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From microbrands to Timex to Rolex. Valentine Wrist Watch
The year 2023 gave watch fans plenty to get excited about, with cool releases arriving on a weekly basis. Anniversaries were a major theme in 2023, and the reissues have been flowing forth — a trend we most certainly saw at the industry trade show Watches & Wonders Geneva back in the spring and in more new launches throughout the year.
But vintage flair and nostalgia weren't the only factors defining watches in 2023. This year's best new models also showed a confident industry experimenting and continuing to push bold, fresh and forward-looking ideas. There have been some surprises and a fair share of bright colors and daring patterns, along with some innovative movements that showed this centuries-old industry still has plenty of new things to say. Throughout the year, we've been compiling all of the most exciting new releases from Seiko, Rolex, Omega, microbrands and more right here.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked 'Cactus Jack'
AP seems to court controversy these days (remember the Spider-Man watch), and it's done so again with this collaboration with rapper Travis Scott. Some of the design details are going to be sticking points with traditionalists — namely the Comic Sans-like font and the Jack Skellington-looking moon in the moonphase aperture (actually the brand's logo) — but once you get past that, this thing is pretty awesome. The lume treatment is crazy and fun, especially for AP, and the brown ceramic case — a first for the brand — is the perfect understated complement to the crazy dial.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: Calibre 5135 automatic perpetual calendar Price: $201,000
Bulgari Aluminium Gran Turismo Special Edition
Watches and motorsports have a long and exciting shared history, but watches and motorsports video games? Give it time and a few more releases like this Bulgari x Gran Turismo collab and we'll get there. This special version of the brand's Aluminum Chronograph comes in a pair of yellow-tinged variants and was released alongside the designer brand's first hypercar. The car is virtual, sure, but Bulgari did build an actual lifesize concept version. The car's gauges, by the way, are a dead ringer for the watch.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: B381 caliber automatic chronograph Price: $4,800
Just when we thought Seiko couldn't come up with any more GMTs this year, the brand squeezed one last one in just under the wire (well, they announced it anyway — the watch doesn't go on sale until April 2024). After adding GMT movements to some divers and the Alpinist and resurrecting an iconic vintage GMT, the brand has now taken the 4R34 movement from the 5KX GMT and stuck it inside a classic Seiko 5 field watch, creating a budget Rolex Explorer II alternative and becoming an instant competitor for the title of "Best GMT Watch Under $500."
Diameter: 39.4mm Movement: 4R34 automatic GMT Price: $435
Who says sports watches need to be brushed? Certainly not Zenith, which has taken its Defy Extreme and mirror-polished the entire thing. The stainless steel case and integrated bracelet are all polished to within an inch of their life, while the sapphire dial adds even more reflective glitz. When paired with the dizzying El Primero 1/100th of a second movement, the overall effect is quite mesmerizing and makes for one of the best conversation-piece watches released this year.
Diameter: 45mm Movement: El Primero 21 automatic chronograph Price: $26,100
Doxa heavily relies on selling its heritage for most of its watches — and when your divers were the preferred brand of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, it makes a lot of sense to do so. But for its latest dive watch, the brand took a more contemporary approach. The Sub 300β (pronounced "beta") has the same features and case diameter as the standard Sub 300, but it's thinner and lighter, has a ceramic bezel rather than a steel one and an elevated look thanks to a sunburst, wave-patterned dial. Jacques would surely love it.
Diameter: 42.5mm Movement: Sellita SW200 automatic Price: $2,290
Unimatic x Massena Lab Model Five U5S-ML
Unimatic and Massena Lab are two independent watch brands that are known for coming out with a constant barrage of limited-edition collaborations. Here, the pair have come together (and not for the first time, either) on a watch that's much more significant than your average collab. The Modello Cinque represents the debut of an entirely new model line for Unimatic, its first 36mm case and the smallest watch from the brand yet.
Diameter: 36mm Movement: Sellita SW200-1 automatic Price: $995
Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic City
I know this isn't going to be for everyone, but damn it, I think this is cool as hell. Created as a tribute to the city of Miami during Miami Art and Design Week and features a Miami Vice-style gradient of pink and turquoise across both the dial and strap. A palm tree adorns the chronograph counter, while the openworked dial gives a full view of the impressive in-house movement beating away inside the microblasted ceramic case.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: HUB1280 UNICO automatic flyback chronograph Price: $24,700
"Hey, nice Apple Watch." "Thanks, but it's actually a Rado."
Yes, Rado's latest watch bears a striking resemblance to the world's bestselling watch, but you know what? Rado did it first. The Anatom is a recreation of a Rado from 40 years ago, known for its curved rectangular case that screams '80s industrialism. The latest version has a case made of both ceramic and stainless steel (the original lacked ceramic) with an automatic movement and an array of colorful fume-style dial options to choose from.
Diameter: 32.5mm Movement: Calibre R766 automatic Price: $3,350
Longines Spirit Zulu Time Limited Edition for Hodinkee
In case you were wondering if Longines' recent competitive streak was evidence that it was taking aim at Tudor, here is all the proof you need. The brand's new collab with Hodinkee bears a striking visual resemblance to the Black Bay Pro, and it makes a pretty compelling argument that you should buy it instead. It's 1.5mm thinner, its bezel rotates, it has a full titanium case and bracelet and it undercuts the price tag of the Tudor by more than $400. Homage or not, this is a tempting timepiece.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: L844.4 automatic GMT Price: $3,800
Zodiac x Rowing Blazers Super Sea Wolf GMT World Time
Rowing Blazers teamed up with Zodiac once again, this time to pay tribute to a classic 1980s comedy. In the 1983 film Trading Places, Dan Aykroyd's character famously tries to pawn his fancy "sports watch of the '80s that "tells time simultaneously in Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome and Gstaad." The Rowing Blazers watch pays tribute to this scene by adding all of those cities — despite four of them sharing a time zone — to the bezel of Zodiac's Super Sea Wolf GMT World Time. It's fun and clever, two things both brands exemplify.
Read more about this Zodiac x Rowing Blazers collab.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: STP7-20 automatic GMT Price: $2,195
Longines has a number of models that could potentially qualify as its "flagship" watch (though, ironically, the Flagship probably isn't one of them), but I'd probably give the nod to the Legend Diver. For over 15 years, it's acted as the perfect bridge between the brand's storied past and increasingly exciting future, and now it's gotten a major overhaul with a number of welcome adjustments, including a new 39mm case size, vastly improved lume and a true bracelet.
Read our full Longines Legend Diver 39 review.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: Longines L888.6 automatic chronometer Price: $3,200
Ulysse Nardin Freak One Ops
Dubai Watch Week saw some pretty crazy releases as expected, but we've got a soft spot for this new take on Ulysse Nardin's Freak One. The Ops version features the same wild movement that takes center stage with no dial, no hands and no crown (you set the time using the bezel), but uses some new materials to make the watch more rugged and military-inspired, like a DLC-coated black titanium case and a lightweight Carbonium bezel made from carbon fiber scraps recovered from aircraft production.
Diameter: 44mm Movement: Calibre UN-240 automatic Price: $66,500
Christopher Ward continues its banner year that so far has seen the blockbuster release of the Twelve and some impressive awards handed to the Bel Canto. Now, the brand has launched a new moonphase watch that is all kinds of stunning for not a whole lot of money. The index-free dial is made of aventurine, a type of speckled glass, making it resemble a starry sky. And gliding across that aventurine sky is a massive 3D moon, crafted from luminous ceramic Globolight and covered with a four-color print of the actual moon.
Diameter: 40.5mm Movement: Christopher Ward Calibre JJ04 automatic moonphase Price: $2,325 – $2,475
After disappearing from the brand's catalog five years ago, the Marinemaster is back on a dial at Seiko — and it's a pretty big deal. Worthy of its storied moniker, the new Marinemaster is intended to be Seiko's new flagship diver, taking stylistic cues from the 62MAS but offering a number of modern improvements. First and foremost is the 6L37 slimline movement, which makes this the thinnest automatic dive watch from the brand. And in another first, you can see the movement — no other Seiko diver has an exhibition caseback. Finally, the bracelet is all new and is finished to a level we're definitely not used to seeing on Seiko divers.
Diameter: 39.5mm Movement: Seiko 6L37 automatic Price: $3,700
IWC Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph
Halloween was weeks ago, but if I didn't know any better I'd swear this IWC Pilot's Chronograph was in costume as an Omega Speedmaster. But it's actually a brand-new model from the Schaffhausen-based brand. Arguably IWC's sportiest chronograph yet, the Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph has a titanium (or Ceratanium) case and bracelet, 100m water resistance and a Speedy-esque external tachymeter bezel in black. Adding to the sports cred is the fact that the model is another collab between IWC and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: IWC 69385 Calibre automatic chronograph Price: CHF 9,400 – 20,000
Huckberry x Zodiac Super Seawolf Titanium Skin Diver
While it may not get as much press as the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms or Rolex Submariner, the Zodiac Seawolf was also among the first dedicated dive watches to debut back in 1953. The vintage-inspired Super Seawolf Skin Diver is the modern version of that groundbreaking watch, and it's been made even more modern with a little help from Huckberry, as it's now available in a lightweight and rugged marine-grade titanium case for the first time.
Read more about the Huckberry x Zodiac collab.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: STP 1-21 automatic Price: $1,795
Oris ProPilot X Calibre 400 Laser
We're still waiting for the day when we can buy a watch equipped with a laser à la James Bond, but for now, Oris is offering the next best thing. The new ProPilot X Calibre 400 Laser features a titanium dial that's undergone a lasering treatment — the first time such an undertaking has ever been done on a watch — to create a spectacular light show of ever-changing colors. Shockingly, the dial contains no pigment at all — all colors you see are produced by refracted light on the dial due to the laser treatment.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: Oris Calibre 400 automatic Price: $5,200
Disney x Unimatic x Highsnobiety
Unimatic comes out with new collabs constantly — this month alone has already seen collabs with streetwear brand Undefeated and motorcycle manufacturer Royal Enfield — but the latest is both the most unexpected and, if you ask me, the coolest. Teaming up with Disney and Highsnobiety, Unimatic has brought Mickey Mouse back to watch dials (maybe the squeaky-voiced mascot was sick of Snoopy getting all the character watch attention?). The collab sees a trio of watches, with Mickey gracing the dials of the Modello Due field watch, Modello Tre chronograph, and my favorite, the Modello Uno diver seen here.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Sellita SW200-1 b automatic Price: $1,150
Although it doesn't have quite the cachet as the Navitimer or Superocean, Breitling's Avenger line is nonetheless one of the brand's most important product ranges — and it just got a major overhaul. The time-only, GMT and chronograph Avengers are all brand new, with smaller case sizes (42mm for the time-only, 44mm for the GMT and chronograph), more colors, 300m water resistance and COSC-certified movements across the board. All Avengers also sport rider tabs on their bezels, a uniquely Breitling feature that maintains some retro brand identity to go along with the modern improvements.
Diameter: 44mm Movement: Breitling 01 automatic chronograph Price: $8,000 – $9,500
Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Mechanical Chronograph Panda
Seiko has been looking to the past a lot lately as it celebrates 110 years of watchmaking and, next year, 100 years of Seiko-branded watches. Part of the celebrations include both retro reissues and new watches inspired by past models, and that's what we have here with the new Prospex Speedtimer. Taking inspiration from early 1970s Seiko chronographs, the new watch features a panda dial, an automatic chronograph movement and a period-correct bracelet. There's also a limited-edition reverse panda version that includes an additional leather strap.
Read more about the new panda-dial Seiko Speedtimers.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: Seiko 8R48 automatic chronograph Price: $2,500 – $2,700
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Dark Grey GMT
There are so many great lines of Omega's Seamaster — the Diver 300M, the Aqua Terra, The Ploprof, the Seamaster 300 — that the Planet Ocean sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. But it's worth remembering that the PO is meant to be Omega's most premium dive watch, and the new Dark Grey GMT serves as a good reminder of that. The watch touts a case made from Silicon Nitride ceramic, which is twice as light as the Zircon ceramic used in most watches, while the crown, bezel, dial and even the movement are all crafted from titanium.
Diameter: 45.5mm Movement: Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8906 GMT Price: $22,200
G-Shock 6900 Subtract by Ed Sheeran for Hodinkee
With a little help from Hodinkee collab veteran John Mayer, fellow musician Ed Sheeran has teamed up with the watch retailer to create a special version of the G-Shock 6900 inspired by the artwork on Sheeran's album Subtract. The resin case and bracelet are in a bright yellow, with the latter also featuring black watercolor paint splotches. Finally, on the dial, you'll find abstract interpretations of the musician's face, which is not something we're used to seeing in any celebrity watch collab. Your move, Mayer.
Diameter: 50mm Movement: G-Shock quartz module 3230 Price: $185
Unimatic has taken its signature Modello Uno diver in a less minimalist and more capable direction with its new ProDiver, which replaces the brand's typical sterile black bezel with a maximalist timing bezel with markers at every minute. The bezel insert is in brushed ceramic with fully lumed numerals in blue, matching the blue-glowing minute hand, while the other hands and indices of the dial all glow orange. The watch, powered by a Swiss automatic movement from Sellita, comes in two variants: one rated to 300m and one to 500m, respectively.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: Sellita SW200-1B automatic Price: $1,250 – $1,350
TAG Heuer x Rowing Blazers x Bamford "Yacht-Timer" Carrera
Rowing Blazers has taken a break from its lauded Seiko collabs to go a little more upmarket with this very special TAG Heuer, which also had input from Bamford and vintage watch specialist Eric Wind. The watch is yet another Carrera in what's been a banner year for the 60-year-old model, and it boasts a unique and eye-catching color scheme that was inspired by a somewhat obscure (and very strange) wrist-worn Heuer Yacht-Timer from the 1970s.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: Heuer 02 automatic chronograph Price: $8,900
British brand Bremont (say that five times fast) has updated its Supermarine S302 GMT dive watch with a new format that should appeal to GMT purists. The new watch swaps the dive-time bezel of the previous version for a 24-hour GMT bezel, making this more travel-focused than the original diver-friendly version. There are new colors as well, with the most striking being this bi-color green and blue number, but otherwise it's as robust as ever with 300m of water resistance and Bremont's rugged Trip-Tick case.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: BE-932AV (modified ETA 2893) automatic GMT Price: $3,750 – $4,450
Seiko Prospex Land Mechanical GMT Limited Edition
Rising from the ashes is one of Seiko's most beloved vintage sports watches, now in a new modern guise. The Navigator Timer GMT, which was the Japanese brand's first GMT with a rotating bezel back in 1968, has returned as the ref. SPB411 in Seiko's higher-end Prospex line. The new watch keeps the size close to the original (thankfully) while offering numerous upgrades such as a modern automatic movement, a sapphire crystal and increased water resistance.
Read more about the Seiko Navigator Timer.
Diameter: 38.5mm Movement: Seiko 6R54 automatic GMT Price: $1,500
Speaking of faithful vintage reissues, Benrus is even more true to history with its revived Ultra-Deep. The diver comes in at 36.5mm, just like the original from the '60s, offering further evidence that Tudor's Black Bay 54 from earlier this year may have indeed started a mid-sized dive watch renaissance. The watch also keeps the "devil diver" dial markings showing off 666 ft (200m) of water resistance, plus the Super Compressor-style case with its distinctive twin crowns: one for adjusting the time, and one for rotating the inner bezel.
Diameter: 36.5mm Movement: Soprod P024 automatic Price: $1,095
In just over half a decade in existence, French microbrand Baltic has established itself as one of those operations that seems to turn heads with every release. Its latest is no exception. The Tourer is the first watch in the brand's new Hermétique line of explorer-style field watches. Coming in at a conservative 37mm size with a robust 150m of water resistance, dynamite lume and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it integrated crown for comfort on the wrist, this timepiece carries all the markings of another hit.
Diameter: 37mm Movement: Miyota 9039 automatic Price: €550 (~$580)
Montblanc 1858 Minerva Monopusher Chronograph P.05 for Collective Horology
While this may look like another vintage reissue, it isn't. Instead, Collective Horology took inspiration from a number of different vintage Minerva timepieces to create this beautiful hodgepodge with current Minerva owner Montblanc. Charming quirks include the blue "snail" tachymeter scale, the blue timing arrow inside the bi-directional white gold fluted bezel, the vintage Minerva logo and the monopusher chronograph movement, which, along with Minerva's signature "devil's tail" lateral clutch, is on full display through the sapphire caseback. Just 30 pieces are being produced.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: Minerva Calibre M13.21 mechanical chronograph Price: $34,500
Of all the things to set on a very complicated calendar watch, perhaps none are more frustrating and tedious than a moonphase indicator. After all, unless it's a full moon, how are you supposed to tell exactly which waning or waxing position Earth's natural satellite is in? Well, Citizen has solved this very first-world problem with the world's first radio-controlled atomic moonphase movement. The moonphase adjusts itself automatically, along with the perpetual calendar and world timer. Oh, and the watch also packs in 100m of water resistance and is crafted from titanium. Pretty impressive stuff out of Citizen for well under a grand.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: Citizen H874 Eco-Drive perpetual calendar moonphase Price: $850
Bulova's Oceanographer (or "Devil Diver") watch has long been an affordable favorite. What's even cooler, though, is to see the collection evolve and develop to offer a GMT complication with the Miyota 9075 automatic movement and fresh, interesting designs. It comes in three variants at launch including this black-and-white option with a fully lumed dial, a vibrant "Pepsi" colorway and a gold-toned model with a "Rootbeer" black and brown bezel.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: Miyota 9075 automatic GMT Price: $1,295 – $1,395
Ridge is best known for its wallets, but it's not the first brand that comes to mind when we think of watches. But its latest release might make you rethink that. For a watch with a titanium case in a crowd-pleasing 40mm size, 200m water resistance, a sapphire crystal and a Miyota 9000 Series automatic movement, we'd happily pony up $500. But Ridge is barely asking half that for this watch, making it one of the biggest watch bargains we've seen this year.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Miyota 9039 automatic Price: $275, $375 (with carbon fiber dial)
Dive watches are Tudor's bread and butter, especially when the brand plays into its military history. And the latest version of its Pelagos FXD diver does that better than perhaps any other Tudor in recent memory. Still a titanium diver with fixed strap bars like the blue version launched in collaboration with the French Navy in 2021, the new non-collab version comes in traditional mil-spec black and features a more dive-appropriate unidirectional, count-up bezel.
Read our full review of the Tudor Pelagos FXD.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5602 automatic Price: $4,150
The Marlin was partly responsible for kicking off Timex's ongoing renaissance, so we're always happy to see the line expand. The latest Marlin is a handsome retro chronograph that manages to squeeze a tachymeter, three registers, a date window and the Marlin's signature retro Arabic hour markers on the dial without feeling crowded. The sub-$200 watch comes in three colorways on leather, with the silver panda variant also available on a steel bracelet.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Quartz chronograph with date Price: $175 – $199
If you're in the market for a field watch, the Hamilton Khaki Field is likely the first place you're gonna want to look. Now Hamilton has given its flagship watch a makeover by making it even more adventurous with the Khaki Field Expedition. This explorer-style watch has a rotating compass bezel, a screw-down crown ensuring 100m water resistance and 80 hours of power reserve thanks to the H-10 automatic movement. Its stainless steel case is available in two sizes and three dial colors.
Diameter: 37mm, 41mm Movement: Hamilton H-10 automatic Price: $995 – $1,045
TAG Heuer x Porsche Carrera Chronosprint
Teaming up yet again with Porsche, TAG Heuer has dropped another model in its winning recent Carrera "Glassbox" family. But this one has a trick up its sleeve thanks to some unique engineering. When you start the chronograph it moves faster than normal and then slows down as it circles the dial. Why? To imitate the sensation of accelerating in a car. The seconds hand, in fact, covers the red portion of the dial in 9.1 seconds just like the 911 car goes from 0-100 in that time. Useful? Practical? Perhaps not, but color us impressed.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: TAG Heuer TH20-08 automatic Price: $9,200 (steel), $23,550 (rose gold)
Panerai Submersible Chrono Navy Seals Experience Edition
Part of a five-watch collection in an ongoing collaboration with the US Navy SEALs, this is the watch you get as a (big) step up from your Seiko "Arnie." This chronograph watch's over-the-top badassery, however, is about more than style: its price includes an immersive Special Operations Experience, which we at Gear Patrol can confirm will kick your ass. Like other watches in the collection, it features an appropriately rugged-looking distressed case finishing. Only 50 examples are available.
Diameter: 47mm Movement: Panerai P.9100/R automatic Price: $61,700
Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms
Swatch has followed up last year's hyped collaboration with Omega on the MoonSwatch by teaming up with another corporate sibling, Blancpain. Again using a Bioceramic (plastic-ceramic hybrid) case, this time it's a Swatchified version of the iconic Fifty Fathoms dive watch and it's powered by Swatch's Sistem51 automatic movement rather than quartz. It comes in five versions inspired by the five oceans and each is packed with details and Easter eggs for collectors. Learn all about the Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms here.
Diameter: 42.3mm Movement: Swatch Sistem51 automatic Price: $400
Russian watchmaker Raketa has been upping its game and increasingly introducing higher-end watches. But they've maintained some of their signature quirkiness. The handsome new "Russian Code" watch doesn't just feature backwards counting hour markers — the watch actually runs counterclockwise. It might take some getting used to, but it should be just as functional as a traditional watch and definitely a conversation-starter. Limited to 500 examples.
Diameter: 40.5mm Movement: Raketa 2615R automatic Price: ~$1,930
You might be thinking that you've seen this watch before. Yes, it continues the recognizable, dashboard-instrument-inspired design of Bell & Ross's iconic (yes) square pilot's watches, but this is the next generation. Gone is the "-92" in the name along with a millimeter of width. The new BR 03 watches follow the downsizing trend with 41mm diameters and incorporate other design refinements. It comes in eight variants including steel and ceramic case versions.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: Sellita SW300-1 Price: $3,600-$4,300
We didn't see it coming, but the Tissot PRX Digital makes sense. Though the PRX is popular as an automatic watch, its design stems from the height of the 1970s and '80s quartz boom. A simple LCD display harkens to digital watches of that era from the likes of Omega and others and its price point makes keeps it fun and casual. It comes as three variants in two sizes of 35mm and 40mm.
Diameter: 35mm, 40mm Movement: ETA DGT-2040 quartz Price: $375-$450
Oris continues to stake its claim as a watch brand committed to diving and serious dive watches. Joining the ranks of overbuilt watches such as those featuring depth gauges, the newest member if its Aquis collection seems like an answer to Rolex's monstrous Sea-Dweller Deepsea Challenge. With a titanium case that's a whopping 49.5mm wide and 23.4mm thick, it's the brand's deepest diving watch to date, rated to 4,000m. It also incorporates a novel bezel locking mechanism.
Diameter: 49.5mm Movement: Oris Calibre 400 automatic Price: $6,200
IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces
A black ceramic case with a stark white dial alone makes IWC's new pilot watch pretty striking to begin with. But it's got an ace up its sleeve: turn out the lights and the entire dial itself will glow a pale green, the first time for a fully luminous dial to appear in the IWC Pilot's Watch collection. The Black Aces logo at 6 o'clock on the dial is in reference to the US Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 41, also known as the Black Aces, with whom IWC collaborated on the watch.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: IWC 32100 Automatic Price: $6,800
Forged carbon offers a unique look for watchmaking and the benefits of its strong and lightweight properties. When paired to gold highlights for legibility and taking the form of the design-forward Bulgari Octo Finissimo, the result is striking, indeed. It's especially interesting that the brand even made the bracelet from the material. Bulgari introduced two new watches with this concept, one a time-only model and the other a complicated perpetual calendar.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Bulgari 103779 automatic; 103778 perpetual calendar Price: $26,800, $89,000
Will sporty tonneau-shaped watches a là Richard Mille, Hublot and Franck Muller be the next prestige style to catch on the way Gerald Genta-inspired integrated bracelet watches have? That's yet to be seen, but if so Farer will be ahead of the game. It's cool to see options in this style from more affordable brands, and Farer has started out with three variants offering different dial designs and colors.
Diameter: 35mm Movement: Sellita SW300-1 automatic Price: $1,250
Versions, variants, sizes and colors of the Tissot PRX have proliferated since the model blew up as a hype object. New automatic treatments in 35mm tap into the smaller diameter trend, but they also made a splash with particularly striking executions featuring different dial colors such as a baby blue, as well as this monochromatic fully gold-toned model.
Diameter: 35mm Movement: ETA Powermatic 80 automatic Price: $695-$825
Vero Smokey Bear '44 and '64
A collaboration between an American microbrand and US Forest Service mascot Smokey the Bear on a field watch: it's kind of harmonious. And the result is pretty cool, harkening to co-branded watch dials of the past and coming in two variants (named "44" and "64") both powered by an affordable Japanese automatic movement. And fear not, the "44" in the model's name refers to the year the Smokey character was created, not the watch's diameter, which is a field-watch-appropriate 38mm.
Diameter: 38mm Movement: Seiko NH38A Price: $450
Audemars Piguet x 1017 Alyx 9SM Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore Watches
AP thrives on controversy, as seen in this collaboration with apparel label 1017 Alyx 9SM's designer Matthew Williams — a minimalist take on the watchmaker's flagship collections, the iconic Royal Oak (time only and chronograph versions) and its brasher big brother the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. Most notably, a lack of indices takes them firmly in the direction of fashion pieces rather than timepieces.
Diameter: 37mm, 41mm, 42mm Movement: Audemars Piguet 5909, 4409 (chronograph), 4404 (chrongoraph) automatic Price: $37,500-$111,500
Nivada Chronoking "Paul Newman" Orange
We love the Nivada Chronomaster, and even if you tend to prefer its mechanical version, this meca-quartz Chronoking variant is affordable and just looks super cool. The name refers to the style of subdial indices made famous by the Rolex "Paul Newman" Daytona watch, also referred to as an "exotic dial." The specific dial with its delightfully '70s orange is based on an actual vintage model.
Diameter: 38mm Movement: Seiko VK63 quartz Price: $479
One of our favorite indie watch brands, Brew introduced a new version of its Metric watch. Previously the Metric was a quartz movement-powered chronograph with a funky, asymmetric layout, but the latest edition reinterprets the model as a simpler, time-only automatic. Though now powered by an automatic Seiko movement, the retrotastic elements and sleek design remain, and even the price isn't a big difference.
Diameter: 35mm Movement: Seiko NH35A automatic Price: $525
You might have to look a little closer to see what makes this watch a totally atypical Timex — or you could just note the price. With a Swiss automatic movement, Swiss construction and a price tag of nearly $1,000, it's the most expensive serially produced watch ever from a brand known for its sub-$200 watches. With a minimal design and partially titanium, injection-molded case, there's a lot going on. Speaking with Gear Patrol for the watch's launch, designer and the collection's namesake Giorgio Galli described it as "quiet luxury."
Diameter: 38mm Movement: automatic Price: $975
Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Hank Aaron
We just had to feature this especially attractive limited-edition version of the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date watch dedicated to legendary Atlanta Braves slugger and prominent humanitarian Hank Aaron. You don't have to be a baseball fan to appreciate the watch's tight design based on the colors of Aaron's uniform. It features the Hall of Famer's image in relief on its caseback and is limited to 2,297 examples.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: automatic Price: $2,500
Mr Jones Watches The Accurate
The design of this watch from British brand Mr Jones, with the hour and minute hands spelling "remember, you will die" is a somewhat on-the-nose interpretation of a centuries-old tradition: associating mortality with time and clocks, known as memento mori. And yet, it's a fun and intriguing design that's become somewhat famous since its introduction in 2007. Now Mr Jones has released a version featuring a Swiss automatic movement aimed at the growing number of watch enthusiasts (who tend to value such things).
Diameter: 40mm Movement: STP1-11 automatic Price: $595
Avoirdupois is a Manhattan-based furniture and lighting company that recently announced it's getting into watchmaking. That's not even the interesting part — the brand claims that its debut watch will also house "the first contemporary in-house movement manufactured in the United States" which "comprises zero Swiss or foreign components" including an in-house hairspring. Its case will be only 5.95mm thin. These are bold, ambitious claims, and not much information is yet available, but definitely we're curious to see the final product.
Diameter: 38.5mm Movement: AVDP.130.LB automatic Price: $12,950
Longines just keeps pumping out one excellent release after another, to the point that it's hard to even keep up. You won't want to miss one of the latest, a GMT version of its HydroConquest dive watch. But this isn't just the existing HydroConquest with a GMT added: rather, it represents a redesign for the collection with refinements and a more classic look that's sure to raise its profile among collectors.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: ETA A31.411 automatic Price: $2,675-$2,775
Louis Vuitton is serious about watches. Long its flagship collection, the Tambour got a complete overhaul this year. There's continuity in key elements like its interesting sloping case shape, but the concept has been refined and the collection tightened to five variants of a single model. It's also been recast as a high-end luxury sport watch (which, with its integrated bracelet fits nicely into the Royal Oak and Nautilus craze) with a price tag several times that of previous time-only models and a thin, beautiful microtor movement designed from scratch and resulting in a case thickness of only 8.3mm.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Louis Vuitton LFT023 automatic Price: $18,500
TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper Chronograph
Made in small numbers and long mostly unknown, the Heuer Carrera Skipper watch became one of the most hyped vintage watches in recent years. That's due to several factors, among which are the iconic status of the Carrera to begin with, this colorful-for-its-time variant being especially "rare," and the attention it got when Hodinkee did a limited-edition remake of it. Now TAG Heuer is bringing into the fold of its modern Carreras in the winning form of the "Glassbox" watches it introduced this year. It's updated details and execution are completely on the money for our tastes.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: TAG Heuer TH20-06 automatic Price: $6,750
Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Ceramics
For years, Zodiac has been making quirky, often shockingly colorful variants of its historic and otherwise down-to-earth dive watches. Recently, though, the brand has been getting even more far-out. Rainbow-bezeled skeleton watch (see below) aside, its black-ceramic cased Super Sea Wolf last year was a surprise. Now, with the same formula of a ceramic shell around a steel inner case, the brand has released three colorful new variants with glossy white ceramic. They're some of the most fresh and fun, summer-vibey watches we've perhaps ever seen.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: STP 1-11 automatic (chronometer-certified) Price: $1,795
The Orient Mako has long been a member of a very exclusive club: ultra-affordable-but-extremely-high-bang-for-buck Japanese dive watches. But a new version takes it to new places in terms of design and size. It's reminiscent of last year's higher-end Orient Star Diver 1964, offering a similarly retro feel with a compact 40mm case. The Mako and similar dive watches from Orient have always been low-key popular, but this could boost the brand to much greater attention. With black, white, blue, pale purple and champagne dial options, the latest edition should be available in the next couple of months.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Orient F6722 automatic Price: ~$385
Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold Strawberry Moon
The MoonSwatch saga continues. The brand has continued to release variants of the Moonwatch-reminiscent Mission to the Moon variant that focus on special details rather than whole new colorways. Following one with a seconds hand using Omega's "Moonshine Gold" alloy and one with a pink flower motif, the latest adds little strawberries to it like polka dots. The brand has been releasing new editions timed to the full moons (the word "Moon" appears three times in this model's name), so even collectors that had amassed the complete original sets still have something to hunt for. They're still not available online.
Diameter: 42.5mm Movement: Quartz Price: $285
French watchmaker Baltic introduced new generations of two of its longstanding lines, the HMS (pictured) and the Bicompax chronograph. The dials and hands are subtly updated but the big difference is a smaller size. Both models have diameters reduced from 38mm to 36.5mm (but are thicker than previous versions by 1mm). Each comes in three dial variants of silver, salmon and blue gilt.
Diameter: 36.5mm Movement: Miyota 8315 automatic (HMS); Seagull ST1901 hand-wound (Bicompax) Price: ~$400 (HMS); ~$600 (Bicompax)
Lorier is a microbrand we've followed since early on, and they just keep getting better. Their latest in example of the increasing number of watches incorporating the Miyota 9075 GMT movement announced last year. The watch does double duty as a diver and travel watch, and although Lorier has long been noted for very aggressive prices the specs of the Hydra III look like a ton of value for the money.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: Miyota 9075 automatic Price: $599
There's so much that's interesting about the Vulcain Cricket Nautical. It features a rotating dial controlled by the 4 o'clock crown and a mechanical alarm (what Vulcain is best known for) that's audible underwater for use when diving. It resurrects a design from 1961 (though it's not the first reissue since then) — and the purpose behind that unusual dial design? It's meant to help determine divers' decompression times.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: Vulcain Manufacture V-10 automatic Price: $4,862
Swatch is always hip, but now it's square, too. We've long been fans of square and rectangular watches, and the new Swatch collection is based on some its first models from 1983 with the concept of "what if" they'd just made all their watches square instead of round (don't overthink it). In four colors with minimalist designs, they're made of the brand's proprietary ceramic-plastic hybrid material Bioceramic, as used in the famous MoonSwatch (and other models). If you just want a Nomos look for a fraction of the price, you can't go wrong.
Diameter: 33mm Movement: Quartz Price: TBD
Massena Lab x Louis Erard Monopusher Chronograph
Both Louis Erard and Massena are known for their collaborations. They're teaming up yet again, this time to create a monopusher chronograph (a chronograph operated by one button instead of the usual two). Its design is based on vintage watches (as Massena tends to do), in this case marine chronometers by Ferdinand Berthoud and Antide Janvier. It's that striking design with the chronograph's 30-minute subdial combined with the dial's frosted gold that we dig.
Diameter: 43mm Movement: Sellita SW500MPCa automatic Price: $4,950
The NASA watch has become an annual tradition for G-Shock after the first edition in 2020 was a hype bomb. This year, the brand is straying from the iconic square case of the 5600 series that's been the base model for every past model, but that's ok because the 6900 design is nearly as iconic. The brand knows these watches sell out faster than even Casio can make them, so this year it's opening the chance to buy one through a contest only. Why the brand forgoes its Tough Solar tech on a watch like this (or almost any, for that matter) is baffling to us.
Diameter: 50mm Movement: Quartz Price: $130
Who? Before starting her own watch brand for kids, Cara Barrett was a watch journalist at Hodinkee. So, needless to say, she's got deep knowledge of the watch world and collecting mentality, and she injected that into a beautiful collaborative Timex watch. We love the pale blue color (which, in various hues, seems to be all the rage these days), the vintage cues, 36mm sizing and that expansion bracelet. It's so good it sold out quickly and is already going for above retail on the secondary market.
Diameter: 36mm Movement: Sea-gull TY6DSK-1(6103K-S) hand-wound Price: $249
One of our favorite affordable microbrands, Nodus just keeps getting better. The Sector series has evolved over the years and become the brand's flagship collection, but the new Sector Sport is possibly our favorite yet. It's nominally a field watch, but with a more modern vibe than the military style that genre often conjures, and this makes for a highly versatile everyday watch. The details, size, bracelet, the no-date Seiko movement and dial color options (three of them, currently) all look great to us for the money.
Diameter: 38mm Movement: Seiko NH38 automatic Price: $475
Bulova Rat Pack Limited Edition
In a series of watches dedicated to Frank Sinatra comes the latest with a dial design that looks simultaneously inspired by a vinyl record and a Universal Geneve watch, in a good way. Though thankfully lacking Sinatra branding on the dial, the caseback's crystal is instead signed "The Rat Pack" referring to his crooning crew which included Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. As some enthusiasts have noted, it might've been even better at 36mm or 37mm, like a vintage watch, but 40mm ain't bad, and it features sapphire crystal and an automatic movement.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Miyota 8215 automatic Price: $795
Yema has been steadily upgrading its take on the popular genre of integrated bracelet sport watches. The new model seems to offer the refined design of the more upscale and ambitious model it introduced last year featuring a fully in-house micro-rotor movement. Now, a new series in three dial colors offers the brand's "in-house designed and assembled" automatic movement and remains visually distinguishable thanks to a textured honeycomb dial pattern. It'll be a little thicker, but not at all egregiously so at 11.4mm — and far more affordable.
Diameter: 39 mm Movement: YEMA2000 automatic Price: $890
Oris Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy Steel
Bronze-cased dive watches with vibrant pastel (but evocatively marketed as "cotton-candy"-colored) dials was an unexpected combination from Oris back in 2021. And it was also a highly popular rendition of an already popular model, the retro-styled Divers Sixty-Five. Now, the brand is offering the same playful and eye-catching dials, but paired to steel cases. While bronze certainly made the models interesting, steel has broad appeal and lowers the price a bit, too.
Diameter: 38mm Movement: Sellita SW200 automatic Price: $2,350-$2,550
Although the colors inspired by the Alinghi Red Bull yacht racing team look cool, we're most interested in the newness from Tudor represented by two models. First is that a chronograph joins the Pelagos dive watch collection, a new expression of the chrono from the brand. Both this watch and the time-only diver that accompany it also feature carbon composite cases — another notable first for the brand.
Diameter: 43mm Movement: Tudor MT5813 automatic (COSC-certified) Price: $5,075
Citizen is strong in dive watches (you know, for actual diving) but the Promaster Dive Automatic is especially watch-enthusiast-friendly. Why? It's pretty much got it all. A higher-tier (Miyota 9000 series) automatic movement, premium materials like titanium and sapphire crystal, and interesting proprietary tech with the brand's own titanium-hardening. It's also got a story, the modern model being based on a watch recovered from the ocean in 1983, still ticking. So we can't help but get excited about this new version in a sleek, black DLC coating on a full bracelet.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: Miyota 9051 automatic Price: $1,195
Omega released an entire range of watches in its Seamaster collection, each with a gradient blue dial to celebrate the line's 75th anniversary. Whereas the color was the the main novelty for most of the watches, the Ploprof got its first new model in years, and it features a monobloc case in the brand's O-Megasteel alloy that's been sized down from the previous generation (by 3mm, vertically). We hope it'll be only the first of a revived collection of this funky watch we can't help but love.
Diameter: 55mm (x 45mm) Movement: Omega 8912 automatic Price: $14,300
The third generation of Monta's Oceanking dive watch features subtle updates all around. They might be hard to pinpoint unless you put the watch right next to the previous generation, but the upgrades and refinements should be significant to the buyer: its case is ever so slightly (0.2mm) thinner, its fonts have been tweaked, the size of the date window has been adjusted, etc. It features a patent-pending 120-click bezel and its modified ETA movement offers an extended 56 hours of power reserve. Is it me or does the bezel (with ceramic insert) look proportionally a little thicker?
Diameter: 40.7mm Movement: ETA 2892-2 automatic Price: $2,225
As a Los Angeles-based Porsche car modifier, Singer has a unique place and appeal in the watch world. They've been making high-end, thoughtful and clever automotive-inspired watches for some years now, and the newest collection follows the industry's general downsizing trend. With 40mm cases, the new 1969 collection offers a time only watch and a chronograph. The chronograph (pictured) displays the time on discs at 6 o'clock, while the hands are for the chronograph only, timing up to 60 hours. For the time only model the running seconds hand can be reset instantly for use as a timer. So cool.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Agenhor AGH 6363 hand-wound chronograph, AGH 6365 automatic Price: ~$33,350, ~$56,865
Alpina Alpiner Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years
For its 140th birthday, Alpina isn't just offering some vintage reissue. It's actually offering vintage Caliber 490 movements originally made in 1938 which have been restored and fitted in new, rectangular cases — made of the unusual watchmaking material, silver. With black or silver dial variants, each is limited to only 14 examples (that's how many of the movements there were), but we'd like to see the same case design and dimensions in stainless steel and fitted with modern mechanical movements as part of the permanent collection.
Diameter: 29.5mm (x 35.7mm) Movement: Alpina Caliber 490 hand-wound Price: $5,395
Nivada x Fratello Racing Chronograph
A lot of watch collaborations are simply new dial colors or tweaks to existing models, but the website Fratello and watchmaker Nivada teamed up to create a model not previously in the brand's modern catalog. This shows how nimble Nivada is. Based on an obscure vintage Nivada watch called the Chronosport, the manually wound chronograph comes in a delectable 38mm case with five variants, each limited to only 40 examples. Each looks pretty fantastic and, again, we'd love to see this model join Nivada's permanent collection.
Diameter: 38mm Movement: Sellita SW510 M b hand-wound Price: $2,102
The celebrated Orient Bambino line of dress watches has been updated with a bit of a twist on the collection's classical styling. Though offering a more complicated look with two asymmetric subdials, these aren't high complications. You've got the day of the week near 10 o'clock and a 24-hour counter (linked to the main time, and not a second time zone) near 5 o'clock, but they are functional and make an otherwise conservative watch and design more interesting. They come in four color variants and will be available online in July.
Diameter: 40.5mm Movement: Orient F6B22 automatic Price: $270
The blocky, black-and-white-with-a-pop-of-red Bauhaus design of clocks timing Switzerland's famously punctual and precise railroad system is iconic. And Mondaine offers the official wristwatch version. These have always come in round cases that help highlight the dial design, but the brand now takes a novel direction with cushion shaped cases. The larger (41mm) Grand Cushion watches feature a chronograph while the smaller (31mm) Petite Cushion models are time-only. They come come in more colors than just the traditional black-and-white.
Diameter: 31mm, 41mm Movement: Quartz Price: $375-$595
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona for 24 Hours of Le Mans
In part underpinning much of Rolex's status today (and, arguably, even the popularity of modern watches in general) is the so-called "Paul Newman Daytona." Rolex has been holding back but it finally released a modern tribute to the famous reference 6263 with a reverse-panda colorway, "exotic dial" design and everything. Announced for the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race (which Paul Newman participated in in 1979), it includes the tachymeter bezel's "100" in red — and a chronograph that counts up to 24 hours instead of the usual 12, which required developing a new version of the 4131 movement.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Rolex 4132 automatic Price: $51,400
Breguet Type XX and Type 20
The new Breguet Type XX (shown) and Type 20 (same pronunciation) watches replace the brand's longstanding larger collection of XX, XXI and XXII watches. Historically appropriate tool watches like the brand originally made for the military in decades past, they're remarkably down-to-earth for a prestigious company that typically operates in the haute horlogerie space. Both feature 42mm cases and in-house automatic movements, both offering the flyback feature that characterizes the Type 20 watches, both historical and in many modern interpretations. At under $20k, they're the brand's entry point and some of the most accessible and wearable prestige chronographs you can get.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: Breguet 728 (Type XX); 7281 (Type 20) Price: $18,000
The Tissot Sideral S offers a striking retro style and several bright colors that put us in the mood for summer watch wearing, but it's also got a backstory. Back in the 1970s, the original Sideral was the first watch to feature a case made of fiberglass. In the same vein of alternative materials, the modern version has a case made of carbon fiber — and although it's not breaking new ground to use carbon material in watches, it is notable for its price point. That colorful scale on the dial (echoed on the bezel)? That's a regatta (yacht race) timer.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: ETA Powermatic 80 automatic Price: $995
Mido Multifort TV Big Date
The TV dial watch! This squircular shape was popular back in the funky '60s and '70s but is pretty rare nowadays. What else is uncommon is a big date complication (in which each digit is printed on its own disc beneath the dial allowing for a larger date display) at this price point. Some might the new Mido Multifort TV Big Date is reminiscent of a Patek Philippe Nautilus, but with its big date it also seems like a budget alternative to Glashutte Original's Seventies. It's sized and priced just right, too, and it comes in several variations. We hope to see it available in the US soon.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: ETA Powermatic 80 automatic Price: ~$1,175+
Bremont introduced two striking new chronographs, a new Jaguar C-Type as well as this WR-45 model made with its partner Williams Racing. The ETA movement inside has been modified to offer a longer power reserve (53 hours, up from 42), and you can see it through the caseback with its cool rotor design. It comes in a 43mm steel Trip-Tick case with a black DLC coating for a mean look paired to a black dial with pops of red, white and blue. Interestingly, Bremont chose to highlight the running seconds subdial at 9 o'clock in white making it stand out against the otherwise dark design.
Diameter: 43mm Movement: BE-53AV (ETA 7753) automatic Price: $6,595
The Tissot PRX is a watch with much buzz. It's got the integrated bracelet design everyone seemingly wants for an affordable price, and yet also its own personality. It's been so popular that the brand has continued to expand on the variety of options available, and the latest addition is 35mm versions featuring the ETA Powermatic 80 movements. Add "small watches" to the list of trends the PRX hits.
Diameter: 35mm Movement: ETA Powermatic 80 Price: $695-$795
Vintage watches are an evergreen crowd-pleaser, and Timex always seems to show you can get those styles without investing in actual vintage watches or modern luxury reissues. The new World Time 1972 Reissue is just that: for a low-three-figure price, you get the look of a retro world timer with a quartz movement ticking away inside. Note that the city names on the bezel (with French spellings) is in the style of a world timer watch, but is decorative and doesn't offer the ability to track those time zones.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: Quartz Price: $179
GMTs and integrated bracelets are two of the hottest watch trends right now. And the new Series 8 is Citizen's line of relatively premium mechanical watches delivers them both in a double whammy. For even more mainstream appeal, it offers the popular bi-color bezel look, a là Rolex, and inside it's powered by a version of the Miyota automatic GMT movement that was announced last year which offers the popular "flyer" style of GMT in which the main time's hour hand is independently adjustable for traveling.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: Miyota 9054 automatic Price: ~$1,700
Maen Hudson 38 MK4 Heritage Edition
We regularly return to Maen as one of those watchmakers really pushing the boundaries of what you can get for microbrand prices. We also love that it's been ahead of the curve, offering smaller diameters before it was the major industry trend that it is today. Its Hudson dive watch combines all that, and a new variants offer vintage-inspired cues with one that's particularly notable: a honeycomb dial. We've often wondered why the honeycomb dial, so popular among vintage collectors, doesn't make more of a comeback.
Diameter: 38mm Movement: Ronda R-150 automatic Price: ~$650
Longines Spirit Zulu Time 39mm
We were excited when Longines launched the Zulu Time in its pilot-oriented Spirit collection. But with a 42mm diameter and longish lugs we thought to ourselves, "this would be absolutely killer if only it were a little smaller." Now, the Zulu Time comes in those ideal proportions we dreamt of, making it easily one of the easiest GMT watches to recommend in its price point (and even above) with features like a ceramic bezel and chronometer-certified movement. It comes in a range of versions, as well, offering different colors, materials and strap options.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: ETA A31.L01 automatic Price: $3,050-$4,300
Frederique Constant introduced an entirely new line within its Classics collection, the Premier. As the conservative name suggests, and as is the brand's strength, this is classical Swiss watchmaking where the interest is in the details and execution rather than in the attention-grabbing. No trying to be edgy or reinvent the wheel here, just a traditional dress-watch style that's got some personality of its own and an automatic movement from La Joux Perret (the brand's sister company under the Citizen Group) inside making it appropriate for daily wear.
Diameter: 38.5mm Movement: La Joux-Perret LJPG100 automatic Price: $1,895
Oris Aquis Hölstein Edition 2023
Oris has a fun tradition of releasing a limited edition watch every year dedicated to its hometown of Hölstein, Switzerland. It's an opportunity to get a little fun and creative, and it's often aimed at brand fans and collectors. This year, it's a version of the brand's dive watch featuring an in-house movement. Its purple dial stands out most, but the headline is that it's the first Aquis collection watch with no date, a feature enthusiasts tend to love and perhaps something we might expect to see in future releases.
Diameter: 41.5mm Movement: Oris Calibre 400 automatic Price: $4,300
Nomos x Wempe Tangente Neomatik 41 Signature Collection
Sometimes a new dial color is worth writing home about. Or, at least, making note of in a watch release roundup. Nomos partnered with retailer Wempe on a new version of its Tangente Neomatic watch featuring a dial in a shade of blue that's distinct enough from the hyped Tiffany hue to differentiate it but also close enough to perhaps benefit from the association. Or perhaps it just stands out all on its own, as it certainly caught our eye. Otherwise, it's got all the features that make the Tangente Neomatik attractive, from its in-house movement to its clever date display, here in a 4o.5mm case.
Diameter: 4o.5mm Movement: Nomos DUW 6101 automatic Price: $4,100
The Ark of the Other
Following up in an incredible-bang-for-buck titanium dive watch, microbrand Arken is back with their second watch. This time, it's also in titanium and equally a strong value, but changes up the style and functionality. It offers a dual-time-zone complication using its own modification of the rock-solid Miyota 9015 automatic movement (rather than the Miyota GMT movement you might have expected). It also has the same integrated-bracelet design as the dive watch, though this one is offered on a strap.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Arken ARK-9015DT (modified Miyota 9015) automatic Price: ~$700
IWC Mark XX White Dial
A new dial color isn't often the most noteworthy release, but the Mark XX is one of IWC's most important watches — and it was previously only available in black and blue versions. That, and it looks damn good. There's a precedent of other such pilot's watches with white dials, so it's not a total surprise, but worth knowing about? Definitely. Otherwise it's got all the same features that made the Mark XX a slam dunk when it debuted last year.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: IWC 32111 automatic Price: $5,250-$6,150
You know how you turn the bezel on a dive watch and it clicks — i.e., it ratchets? We take it for granted today, but it was Aquastar that introduced that feature back in 1960s with this watch. Well, with the watch of which this new model is a reissue, to be more precise. That same watch was even worn aboard the bathyscaphe Triest to the bottom of the Challenger Deep. This modern version comes in a 37mm package that's 11mm thick but still water-resistant to 200m.
Diameter: 37mm Movement: La Joux-Perret G100 automatic Price: $1,290 ($990 pre-order)
Doxa Sub 300T Clive Cussler
Doxa teamed up with Watches of Switzerland to create a version of its Sub 300T dive watch dedicated to novelist and explorer Clive Cussler — who was known to mention Doxa dive watches by name in his novels. Fitting the adventure theme, the case and bracelet have a "distressed" gunmetal-like appearance (which we're generally fans of on watches) and the dial looks like age paper with a compass rose motif at its center.
Diameter: 42.5mm Movement: ETA 2824 automatic Price: $2,690
Like all JN Shapiro watches, the new Resurgence is dense with stunning craftsmanship and exotic crafts all produced in the brand's own studio in California. What makes this watch different, however, is that it even extends to the movement here. As many as 148 of the 180 components were made in-house, more yet made in the USA, and that helps it stake a claim as the most fully American-made watch in decades.
Diameter: 38mm Movement: JN Shapiro Rresurgence Price: $70,000-$85,000
Within Nivada's catalog, "Antarctic" is most associated with a Rolex Explorer-style field watch. But the dive watch upon which the brand's latest issue is based has just as much historical cred: hailing from the 1950s and offering a skindiver appeal, it was Nivada's first dive watch. The modern reissue is a bit bigger at 38mm than the original (36.5mm) but still a great size for a dive watch and still rated to 200m of water resistance.
Diameter: 38mm Movement: Soprod P024 automatic Price: $1,000
Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver
Maurice Lacroix has put much of its attention on its sports-chic integrated bracelet-style Aikon in recent years, but it's now resurrected one of its earlier models: the Pontos S Diver. With an internal rotating bezel that's operated via the 2 o'clock crown, we were fans of it back in the day, and it looks great with an even more approachable size at 42mm (down from 43mm). It comes in three versions at launch, each on a rubber strap, and one one with a bronze case. We hope to see other Pontos S models return as well, such as the Chronograph.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: Sellita SW200 automatic Price: ~$2,200
Citizen NJ015 Automatic "Tsuyosa"
The Citizen Tsuyosa was first introduced to certain markets around the world, but it's now finally coming the USA. With a 40mm diameter, Citizen's basic automatic movement and sapphire crystal, it offers a handsome versatility that seems comparable to watches like a Rolex Datejust — but it also has one element that'll automatically kick its attractiveness up a notch for many enthusiasts: an integrated bracelet design a là hype watches like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Available from May 23.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Miyota 8210 automatic Price: $450
Though a natural extension of its Sea Wolf collection, Zodiac's new Sea-Chron is a little outside of what we normally expect from the brand. That's because a chronograph is substantially more complicated than most of the tool watches Zodiac makes. Building on the brand's vintage archives and DNA, it's got a hell of a retro-sporty look, a 72-hour power reserve and a couple of colorways.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: Sellita SW510 B automatic Price: $2,495
Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Mission to Moonshine Gold: Pink Full Moon
A year after Swatch caused utter madness with its unprecedented MoonSwatch, it followed up with a new version — identical to the previously available Mission to the Moon, but featuring a gold seconds hand. Now, the latest version is a tweak on that watch: it adds a pink tip to the gold seconds hand and takes the name Pink Full Moon. One thing that makes this different from previous MoonSwatches is that it's a limited edition.
Diameter: 42.5mm Movement: Quartz Price: $285
Seiko 5 Sports x Rowing Blazers
Rowing Blazers continues to knock it out of the park with its Seiko 5 Sports collabs. The latest is similar to the previous collection but adds new colors of pink, purple, yellow and white dials for a summery vibe. The Seiko 5 Sports collection is insanely good to begin with, but Rowing Blazers always manages to do something special. Each of these collaboration watches is, we dare say, instantly collectible.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Seiko 4R36 automatic Price: $495
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra GMT Worldtimer
Omega has added to its Worldtimer lineup in the Aqua Terra collection with four new models. Two are in steel, one is in brand's Sedna gold and one is in titanium with bold 43mm cases. While it's got GMT in the name, this operates like a world timer with the glass 24-hour disc in the dial's center turning to line up with global cities displayed at the dial's peripher. The 3D world map motif with continents in relief and blue ocean is created by laser ablation.
Diameter: 43mm Movement: Omega 8938 automatic Price: $9,200-$44,100
A more restrained size and design makes the Khaki Navy Frogman, in our humble opinion, Hamilton's new flagship dive watch. Bringing the diameter down from a rather giant and aggressive presence to 41mm suddenly makes it highly wearable as an every day watch — while remaining distinctive with its crown protector and arrow-shaped hour hand.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: Hamilton (ETA) H-10 automatic Price: $1,195
Three new versions of the TAG Heuer Monaco offer a distinctly modern take on the sporty chronograph. Each features a titanium case, skeletonized dial and vibrant highlights that help retain good legibility (which can be an issue in skeletonized watches) and comes on a rubber-and-leather strap. The movement on display through the dial (and caseback) is the brand's own in-house Heuer 02. We're especially drawn to the version in black DLC with its minty green lume.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: TAG Heuer Heuer 02 automatic Price: $10,750-$11,250
There's a lot of crossover between watch guys and photographers. Swiss watchmaker Horage isn't the first to capitalize, but they do offer a novel approach, an interesting look — and an in-house GMT movement with a micro-rotor. The Lensman 2 Exposure watch is made to help photographers calculate camera settings in what they call a "mechanical cheat sheet for manual photography." Rotate the bezel so the ISO setting aligns with your lighting conditions (indicated by icons) and the corresponding ideal aperture and shutter speed will line right up.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: Horage K2 Microrotor GMT automatic Price: ~$6,600 (~$5,480 pre-order)
The "canteen watch." It's kind of legendary as the funky-looking result of early experiments with the waterproof watches navy divers needed in WWII. Watchmakers have riffed on the concept of a screw-on crown cover secured by a chain, but Praesidus is offering pretty damn near a remake. Though larger at 38mm wide than the original's 31mm-32mm, it offers a pretty cool modern edition of a classic military watch — because that's what Preasidus is largely dedicated to doing. The price is right, too.
Diameter: 38mm Movement: Soprod P024 automatic Price: $550
Frederique Constant Manufacture Classic Tourbillon 39mm
Over $15,000 might sound like a lot to spend on a watch (and it is), but in the world of Swiss-made tourbillon watches, it's considered an aggressive value proposition. It's not the first time for Frederique Constant to offer that with its own in-house movement, but a gold version released at Watches & Wonders represented a new and welcome size at 39mm. In gold it was naturally more expensive, but the brand has now released two models in steel (silver and blue dials), at the same wearable size.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: Frederique Constant FC-980 automatic Price: $15,695
First made in 1986 for the Kelly Air Force Base, the Marathon Navigator is a military watch classic. Produced to government specifications, like all of the brand's watches, it was originally made in steel but has used cases made of "composite fiber shell" since the 1990s. Those might be perfectly practical and durable, but the model has now returned to its origins with a case in steel. Military watch fans will rejoice.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: ETA F06.412 HeavyDrive-PreciDrive Quartz Price: $800-$830
Funny, we didn't even realize that a proper field watch was missing from Yema's lineup, but now that it's here it makes total sense. We like its size(s) with 37.5mm and 40mm options, its thinness at just 7.8mm thick thanks to a hand-wound Sellita SW210 movement visible through the case back — and we like its bonklip bracelet, though it's also available on a beads-of-rice bracelet with an endlink designed to fit flush with the case. It comes in five dial colors and includes an extra strap.
Diameter: 37.5mm, 40mm Movement: Sellita SW210 hand-wound Price: $1,099-$1,249
Christopher Ward joins the integrated-bracelet fray with its new watch, The Twelve. "Integrated bracelet?" Of course, we're referring to watches in the tradition of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with features like the aforementioned bracelet design, faceted bezels, textured dials, etc. The Twelve has all those and other traits that have made such watches hype machines, but one major difference is an affordable price. It comes in multiple dial colors in steel, and with a couple models in titanium.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Sellita SW200-1 automatic Price: $1,225-$1,895
Read our full review of Christopher Ward The Twelve.
Timex x Huckberry Ironman Flix Reissue
Nostalgic for the '90s? Timex and Huckberry have got you covered. The brands have partnered to reissue a specific model of the Timex Ironman from 1999 right down to the details. It's actually created from the same mold as the original. Of course it's got all the features that have made the Ironman a favorite of athletes over the decades, including Indiglo, but this throwback limited edition seems more stylish than the original ever did.
Diameter: 44mm Movement: Quartz Price: $109
Unimatic Model Quattro UT4-B
The Unimatic U4 has long seemed like a mix between a dive and a field watch, but with a new dial design it leans ever so slightly more toward the field spectrum. It otherwise maintains similar dimensions (though a little thinner) and specs (including 300m of water resistance), but it's powered by a quartz movement. Quartz isn't for cost-cutting, as it's nearly the same price as the automatic version, and here it contributes its robustness to a truly tough little watch.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Seiko VH31 quartz Price: ~$440
Luminox is extending its Pacific Diver series of dive watches with new, smaller and simpler versions. We approve. Though the original chronograph models are very cool and tough, their 45mm diameter offers a bold wearing experience. Now with simple, time-only (no chronograph) functionality and 39mm diameters, there are equally tough watches but ones that'll be easier to wear in a range of circumstances.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: Ronda 515 quartz Price: $645-$695
Mr Jones A Perfectly Useless Afternoon Mechanical
British brand Mr Jones is all about watches as art. With a design focus, they're often affordable with quartz movements, but the latest offers one of its most popular designs with a Swiss automatic movement inside. Here you read the hour by the bather's foot and the minutes by the yellow duckie. It remains fun and affordable considering its specs, but offers that little bit more interest for watch snobs who prefer springs to batteries.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: STP 1-11 automatic Price: $550
Yema's partnership with the French navy (Marine National) has yielded some of our favorite models from the brand. With a crisp blue and white colorway (with sporty yellow highlights), this outcrop of the Superman dive watch line (also including GMTs) features the brand's exclusive automatic GMT movement and measures a very reasonable 38.5mm wide and 46mm lug-to-lug.
Diameter: 38.5mm Movement: YEMA3000 automatic Price: $1,349
Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Skeleton 6-15
The newest Zodiac Super Sea Wolf watch is notable for a couple reasons. Apart from the obvious aesthetic shock of it, it's rather unexpected for the otherwise tool-watch-focused brand to make a watch with a skeletonized dial and movement. The rainbow bezel isn't so much a surprise, as the brand is known for going colorful, but it does make this model all the wilder. Following the brand's very cool ceramic watch, it makes us wonder if there's a general expansion at the brand to more than just practical tool watches.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: STP 6-15 automatic Price: $1,895
Konstantin Chaykin x Louis Erard Time Eater
Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin is known for his Joker series of watches that use the subdials and complications to create literal faces on your watch face. Along with collabs, Swiss watchmaker Louis Erard is known for regulator watches that display the minutes around the main dial and the hours, separately, in a subdial. Teaming up to combine these concepts results in something that looks like a one-eyed alien with rotating sawteeth (that's the seconds subdial).
Diameter: 39mm, 42mm Movement: Sellita SW266-1 automatic Price: ~$4,450
With a thin, manually wound movement, the latest versions of Ralph Lauren’s RL867 watches are some of the coolest in the square dress watch category. Featuring the same Art-Deco style, these new models add to the existing (35mm) collection with new sizes of 28mm and 32mm, each in gold and silver (not steel) cases and creamy-white dials. They look fetching as hell, if you ask us.
Diameter: 28mm, 32mm Movement: Ralph Lauren RL430 hand-wound Price: $8,250-$17,000
Autodromo x Hodinkee Group B Rallysport Chronograph
Automotive-themed microbrand Autodromo's popular Group B collection of watches gets a big update we didn't see coming: a chronograph version featuring a Swiss mechanical movement — for a pretty reasonable price. It comes in five color variants and keeps the sizing nice and wearable at 40mm with a reasonable thickness of 13.4mm.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Sellita SW510 MB hand-wound Price: $1,450
Seiko 5 Sports SKX Sports Style 38mm
The existing flagship model in the Seiko 5 Sports is the SKX Sports Style. It's 42.5mm and we had zero complaints about its size — it wears incredibly well. But a 38mm version also sounds highly enticing, and in step with the times. It comes in this trendy minty green (SRPK33), orange (SRPK35), white (SRPK31) and black (SRPK29) — the latter of which would seem to make it a great affordable alternative to something like the new, 37mm Tudor Black Bay 54.
Diameter: 38mm Movement: Seiko 4R36 automatic Price: TBD (expect around $300 or less)
Timex Q Three Time Zone Chronograph
Timex continues to surprise us with relatively complicated watches. The latest is one that combines a chronograph and a second hour hand which can be set separately to track another time zone. It looks like a GMT, but only tracks 12 hours, rather than 24. The 12 o'clock subdial, however, does track 24 hours, essentially giving the watch GMT-equivalent functionality. Why do they call it "Three Time Zone" in the name? You can use the 12-hour bezel to track yet another time zone.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Quartz Price: $219 (strap); $239 (bracelet)
Casio G-Shock 40th Anniversary Project Team Tough GMWB5000
To mark another anniversary, G-Shock is giving the popular all-metal versions of its most iconic watch an unusual skin. These have a surface treatment called recrystallization which, in addition to other hardening treatments, creates a unique texture that feels unexpected on a G-Shock — or on watches altogether.
Diameter: 43.2mm Movement: Casio quartz, Tough Solar, Multiband 6, Bluetooth Price: $870
Watches & Wonders Geneva is the watch world's biggest and most important trade show. It's where the who's who of watchmaking announce their new lineups, and we were there to try on all the 2023 models for ourselves. Here's what stood out as novel, notable or just plain beautiful.
Rolex finally released the titanium Yacht-Master many had anticipated since a prototype was spotted in 2021. It comes on a full (RLX) titanium bracelet and takes the otherwise swanky, yachting-themed collection in a decidedly sportier and more tool-watch direction with a monochromatic, Submariner-like aesthetic.
Diameter: 42mm Movement: Rolex 3235 automatic Price: 13,400 CHF (~$14,600)
Tudor introduced an entirely new line within its Black Bay collection. Referencing the Rolex Submariner reference 7922 from 1954, it feels like a Tudor for purists with no date and a 37mm diameter, and enough changes to make it feel like more than merely a downsized Black Bay 58. It comes in steel bracelet and rubber strap options — and we can confirm that it wears absolutely great on the wrist.
Diameter: 37mm Movement: Tudor MT5400 automatic Price: $3,625-$3,850
Everybody kind of knew IWC had to do it, and they did: they brought back the most distinctive version of the IWC Ingenieur from the 1970s as designed by the one-and-only Gerald Genta. As everyone else is reaching to get in on the integrated-bracelet (or "sports-chic," or whatever you might call watches in the style of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak) game, IWC has one of the OGs in its back catalog. They also kept it perfectly sized at 40mm and thin at 10.8mm, powered by an in-house movement.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: IWC 32111 automatic Price: TBD
Zenith completely reinvented its pilot collection this year. Gone is the classic look that nods to early 20th century watches, and in its place is a distinctly modern, lifestyle-oriented watch. And yet, it retains nods to the classical design as well as convincingly recalling the brand's aviation history. The new watches come in time-only and flyback chronograph variants in steel or ceramic cases.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Zenith El Primero 3620 automatic Price: $7,500
Evolution 9 is one Grand Seiko's top-shelf collection, and it continues to evolve. The Tentagraph features a new movement and a new look for the brand with a more traditionally sporty chronograph powered by a mechanical movement (as opposed to a Spring Drive movement as found in previous Grand Seiko chronographs). It operates at a high frequency (5Hz) and has a full three-day power reserve — with the chronograph running.
Diameter: 43.2mm Movement: Grand Seiko 9SA5 automatic Price: $13,700
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date
Easily the star of the show from Vacheron Constantin this year is a combination of some of the traits and features the brand is best known for. In the brand's most crowd-pleasing collection, the sporty Overseas, this model features retrograde date and moon phase displays (it's right there in the name) but it all comes together (with that striking blue dial) in a way that's approachable but also displays Vacheron's high sense of refinement.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Vacheron Constantin 2460 R31L/2 automatic Price: On request
Rolex rarely releases an entirely new collection. But, among other surprises, that's exactly what they did this year by introducing the 1908. It's dressy, and sport watches tend to hog the spotlight, but this replacement for the Cellini line shouldn't be overlooked. It's the brand's most dedicated dress watch, it's the only one that's sold on a leather strap and it even introduced a new automatic movement from the brand which offers a seconds subdial and 66 hours of power reserve — and, another departure for the brand, it's visible through a display caseback.
Diameter: 39mm Movement: Rolex 7140 automatic Price: $22,000-$23,300
Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski Full Titanium
In a continuing partnership with Richard Orlinski, Hublot released another version of its Classic Fusion based on the artist's signature geometric style. This time, it comes in a chronograph version with a more traditional (i.e., flat) dial, and the geometric theme is continued onto the bracelet. What makes this one particularly stand out in person is its matte finished titanium case that makes the facets especially interesting.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: Hublot HUB1153 automatic Price: $18,200
Wrist Watch Collection What you are looking at is not simply some artistic watch graphic: it's an artistic watch graphic made real and rendered in ceramic. Yes, this new version of the famous Chanel J12 actually looks like this in real life and those pixelated looking elements are three-dimensional. Is it a watch you'll want to wear everyday to the office? Perhaps not. But is it weird and surprising art we're glad exists and which adds some spice to a trade show like Watches & Wonders? For sure. It's part of a rather wild but playful