Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more
Every year, the who’s who of horology converges at Watches and Wonders Geneva, where Rolex, Patek Philippe and dozens of brands in-between announce their most anticipated novelties of the year.
Few attendees would disagree with the year’s biggest launches, which dominate headlines and roundups, including Gear Patrol‘s own. However, they make up a small percentage of the total mix, and they don’t always represent the cutting edge of luxury watchmaking.
Our team was on the ground at this year’s Watches and Wonders Geneva, getting hands on with more novelties than we can count. Here are the watches that won our editors’ hearts — and wrists.
An underrated sports watch masterfully merges the dark with the light(weight)
Chopard
Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 SL Cadence 8HF
Chopard’s Alpine Eagle collection is fast becoming one of the most diverse sports watch lineups of any brand, and the third iteration of its Cadence 8HF variation is its most distinct yet. Like the two previous versions, the third generation features a high-frequency automatic movement beating at a screaming 8Hz and a titanium case, but that’s about where the similarities end. The titanium case has now been ceramicized, resulting in a tougher material nearly impervious to scratches. The crown, dial and movement are also made of the same material, helping to make this Chopard’s lightest watch ever. The line’s signature “eagle iris” dial pattern remains, here executed in “Pitch Black” and accompanied by bright orange accents. An integrated rubber strap in matte black to match the bead-blasted case completes the stealthy look.
Frederick Constant released its first perpetual calendar in 2016 with a 42mm case and a friendly price of under $8,000. After nine years of service, the Swiss watchmaker updated the Perpetual Calendar Manufacture with a 40mm case, following the industry trend toward smaller cases. For such a complex complication, a shrunken case requires a completely new movement, which comes in the form of the in-house caliber FC-776. It has 203 individual parts to support day, date, month, year and moon phase dial registers, along with a 72-hour power reserve. The dial sports a light redesign with a salmon-colored radial sunray brush texture, polished Dauphine hands and pointed applied indices. It comes on a brown genuine crocodile leather strap with a pin-buckle.
Specs
Case Size
40mm
Movement
Frederique Constant Cal. FC-776 automatic perpetual calendar and moonphase
FC’s sub-$10,000 perpetual calendar now comes in 40mm, with a beautiful salmon dial to boot.Ben Bowers for Gear Patrol
Grand Seiko takes a big swing with its most radical and outlandish design ever
Grand Seiko
Grand Seiko Tokyo Lion Tentagraph SLGC009
Few brands exude quiet luxury like Grand Seiko, where Zaratsu polishing and subtly textured dials give its watches an understated elegance. That makes the new Tokyo Lion Tentagraph SLGC009 even more notable. Powered by Grand Seiko’s 9SC5 caliber, the watch distinguishes itself with its angular case (first seen on the SBGA403 from 2019) and unique dial pattern and color — a trio of inspired by the mane of a lion.
There’s a lot going on with Seiko’s wild Tokyo Lion Tentagraph — even the rubber strap is faceted.Ben Bowers for Gear Patrol
Two of the year’s hottest trends come together in a minimalist watch with maximalist appeal
H. Moser & Cie.
H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Pop
H. Moser & Cie. manages to merge watchmaking’s two hottest trends in 2025 — bright colors and natural stone dials — into one stunning collection. The Pop Collection features pairings of six different brightly colored stones in a trio of complications on its Endeavour dress watch: small seconds, tourbillon, and tourbillon minute repeater. All will grab your attention, but the Tourbillon makes the best use of its colors, thanks to a ring around the dial that’s broken up by the tourbillon window. Seen here with a tourquise dial holding a cut coral ring, the stunning use of color stands in sharp contrast to the complex movement of the tourbillon, creating a watch with maximum visual interest despite its otherwise minimalist leanings.
A decidedly fresh take on a modern classic that overdoses on an unexpected shade
Hublot
Hublot Big Bang Unico Mint Green Ceramic
Part of Hublot’s wide-ranging collection of watches celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Big Bang, this version of the brand’s Unico chronograph boasts a 42mm case in mint green ceramic and a rubber strap equipped with the brand’s superb One-Click quick-exchange system. It’s the first Hublot watch to feature ceramic in this shade of mint green, with the fetching color perfectly matched on the skeletonized dial, hands, rubber strap and even on the clasp’s Hublot wordmark. The watch is, in a word, “fresh.”
Hublot’s minty take on the Big Bang Unico is both bold and beautiful.Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol
IWC updates its iconic sports watch in the classiest way imaginable
IWC
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 35 Rose Gold
In 2023, IWC generated some buzz when it launched the Ingenieur Automatic 40, an updated take on Gérald Genta’s iconic integrated sports watch design. Only available in time-and-date configurations with stainless steel or titanium cases, the Ingenieuer receives a major expansion in 2025 with new sizes, new materials, new dial colors and new complications. The entire line is intriguing, but the standout is arguably this 35mm version in 5N rose gold. The combination of the more compact case size with the luxe material makes this the classiest Ingenieur yet, and the matching gold dial and sapphire caseback only add to its charms.
Smaller, flashier and just as stylish as the original, IWC’s 35mm offering in rose gold may be the Ingenieur to get.Photo by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol
JLC conjures up a stunning and unexpected reinvention of its most recognizable watch
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds
The most elegant presentation of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Tribute dial, which is based on the dial of the first Reverso from 1931, is the Monoface in full 18-karat pink gold. The case, grained dial, applied hour markers, hands and Milanese mesh bracelet are all made from the rose-hued precious metal. True to the original design, the reverse side is a flat plate ideal for personalized engraving. The strikingly thin 7.5mm thick case holds an in-house hand-wound movement that beats at 21,600 vibrations per minute.
A monochromatic gold look and a new milanese bracelet make the nearly-century-old Reverso feel like a brand-new watch.Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol
One of the industry’s most legitimate sports watches somehow gets even more athletic
Norqain
Norqain Wild One Skeleton 39
This smaller version of Norqain’s flagship sports watch is just as rugged as its big brother but is three mm smaller across the case and even lighter at 64 grams, meaning it’s better suited to a wider variety of wrists. The complex 25-part case is made primarily from Norteq, the brand’s proprietary carbon fiber composite, and features a BIWI-made rubber shock absorber and titanium movement holder for heightened protection. Like the original Wild One Skeleton, the 39 is available in a range of fun, bright colors, including Sky Blue, Hyper Pink, Purple Ice Blue and Mint.
Smaller and lighter than before, one of the few sports watches suited for actual athletic competition is more capable than ever.Ben Bowers for Gear Patrol
An incredibly elegant and sparse take on the most prestigious complication
Parmigiani
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantième Perpétuel
Parmigiani’s new perpetual calendar is yet another masterclass from the brand on the complementary relationship between luxury and minimalism. And like all members of the Toric collection, it’s also a showcase of the aesthetic power of the famed golden ratio. The new QP boils down an often chaotic-looking complication to a clean and crisp coaxial display. One subdial shares the day and date, and the other shows the month and leap years. Though the rose gold iteration of this piece is beautiful in its own right, the brand’s riff on a traditional watchmaking marriage — a pale blue dial paired with a platinum case and 18ct gold rhodium-plated indices — is most likely to garner coos of appreciation from anyone who spies it. And that’s even before knowing it’s limited to only 50 pieces, each one costing a cool $99,400.
Every watch made by PF is breathtaking, but this is ridiculous.Ben Bowers for Gear Patrol
Patek’s legendary dress watch goes back to the basics in mesmerizing fashion
Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P
For several reasons, the Calatrava 6196P will go down as one of the best releases in Patek’s entry-level line in years. The most obvious perk is a new rose-gilt opaline dial that looks warm, rich, and timeless – which is also a very on-trend look right now. The color’s particularly mesmerizing to see in person, given how it fluctuates between salmon and gold tones depending on the lighting. As with the 6119G/R launched in 2021, the 6169P’s embrace of the Caliber 30‑255 PS manually wound movement likewise brings balance to the time-only dress watch in two critical ways. Since it’s nearly 9mm wider than the Caliber 215 PS movement used in the outgoing Calatrava 5196, it’s a much better proportional fit for the piece’s 38mm platinum case. The new movement also outwardly corrects the awkward positioning of the sub-seconds dial that spoiled the previous ref. 5196 Calatrava for many Patek perfectionists. Together, the changes go a long way to modernizing Calatrava’s watchmaking chops while aesthetically grounding it to the dress watch lines’ rich heritage – setting the 6169P to be a future classic.
This new Calatrava looks like it could have come out in 1940. That’s a good thing. Ben Bowers for Gear Patrol
The definitive glam watch gets a subtle sibling that’s no less striking
Piaget
Piaget Polo 79 White Gold
In 2024, Piaget resurrected one of the most recognizable watches of the 1980s with the Polo 79. Constructed entirely of yellow gold and covered all over in its signature gadroons, the monochrome stunner brought some ’80s glam to the 21st century. For 2025, Piaget doubles down on the Polo 79 with a reissue of the far rarer white gold version, offering up a more versatile and less ostentatious take on the classic integrated sports watch. Swapping out yellow-gold everything for white-gold everything, the fairer Polo 79 is otherwise the same watch as its shiny predecessor, right down to the Piaget Cal. 1200P1 automatic movement that powers the watch.
Tudor’s travel-ready explorer watch doubles down on fan service
Tudor
Tudor Black Bay Pro
When Tudor first released the Black Bay Pro in 2022, watch enthusiasts were quick to point out its similarities to the Explorer II from sister brand Rolex — a comparison that only gets stronger with the release of a new variant with a highly legible opaline dial. That said, the Black Bay Pro certainly stands on its own, thanks to the in-house MT5652 movement, 70 hour of power reserve and 200 meters of water resistance. What’s more, it arrives in an easy-to-wear 39mm size, which hasn’t featured on the Explorer II since the 1980s.
Few would deny that the Black Bay Pro is modeled after the Rolex Explorer II, and even fewer would complain.Ben Bowers for Gear Patrol
After 270 years, Vacheron finds a new way to surprise us
Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Manual-Winding 82172/000P-H062
Vacheron Constantin celebrates 270 years of uninterrupted watchmaking in 2025, making it the longest continually operating watch brand in the world. To mark the occasion, the brand has launched several special-edition watches, but none classier than this anniversary edition of the Traditionnelle Manual-Winding dress watch. Housed inside a 38mm 950 platinum case is a silver dial featuring a textured, stylized pattern of VC’s Maltese cross logo, giving the watch a subtle yet visually interesting character. White gold dauphine hands and applied indices add further opulence, while a gray stitched alligator leather strap brings everything together beautifully.
Vacheron ups the visual interest on a seemingly simple dress watch thanks to a unique dial treatment.Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol
A cult-favorite chronograph enters new levels of hype territory
Zenith
Zenith Chronomaster Sport 160th Anniversary Edition
In celebration of its 160th anniversary, Zenith is releasing three El Premiro-powered chronographs made from specially designed ceramic in the brand’s signature radial blue. Creating such a specific colored ceramic is challenging, but the reward is that it can be finished with the same brushing and polishing techniques that Zenith uses for metal cases. The star of the collection, pun intended, is the Chronomaster Sport 16th Anniversary. The brand’s most coveted design is available in blue ceramic for the first time, complete with a matching ceramic three-link bracelet. The blue lacquered dial sports the signature tir-color overlapping dials, rhodium-plated hands and hour markers and a star counter-balance on the central seconds hand. All three watches in the collection are limited to 160 pieces each and can be purchased individually or in an anniversary box set.
Chopard
Frederique Constant
