Apr 25, 2026
So I am finally back from Geneva from Watches and Wonders
with the rest of our team.
We were on the ground the past nine to 10 days in Geneva,
got to see a lot of different watches.
And in this video, we're going to be going through
some of my personal favorites from the show.
So we have around 15 to 20 of my top watches from the show.
We're gonna look at a variety of different prices,
at least at the show, but just keeping in mind
that the show is geared towards luxury watchmaking.
So things will skew a little bit to the higher end here.
We'll look at a variety of different brands,
different styles, some more as a concept watch,
some of them being more commercially viable
for more people out there.
So going to be going through them all here today.
But also I had a full group of people with me
on the ground in Geneva for Watches and Wonders.
And we've been really working hard on putting together
this complete guide to the show.
How this works is we have a complete breakdown
of all the different brands that participated at the show
with their top models being featured
in a very easy to digest manner.
I think one of the hardest things about the show
is being able to identify what is new,
what are all the brands I need to be aware of,
who is participating?
There's just so much going on.
If that is you, you definitely want to check this out.
We put a lot of time while we were on the ground
just starting to populate this
so that you have a better understanding
of what was released at the show.
If you want to check this out, very easy to do so,
just go ahead and download it on teddybaldister.com.
And there's like two things you have to just fill out.
It's like name and email and we'll send it to you
and you're all set.
This is the first time we've ever done anything
like this covering the show.
So if you guys do enjoy it, let us know as well
because I'm really proud of what the team's able
to put together in a very short turnaround.
A lot to sift through when you're going at this show
and trying to learn what's new.
So if you want to learn more,
we put a lot of time into this and really appreciate it.
So, all right, let's kick things off
and start with a brand that you probably don't suspect
as maybe being one of the places to look,
but this was just a surprising wash release for me.
And very rarely do you see watches
at Watches and Wonders under $2,000,
but we have that here
with the Alpina Star Timer Pilot Automatic.
So this is a watch that's not going to wow you
with its mechanical excellence
and what it's bringing to the table on that front.
But if you just want a solid watch for the money,
this is where this watch was able to separate.
There's so many brands getting into like
these esoteric concepts at the show
that there are just simple types of approaches like this
that can actually resonate and leave an impression
as I was walking away.
This is a watch that retails under $1,800.
It has a diameter of 40 millimeters,
pretty reasonable thickness,
getting a hundred meters of water resistance.
So this is a rework to the Star Timer family,
more to that Pilot DNA, of course,
and then getting a Lajeux Peret based movement
on the inside, extended power reserve of 68 hours.
And then my favorite feature of this watch,
apart from just the dial texture
and what's being presented on that front,
is going to be those large lume blocks
for the hour markings.
If you look at this watch off angle,
I had this on my wrist towards the end of the show.
I think this was on the Friday of the show.
I had seen so many different watches at this point
and I just put this on and I'm like, wow,
this is a nice watch for the money.
And one that I know most people are not going to talk about,
but one that definitely left an impression
as I was walking away from the booth.
Now, last year, when we saw the release
of the Nomos Club Sport Pneumatic World Timers,
those are probably my favorite watches from the show.
It didn't matter about price point in general.
Those were just my favorite pieces at around $5,000.
Now, this year we didn't see
the limited edition options available,
but we did see one added addition
to the standard production models.
So if you recall what was presented,
you had some different limited editions last year.
You also had two standard production pieces
that were presented last April.
This year we get one additional standard production model
and this is probably one that I would say
of the three is my personal favorite.
You're getting the case dimensions
that we've come to expect.
Thickness under 10 millimeters,
case diameter of 40 millimeters
and a reasonable lug to lug of 48 millimeters
while getting that sport upside
of a hundred meters of water resistance
and getting a DOW caliber on the inside.
So all of that comes into play here
that we've recognized from this collection,
but now getting a more subdued approach.
We had all those colors last year,
maybe a bit more daring in their approach on that front.
This is more traditional NOMOS,
understated to be discovered, enough sporty upside,
but not so much so that it's going to distract
from the general presentation that this can be
as an everyday wearer.
This is one that I personally like a lot
and from the standard production pieces,
yes, it's maybe not gonna wow the same way
as some of those limited editions
with the more daring colors.
This is more straight down the middle
and one that I think many people will like.
And again, it doesn't take much to impress
when this is the general platform
that you're working off of.
The Club Sport Neomatic World Timers are simply fantastic
and maybe some of the best value
for around $5,000 in today's watchmaking.
So one of the surprises from the show
is that JLC came out with,
I guess we can call it a sports watch.
Yes, it has 50 meters of water resistance, not a hundred,
but this is a departure from the typical standard
that we see from JLC.
This is the Master Control Chronometer Series.
So at first glance, when you look at these watches,
you would think that this maybe be from another brand,
but now we're getting JLC
into the integrated bracelet game.
And some people might say it's a little bit too late
to get into this game,
but JLC, in terms of what they've done
in allowing it to differentiate and still look fantastic
and like their design style,
I think they were able to stick the landing here.
So there's a few different steps
that you can take up the ladder
when it comes to the complication on display
for the Master Controls.
First, you have the standard date version,
which is going to be pretty straightforward
as the name suggests.
Then you have the power reserve.
And I think this is my personal sweet spot
for this entire collection.
Here, you're getting a watch
that has this really nice layout
of the two horizontal displays,
one for the power reserve, one for your seconds display,
very clean, symmetrical,
and something that's a little bit different
compared to the integrated sports options out there.
This was the watch that stood out to me of the Trio
because it just felt like something
that was a bit more net new.
And I think JLC has this history with the Reserve Demarche.
They were able to incorporate this pretty seamlessly here.
Then you have the perpetual calendar,
which speaks for itself, absolutely beautiful.
This is something that JLC is a master of,
no pun intended, with the Master Control collection.
Now, these are going to have extended power reserves.
And one other interesting point to bring up
about these new JLCs
is that they are chronometer certified.
This also comes with their HPG testing.
So this is a fully cased up test as well.
So we're familiar with the thousand hour standard.
This is going to test the fully cased up element of the case
so that watch head, rather than just the movement,
chronometer certified as well with that caliber.
So a lot of new sportier upsides for this category.
We know the Polaris design,
that's always been a model
that many people have affinity towards if you're into JLC.
Where I think this separates a bit more
is I could see this bringing in the type of collector
that's never looked at the brand before.
And now has something to be attracted to.
Also, the bracelet design is going to follow form
of many of those integrated sports models
that are out there, but has its own spin.
You have this center link
that is designed like the Dauphine hand
that is going to be something
that represents many of JLC's designs,
especially in the Master Control series.
I don't think the watch world
needed a new integrated sports watch,
but JLC was a brand that I'll definitely let slide
in getting in on the party.
And I think they did a nice job
incorporating their design DNA with this genre of watch.
So at the show, you're surrounded by the impressive.
You get inundated by it so much
that you start to lose a sense of what is normal.
And I think a watch that represents this idea
better than almost anything else I saw at the show
was Ulysse Nardin Super Freak.
Yes, that name is going to be fitting for this watch.
Another aspect, I don't really like to talk
about the brand presentations
or how they're positioning themselves at the show
because I don't really care that much
about any of the spectacle
other than the watches themselves.
But UN had these walking robots going around the show
with them wearing the Super Freak outfit.
It was pretty goofy and it got your attention.
And then you go to their booth
and see the watch on display.
So this year marks the 25-year anniversary of the Freak,
which is going to be UN's leading icon.
It was a watch that transformed the watch industry
on a variety of levels.
One in pushing forward this more daring aspect
to independent watchmaking.
It was also an early adopter
of the use of silicon as a material
because that was a key aspect to that escapement design
in allowing this watch to work the way that they wanted
with that carousel.
Now here we have a massive jump in the level on display.
We have 511 components in-house for this caliber.
You have dual 10-degree incline flying tourbillons,
dual silicon oscillators.
Also, what's even more impressive
is that this is going to be run off a single barrel
and you have a differential.
It's a five millimeter differential, incredibly small,
that is going to power both of those drivetrains.
And because of that differential,
there's an interesting factor that happens here
where if one of the oscillators
is going to maybe go out of sync with the other,
maybe there's one that's subjected to shock
or some positional aspect or a change in amplitude
for one of those different tourbillons.
But with this differential and being able to recognize
one of the oscillators being off from the other,
we can actually average those two together
and allow them to come into sync once again.
Now the movement and the display is absolutely spectacular.
It actually wears like a traditional watch,
all things considered.
It is not a small watch.
And then there was one thing that really stood out to me.
All of these ball bearings,
they're on a microscopic level.
The fact that these watchmakers
were able to incorporate these ball bearings,
they had this little vial in the booth
and it was like 10,000 of these little ball bearings.
And it was like the nub of my thumb,
all of these 10,000 different ball bearings were fitting in.
So those components that I talked about earlier,
over 500 components,
these are being done on such a small level.
Unbelievable engineers at UN
and I'll give them a lot of kudos for pulling this one off.
Another cool aspect too that I didn't notice right away
was the rotating seconds disc on the tip end of the hand
where I didn't even notice that there was the running seconds
until a little bit later.
I was just so blown away
by what was mechanically happening with those two tourbillons.
So now we move along to a different tier of watchmaking
and it's cool to see this brand at the show.
The last few years,
they were not participating at Watches and Wonders.
This year they are.
You guys know I'm a huge fan of them.
Here we have Zinn.
So they introduced a new watch, a few new watches.
They came out with this Hunter complication
that was very interesting
that actually shows like the moonlight
and when you're able to actually actively hunt
because there are some laws in Germany
that prevent you from going out at certain times.
I don't know all the specifics about it,
but it was really cool to see that.
But the one that actually stood out to me the most
was more of an entry level offering for Zinn.
So we know the 104, we know the 556.
This is the 544, specifically the RS model.
So you're retailing just over $2,000 here,
38.5 millimeters and thickness of 10.1 millimeters.
You had the lug to lug pretty compact
given this unorthodox case size at 42 millimeters.
A water resistance, 200 meters to that Zinn standard.
And this is also incorporating
the automatic Selita SW200-2.
So getting that extended power reserve.
We saw Selita updating the base caliber power reserves
for their movements.
So Zinn is jumping on there and making it happen already.
So this is a case profile that's going to follow
the format of that silhouette of the case
of the 144 and the 244.
You can get this on a bracelet as well as a strap.
I personally liked it on the bracelet configuration
and you get the on-the-fly adjustment.
Another subtle little detail that you might not notice
is with the red secondhand,
it's actually going to get luminous paint.
So when you turned on your flashlight
and actually had this shining in the direction of that dial,
the red actually looked somewhat like a lightsaber.
It was pretty cool just to see in action.
It doesn't take much to get me excited
at Watches and Wonders,
but this is just a new collection from Zinn.
So notable one and one that's not going to break the bank.
I just run that $2,000 price point.
So there's a lot of hype around Tudor this year
at Watches and Wonders.
What were they going to do at the show?
And I think one thing that's important to recognize too
is that Tudor has a strategy where they release
a lot of watches at Watches and Wonders,
but then they'll do these drops throughout the year.
This is where we saw that Flamingo Blue in past years.
This is just something that they do.
They'll have bigger splashes throughout.
But one of the biggest splashes at the show
was the Tudor Monarch.
Tudor Monarch, the post that we had about this watch
had the most engagement of anything
that we posted on Instagram all week.
And it's no surprise because it's a watch
that doesn't look like a traditional Tudor,
at least that we've seen in the last 10 to 15 years
from the brand.
So what is new with this piece?
So the Monarch name is not new.
This is something that dates back in the history of Tudor,
been utilized throughout different parts of its history.
The case itself is 39 millimeters.
So something that we have seen before,
but the case in its presentation is entirely different.
Both in its finish treatment, but also its angularity.
This is unlike any other Tudor case
that I have seen in the modern catalog,
but really even in the prior catalog.
This is a very aggressive case design, very well finished.
Just the lines on the case, on the lugs, how they taper.
The side profile also even has some angularity
where on the flanks, there is a point
where both of the lugs extend out
to meet at a separate plane that sits flat
and then cuts again out to those lugs.
A lot of angles that we're dealing with here,
11.9 millimeters in thickness
and 46.2 millimeters lug to lug.
Now on the inside, you have the MT5662-2U.
And with that, you're getting small seconds
on the front of the watch.
This is a master chronometer certified watch
to go along with it.
65 hour power reserve,
getting a hundred meters of water resistance
and then getting a new bracelet into the mix.
So you have T-fit on the clasp side,
but now we have two link for the design here or H-link.
Two link, I think is the more technical way
in which they're describing this.
And you have this dark champagne color
that Tudor is calling papyrus.
It has this vertical brushing on its top
and then applied markers for the hours.
And you have a mix of Romans and Arabics
and then the Tudor shield at 12.
A couple other interesting points about this watch
that I noticed right away.
One is going to be the crown
and how flush it is to the case.
This is drastically different than most of the divers.
You're still getting a hundred meters of water resistance.
And then on the flip side,
getting a pretty nice looking movement.
Now, most Tudor movements are rather industrial.
You're not really seeing much striping and perlage
that's going forth with many of those calibers.
This one looks a significant step up and it's on display.
So you're getting a Cote de Genève finish
across the central bridges
and then perlage finishing underneath on that main plate.
Still very much an industrially finished movement,
but looks the part for its price range.
And as a step up compared to some of the other MT calibers
that you'll see out there.
So last year at Watches and Wonders,
the star of the show
in creating the most buzz and conversation
was the Landweller.
The Landweller introduced the Dynapulse Escapement,
a new revolutionary escapement concept for Rolex,
more broadly for the entire industry.
And seeing a new collection from Rolex is always a big deal.
This year was more just doubling down on the classics.
You saw the a hundred year anniversary of the Oyster case.
You saw some new iterations being brought forth
in some standard models within the Datejust family,
as well as seeing the return of the Yacht-Master II.
Those are probably some of the highlights,
but my personal favorite watch from Rolex this year,
and what was one of my favorite watches from the show,
and this is one that you had to see in person
to really appreciate.
I love this watch when I put it on.
And I did not think I was this type of guy
and I might not be this type of guy,
but when I put this on, I love this piece.
This is the Rolex Day-Date 40
with that green aventurine dial,
also getting a new gold alloy in the process.
So let's talk about what's new.
This is the Day-Date 40,
but the first thing that jumps out at me
is what they're calling their Jubilee gold.
And this is a shift in the 18 karat gold alloy.
So this is a new in-house mix for the crown.
What it's going to do is combine yellow, white,
and Everose into one.
And when seeing it on the wrist,
it's more muted in its tone.
It has more soft color saturation,
showing more of the whiter aspects of the metal.
It's still warm,
yet not as emphatic
as the traditional yellow or Everose gold.
I think this looks absolutely beautiful
and if you're somebody that's a little bit more hesitant
in sending that message
of what a Day-Date typically presents
in yellow or Everose gold,
this is gonna be a nice sweet spot
because you're getting the best of those elements
without being as showy in the process.
Then you get into the dial.
And this is where the combination of the metal
with the dial works really well.
I don't think stone dials are as novel as they once were.
We see them a lot nowadays,
but this is one that definitely had my attention.
I have this green aventurine stone
that just livens up the entire approach
and just pairs perfectly with this new alloy.
The diamond baguette hour markers are a choice,
maybe not my thing,
but I was just so in love with the combination of this case
as well as the dial
that I didn't even notice them at first.
I was just so caught off guard
in how this watch was presented
that it didn't even catch me at first,
but a beautiful watch that if you do see it in person,
I think you'll get a sense of what I'm talking about
and why I'm so excited about it.
Grand Seiko 2025 came out
with one of the watches of the year.
That was the Grand Seiko Ultra Fine Accuracy, the UFA,
plus or minus 20 seconds a year
in a new case at 37 millimeters.
So what would they do in 2026?
Well, one of the questions I had for Joe Kirk
when he was unveiling the UFA last year was,
okay, smaller caliber,
maybe we can incorporate new complications
or different styles of watches at a smaller case size
than what we've seen before from Grand Seiko.
And one of the first places I was thinking
when asking that question is,
maybe there can be a new diver from Grand Seiko
at a smaller case size.
Well, a year later, we didn't have to wait long.
We saw the UFA diver getting the treatment in a new case,
a 40.8 millimeter case size.
So more of a midsize dive watch at 40 millimeters,
lug to lug around that 48 millimeter range,
a thickness under 13 millimeters
and getting the UFA caliber on the inside
with plus or minus 20 seconds a year in accuracy
with two different dials.
So you're calling these the Ushio 300s.
You have a blue and a green dial,
300 meters of water resistance in the process.
And then also in addition,
getting on the fly adjustment in the clasp.
This is going to also make some improvements
to the clasp mechanism too.
You're getting a diver extension as part of the clasp.
And in addition, a lock and unlock feature
and a small little indication
that will tell you whether lock unlocked
on that Grand Seiko logo side opposite of that extension.
And then on the fly adjustment without the need of tools,
titanium case construction,
beautiful unidirectional bezel with nice action
and a ceramic bezel insert.
And I'm pretty conflicted on which one I like more.
I went like originally just grabbed the green
because that was the watch that just jumped out at me
because green dive watches from Grand Seiko
is not something that I'm used to.
But blue is maybe the more suitable for everyday wear,
but you know, it's tough.
It's hard to pick out what your favorite is
between these two.
These are certainly stars of the show
and one that I think is going to make
many Grand Seiko enthusiasts happy
getting the UFA accuracy in a dive watch
finally at that 40-ish millimeter range.
So when I was driving around Watches and Wonders,
I took a few Ubers throughout the week
and there was this ad that I kept getting
and it was a little bit unfair
because this was one of my favorite watches at the show
and it kept just popping up
when I would order an Uber on my phone
and I would just see like this beautiful watch sitting there
and this was one that when I tried it on my wrist,
it just was unbelievable.
This is the Cartier Santos Dumont in platinum.
Now this is a watch that is going to honor
the Santos Dumont name and its lineage,
now getting a pretty conventional size
for those classic wearing dimensions
and then on the inside getting the caliber 430MC.
This is an ultra thin hand wound movement.
It's 2.15 millimeters thick for that movement.
It's derived from the Piaget 430P
and in platinum, that's my preference.
It did come in some different metals,
but this one just was perfect on my wrist.
The bracelet is probably the star of the show.
It features 394 individual links.
It's spread across a row of 15 links from east to west
with the bracelet being 1.15 millimeters thick.
Now for context,
the thickness of a US quarter is 1.75 millimeters.
So that might give you a sense
of how thin this bracelet is when you put it on.
It feels like a woven fabric strap.
It doesn't even feel like a metal bracelet
or a precious metal bracelet at that.
It just feels incredible.
And if you just run your finger underneath,
sorry, I'm talking romantically
about how much I like this bracelet.
I'm not that sick, I promise.
But this was an impressive watch when you put this on.
Then you get that ruby cabochon topping off the package.
Works really well with the platinum case.
I think that's where it complements the most
and was one of my personal favorite watches from the show.
It was one that when you put it on, it was just special.
So Tag Heuer was all about the Monaco this year.
So the Evergraph was going to be
probably the main talking point.
It's more of a halo product for the brand,
but pretty interesting
because it allowed a new mechanism for the chronograph.
So it has this flexible mechanism,
more like this elastic body that allows a snappy motion
with less friction compared to traditional hammers,
heart cams, and a column wheel
to allow that start, stop, reset.
But the one I want to actually focus on
is something a little bit more straightforward.
It's a 39 millimeter Monaco in grade five titanium.
Now, one of my challenges whenever trying on a Monaco
is I've always loved the case silhouette.
It's one of the icons of watchmaking
and probably the most important watch
that Heuer ever created.
Now, some might say the Carrera.
I think the Monaco is their icon.
But when you try one of these watches on,
you can be surprised about how that case size
will present on the wrist.
It's not a small watch by any means,
but now with titanium,
it just creates an entirely different presentation
on the wrist and just feels so much better.
On the inside, you have the TH20-11.
So this is an 80 hour power reserve, four Hertz movement.
This is really returning to those 1969 roots
in terms of its presentation and looks.
All that Steve McQueen cool,
nine o'clock crown position,
making the purist happy in that regard
and incredibly wearable with that titanium construction.
This is one, not necessarily anything entirely new,
but a watch that presents incredibly well
when looking at it in titanium.
So it's been a few years
since Vacheron really went at the overseas collection
at Watches and Wonders.
We saw a variety of different pieces this year.
One was going to be the ultra thin overseas
at 39 millimeters, beautiful in platinum.
But then in addition, the Vacheron overseas dual time,
this is known as the cardinal points.
So what that's referring to is four different colorways
with this dual time aesthetic.
So you get 41 millimeter diameter,
12.2 millimeters in thickness,
a reasonable lug to lug,
but still pretty large sizable watch
and 150 meters of water resistance.
On the inside, getting the dual time caliber, the 5110.
Geneva seal movement on the inside,
dual time zone, AM, PM, home indicator,
60 hour power reserve with that 22 carat gold rotor.
And then you're getting that grade five
titanium case and bracelet,
emphasizing that lightness and utility
while the overseas platform
maintains that integrated luxury sport identity
with that high horology finishing standard.
So four different colorways
aiming to represent the four cardinal directions.
So South, you get the brown,
North, you get white,
East, blue, and green, West.
Now, 2019, they came out with the prototype model
worn on the wrist of adventure photographer,
Corey Richards.
This extends that general premise now
into some different colorways.
That orange color complements the entire range,
works with every dial color,
with the pusher on the case side,
making it easy for setting during travel.
I don't know which one was my favorite.
It was probably between the brown and the green actually,
just because those felt like net new propositions
from the brand.
So I've always been a massive fan of the Octo Finissimo
and something that was always a bummer
when I tried it on for the first time
was just how the watch wore.
It's not to say that it was not a phenomenal watch.
It was just for my wrist size,
I could never pull it off
and I just had to accept that reality.
There are certain watches out there
that just don't feel right when you put them on the wrist.
That has now changed with the Octo Finissimo 37.
This is a complete redesign
of how this watch is going to wear.
If you look at the proportions of the 40 millimeter case,
it can feel a bit off if you're not used to it
and if you don't have the wrist to make it happen
and I was one of those people.
But now with the 37 millimeter case,
a 6.45 thickness and then a lug to lug
around 45 millimeters, give or take,
this is a completely new idea.
So in 2014, Bulgari came out with the Octo Finissimo.
It's one of the most novel designs
of 21st century watchmaking.
You have a 72 hour power reserve
running on 21,600 vibrations per hour
with a platinum micro rotor
and that radial Cote de Genève finish.
The entire movement architecture is built
for having more of a compressed case design
so it's going to remain thin.
You have a titanium sandblasted case
with an integrated bracelet design
and creates that seamless industrial
monochrome design language,
where the case and bracelet are structurally continuous
rather than separate components.
And the caliber is pretty nice looking
with that micro rotor movement,
the automatic BVF 100.
So brands are always looking out for anniversaries.
This is always their opportunity
to show some love to an iconic design of their past
and IWC had a lot of anniversaries this year,
two notable ones.
One was with the Ingenieur in 1976,
now celebrating 50 years of that model family.
But another relationship that they wanted to celebrate
was the La Petite Prince series.
That started in 2006 and we saw a variety of updates,
36 millimeter case, the 40 millimeter Mark 20,
we saw a 41 and 43 millimeter Pilot Perpetual Calendar.
My personal favorite though,
was the ceramic 41.9 millimeter case
but getting this striking blue dial.
So the blue is going to change
across what model you're looking at from IWC
in the La Petite Prince collection.
The ceramic case here has more of this
striking petroleum like blue
with the sunbrush to finish that just looks spectacular.
You're getting a hundred meters of water resistance
and the caliber is the 69381,
which is a calomele chronograph
and also getting the Paul winding system
that is famous from IWC.
But I liked all the La Petite Prince collection
but the fusion of the high contrast white markers
on the dial with the white ceramic case
with this striking blue,
very cohesive in its presentation.
So my favorite booth to go to every single year
at Watches and Wonders, you might not suspect it.
It's probably Parmigiani out of all the brands out there.
And it's just because they always throw
in the unexpected every single year.
And I remember going to my first Watches and Wonders,
I think this was my first Watches and Wonders in 2022.
And I saw the watch known as the DMT RetroPunch
from the Time to PF collection.
It was absolutely stunning, took me by surprise.
I did not expect that watch to be as good as it was.
And then the following year,
they came out with the Minute RetroPunch,
which took this similar concept.
And this is just an idea that they bring forth,
which is basically how can you bring complication
and complexity to a watch design,
but then with the press of a button,
be able to hide it, to have this understated elegance.
So how can you fuse those ideas?
Complication while having this elegance
and understated nature in the process.
Well, we saw the culmination of that this year in 2026
with a new watch from the brand.
This is known as the Time to PF Mysterious Chronograph.
So what is this watch?
How does it work?
It is similar in many ways to the Minute RetroPunch
as well as the GMT RetroPunch.
But now we're bringing in a chronograph.
And one thing that I think we need to express
is that chronographs are inherently
one of the most complicated complications
to work on as a manufacturer.
So what is being presented here
is unlike any other chronograph
that I have seen before in this design.
So similar to the previous models,
you have your standard crown at three o'clock,
but this one does not have a pusher.
So it's a different effect here.
Instead, we just have a pusher on the left side of the case
right around that eight o'clock position.
And in sequence,
you're able to activate the RetroPunch.
So how this works, this piece has five hands.
And when in standard time telling mode,
you will only see three.
So you have a running seconds hand,
an hour hand, and a minute hand.
But then press the pusher at eight,
and then you'll see the three top hands
jump to activate the chronograph.
So you now have your running seconds for the chronograph,
and then you'll have your hour and minutes
jumping to 12 o'clock
to start that chronograph timing mechanism
for the hours and minutes.
And then as those leave,
you'll see in their place,
two golden hour and minute hands
to ensure that you still have the proper time
for where you're at locally.
From there, you can press the button again
to stop and again, reset.
With the hour and the minute hands jumping back,
overplace the top of those hour and minutes,
those golden hour and minutes,
so that everything is back
to a traditional three-hand display
without having a chronograph running.
This is one of the coolest executions
of a chronograph I have seen,
and one of the stars of the show from Watches & Wonders.
I always love what Parmigiani's doing.
And then in addition for this model,
you're getting a hundred meters of water resistance
because there's not that pusher on the crown
like in previous RetroPunch series.
And another important point to bring up
about this model compared to previous RetroPunch
in that series is that this is gonna have
a hundred meters of water resistance
because it does not have that pusher on the crown.
So you have better ceiling for that crown at three o'clock.
So it was before my time in the nineties.
I believe this came out actually in the late eighties,
but Reebok came out with a sneaker
known as the Pump Series.
I think it was Dee Brown that wore these back in the day
and some other different NBA players,
but these were ones that just became part of nineties culture
but you would never suspect that there would be
that aspect of shoe and NBA culture
being infused with a high horology watchmaker.
But if you had to make a guess on who would be the brand
that would do this,
Moser's probably the best guess that you can have.
They're known for this more playful demeanor
in approach to their watchmaking.
They're not afraid to take a risk.
And I think adding a Reebok pump like mechanism
to the winding system is probably as daring
as you'll come across in the industry.
So this is the Moser Streamliner Pump Series.
It's a 40 millimeter case and how this watch works.
So basically you have this protrusion
at the eight o'clock position,
which is going to of course,
mirror that pump style pusher
that is going to be found in those classic sneakers.
Now on the inside of the HMC 103 caliber
with 74 hours of power reserve
and how this watch is able to be wound
is by pressing the pump,
you can wind the main spring on the inside.
So according to Moser,
each press will power the reserve one hour
with an anodized aluminum pusher
that transmits the energy of each press
directly to the barrel spring.
Now this is going to activate the power reserve
that you're going to see on the dial.
It's like this little arc
and it's going to deliver that
so that that reserve will then power up
and it's going to have a matching color in orange
to that pump design.
So again, Moser delivering on just this refreshing take
on watchmaking where it's an industry
that takes itself too seriously.
Moser proving again,
that you can still produce a phenomenal watch
without taking yourself that seriously.
Now last year,
one of my favorite watches from the show
was the Zenith GFJ.
We saw that being released with that lapis dial,
mother of pearl elements as well,
being added to that dial,
but a simply beautiful execution.
Looking back to that caliber 135
that was famous for winning many chronometer trials
in the mid 20th century.
Well, this year we have two new options in the GFJ family.
One is going to be in yellow gold with a Jasper stone dial,
and then a tantalum case with an onyx black central stone.
Looks stunning in practice
in the combination of the metal hue with the onyx.
This was one that really stood out initially.
So that GFJ was honoring the founder of Zenith.
It was Georges-Fabre Jacot.
And this was a caliber that was famous
for winning all these observatory chronometer trials
with many, many prizes
and beating out many of the leading names of that era.
And a big reason for that
was its architectural design with the movement.
And this is going to bring that same architectural feel
and look into the 21st century.
So you have this massive, massive balance wheel,
around 14 millimeters in width.
So that's like around half the movement diameter.
You just flip this case back around
and you just see this giant balance wheel,
which is gonna help with the stability of that oscillator
with that balance inertia.
Now, two different cases.
You again, have that yellow gold with the Jasper stone
and then the tantalum with the onyx center.
There also is a bracelet for the Jasper dial version.
If you recall from last year
and what was available with the GFJ,
you have this fine link bracelet
that can also be activated here for this particular model
that will add to the price and positioning of that piece
as the bracelet costs about as much as the watch.
But I really love the GFJ.
I like this direction for the brand.
Yes, they're more of this aspirational halo product
for them, but it goes and recognizes a part
of Zenith's history that many people are not as aware of.
So now we look at Lange and for this year,
many people were looking at the Lange 1 Tourbillon Lumen.
Whenever there's a Lumen, people just go crazy
and I understand why those watches are spectacular
and it tends to get the most attention.
But for my personal taste,
I actually enjoyed the new Saxonia annual calendars.
At 36 millimeter, you have a pink gold
and a white gold option to go for.
Now launched back in 2010, the annual calendar series
from the Saxonia range is a sleeper favorite from Lange.
This received some new downsized case treatment.
You're getting a 36 millimeter diameter
in 9.8 millimeters in thickness.
And then you're also getting a moon phase
that only needs one correction every 122.6 years.
Now the caliber is new as well.
So you have an L207.1 making all the proceedings possible.
It's comprised of 491 components,
operates at a reasonable frequency
of 21,600 vibrations per hour,
giving that old school feel of Glashutte.
60 hours of power reserve off of that frequency.
Have all the finishing bells and whistles
that we come to expect from Lange
with the engraved balance cock.
You have a swan neck regulator, platinum rotor,
and gold chatons and the beautiful Glashutte ribbing
across the bridges.
Now this is presenting as one of the smallest watches
Lange now makes and is gonna be for those
that prefer just classing wearing dimensions
all while adding the improved complication.
And that's the big point,
adding complication to the package,
making this 36 millimeter that much more impressive.
So of all the brands at the show this year
in demonstrating variety to the highest level,
I think the honor for the best in show in that regard
has to go to Patek Philippe.
And the reason being is just the sheer amount
of different pockets that they were specializing in.
And it wasn't just one watch that was a hero.
They had so many different pieces
that they unveiled this year.
You saw a new 5270s with some dials
that were absolutely stunning.
You have the 5227G with that rose gilt opaline dial.
I've always loved that dial design
with the 6196 that was released last year.
I think the Calatrava range is starting to really improve
and feel like of this 21st century approach
to the Calatrava,
which is all about classic watchmaking.
And then you have the Nautilus Anniversary
at 38 millimeters getting this ultra thin case,
so thin that they actually had to change
where the little diamond indicator
for the platinum case was gonna be situated.
So they actually put it on the side of the case
rather than on the six o'clock side of the case.
But at 38 millimeters,
one of the best tributes
that I have seen in the last five years.
And then they released the reference 5249R
with the crow and the fox fable being at the center.
So you have a piece of cheese on a retrograde hand.
I mean, you can't make this stuff up.
There was a lot of variety coming out of Patek this year,
but the one that probably was the most impressive
was the new Celestial Sunrise and Sunset.
This is the 6105G-001.
So this is their first wristwatch
to display sunrise and sunset times.
I was able to actually get a sense of handling this watch,
seeing the presentation of how it actually works.
And so what they have here,
if you're familiar with the Celestial,
similar in the regard of having this full sky chart
showing the night sky as seen above Geneva.
Then also I have moon phase measurements,
lunar orbit, and the sidereal time.
And that full sapphire dial will make all of this apparent
for the display here.
But probably the main area to focus on
is that sunrise and sunset time
that are displayed perfectly opposed to one another
on opposite sides of that dial.
Now, what was really clever
is that Patek lined up the outer date wheel
to double as the sunrise and sunset time indicator.
So what they did was they shifted the 31-day scale
slightly to be offset.
It doesn't throw off your eye.
If anything, it actually improves the symmetry of the dial.
So you'll notice that the scales on both sides
will be symmetrically nearing each other
while also allowing the corresponding hands
for the sunrise and sunset times
to be able to present both of those
at different times of the year.
So there's a pretty genius way to go about this
while incorporating that date into that scale
to add double utility in that function.
Then one other final factor
that was an inclusion to the presentation
was a quick set function
for factoring in daylight savings time.
So if that happens,
you have the ability as an owner
to be able to do that whenever needed.
But all right, guys, that is my video here
looking at the top watches from Watches & Wonders 2026.
Overall, nice show.
I would say a little bit more understated
in the wow factor of presentation for many of the brands.
It was more of a back-to-the-basics type of approach
for many brands, like what's working?
Let's double down on what's working.
It's not about taking these daring risks in watch design.
That was just my general feel when being on the ground.
There was a little bit less like fervor
in some of the watch releases.
It was more about just practical releases
from many of these brands on what's working.
But what did you guys think
of Watches & Wonders this year?
Also, if you've not checked out the different models
that were released outside of what was talked about here,
these are just some of my personal favorites.
Highly recommend that helpful guide that we put together
looking at all the different brands that participated.
This is just scratching the surface.
There's just so much to discover.
If you guys enjoyed this video,
please give it a thumbs up, subscribe,
hit the bell icon.
Really do appreciate that as well.
And if you had to pick one single watch from the show
as your personal favorite, what would it be?
Leave a comment down below.
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a full factory warranty for all the products that we offer.
And if there's anything specific that you saw at the show
that you wanted to take a look at or purchase,
feel free to reach out to us.
If we do represent any of those brands,
be happy to help you out.
Probably live chat's the best way.
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So feel free to send us a message there
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and help you out for availability of that product.
But guys, thank you again so much for watching.
Be well, and I'll see you all very soon.
