The Year’s First Big Batch of Watch Releases Shows an Unexpected Chronograph Trend

Today kicks off the sixth iteration of LVMH Watch Week, an event where the watch brands of LVMH — which include Hublot, TAG Heuer, Zenith and more — release a glut of new timepieces to start the new year.

In terms of brands involved, this year’s event is LVMH’s biggest yet, as the luxury conglomerate continues to flex its muscles as it looks to gain market share against larger rivals Swatch Group — parent of Omega, Longines, Blancpain, etc. — and Richemont, which owns brands like IWC, Cartier and Vacheron Constantin.

While unable to attend this year’s event in person — originally planned for Los Angeles, it was scaled down to scattered showings in New York and Paris due to the recent L.A. wildfires — I have reviewed all of the new releases and have come away with a pretty clear trend for 2025.

TAG Heuer

2025: The Year of the Colorful Chronograph

Many of LVMH’s watch brands double as jewelry brands or trade almost exclusively and dress watches, and as such, the new releases from Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta all skew in that direction — no big surprises there.

But it’s in the releases from the conglomerate’s trio of sports watch brands — Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith — where I noticed see a clear trend forming, as all three brands have launched new chronographs with an emphasis on bright, head-turning colors.

Hublot

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer has the most new models of any brand at LVMH Watch Week this year, and almost all of them are chronographs. The most popular, almost certainly, will be the latest addition to the brand’s fan-favorite Carrera Chronograph “Glassbox” line.

TAG has added a deep purple color to the Glassbox, with both its standard chronograph and chronograph tourbillon sporting new dials in a smoked purple sunburst with black subdials. The color is both daring and beautiful, and it’s instantly become my favorite shade for the Glassbox. It’s just a stunner.

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph “Glassbox” Purple

Specs

Case Size	39mm
Movement	TAG Heuer Cal. TH20-00 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	100m

• $6,650 at TAG Heuer

Hublot

Hublot is no stranger to bright colors, and this year the brand is launching both a brightly colored chronograph and a near-neon tourbillon.

The brand has launched three new ceramic colorways for its Spirit of Big Bang Chronograph: Sand Beige, Dark Green and Sky Blue. The first two are rather demure, but the latter certainly is not. Its ceramic case, rubber strap, hands, indices, subdials and minute track are all dressed up in an identical shade of light blue, making the watch easy to spot from a mile away.

Hublot

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Chronograph Sky Blue Ceramic

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Hublot Cal. HUB4700 automatic chronograph (Zenith base)
Water Resistance	100m

• $27,400 at Hublot

Also worth mentioning for the color, even though it isn’t a chronograph, is the new Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Green Saxem. Saxem is an artificial material created by Hublot that is nearly indistinguishable from sapphire in appearance and scratch resistance but can be produced in more vivid colors, like this neon green.

Hublot

Hublot has previously produced a handful of other watches with green Saxem cases, including two chronographs, and they’re among the most colorful watches one can buy anywhere.

Zenith

While TAG Heuer used its dial to display its bold color choice and Hublot focused more on the case and strap, Zenith has turned to the bezel to showcase some color — ok, a lot of color — on its showstopping Chronomaster Sport Rainbow.

Reminiscent of the iconic and divisive Rolex “Rainbow” Daytona references, Zenith’s flashy new chronograph features an 18k white gold case and bracelet with a black lacquer dial featuring the brand’s iconic tri-color subdials.

Zenith

Surrounding the dial is a rainbow-colored gem-set bezel containing 40 sapphires in 10 different colors, matched by sapphire hour markers on the dial. The bezel also features 10 diamonds to mark the 10-second rotation of the high-beat El Primero 3600 movement, making this a rare rainbow bezel that’s actually somewhat functional.

For my money — all $112,100 SRP’s worth — this is the most stunning watch of LVMH Watch Week.

Zenith

Zenith Chronomaster Sport Rainbow

Specs

Case Size	41mm
Movement	Zenith El Primero 3600 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	100m

• $112,100 at Zenith

It’s Not Just LVMH

We’re only three weeks into 2025, and there are already several new covetable colorful chronographs — and not just from LVMH brands, either.

Cortina Watch

Late last week, Breitling launched a striking purple dial Navitimer as a limited release for Asian watch retailer Cortina Watch. Also last week, Tudor practically broke the internet with its new “Flamingo Blue” Black Bay Chrono.

With a bright teal dial reminiscent of iconic Tiffany Blue, the chronograph from Rolex’s sister brand has been turning many heads and may ultimately go down as the watch that kicked off the colorful chronograph trend of 2025.

Tudor

Considering that the hottest chronograph of 2024 was arguably a white Omega Speedmaster, with its defining trait being a literal absence of color, this new shift in style is somewhat surprising but also shows just how quickly the winds can change in the watch industry.

I can’t say with any certainty what the rest of the year holds, but I won’t be shocked if more iconic chronographs — like the Speedy, IWC Portugieser or even the Rolex Daytona — launch new references in some shockingly flamboyant colors.

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