From April 1 to 7, Geneva once again became the epicenter of the watchmaking world, hosting Watches & Wonders — the largest horological exhibition on the planet. Its name, as always, should be taken quite literally. Inside the Palexpo pavilion, where the event unfolded, visitors found themselves surrounded by moments of true wonder.
The 2025 edition delivered an impressive array of jaw-dropping world records, surprising mechanical innovations, bold design experiments, and entirely new collections — all pointing to the directions in which haute horlogerie is headed.
Celebrating Records
The first thing that struck visitors this year was the sheer number of anniversaries celebrated by the industry’s leading maisons. Then again, 2025 is a date so aesthetically pleasing that even those without a proper milestone might have been tempted to invent one.
Take Hublot, for example. The brand is celebrating 20 years of its now-iconic Big Bang collection — a cultural phenomenon in its own right. And the anniversary was marked in true Hublot fashion: not with a single commemorative model, but with an entire anthology-style lineup titled “The Best of.” From an exclusive set of high-complication Big Bang pieces encased in cutting-edge materials, to a colorful array of sapphire crystal watches evoking the Infinity Stones — fans were showered with celebratory novelties.
Another anniversary came with a world record. Vacheron Constantin marked 270 years since its founding with the unveiling of the world’s most complex wristwatch: the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, featuring 41 complications, from astronomical calendars and tourbillons to multiple types of chiming gongs.
BVLGARI also had reason to celebrate — this year the brand unveiled its 10th world record in the realm of ultra-thin watchmaking. In 2014, it kicked off the race with the slimmest-ever tourbillon movement. Now, in 2025, it raises the bar again with the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon, a timepiece just 1.85 mm thick — a marvel of modern micro-engineering.
And Ulysse Nardin brought another record to the table with its premiere of the Diver (Air) — the world’s lightest diver’s watch. Weighing in at just 52 grams, including the strap, this featherlight marvel was made possible by a complete redesign of the UN-374 automatic movement, incorporating titanium bridges and a silicon escapement. It’s not just light, either — the watch is shock-resistant up to an astonishing 5000 Gs.
New Watches, New Movements
Another defining theme of Watches & Wonders 2025 was reinvention. For many of the world’s most revered watchmakers, this year marked a bold restart — even the most tradition-bound maisons unveiled entirely new collections, surprising both journalists and the public.
Though officially launched at the end of last year, the square-cased Patek Philippe Cubitus made its true debut in Geneva, where attendees finally had the chance to try it on. The model caused quite a stir — not just for its geometric form, but for what it signaled: a new direction for one of horology’s most respected houses.
Rolex delivered an even greater shock. At this year’s show, the brand introduced the Land-Dweller — its first ever “terrestrial” model in the Oyster Perpetual family, joining the Sea-Dweller and Sky-Dweller. The watch features a sleek, ultra-thin profile, integrated Flat Jubilee bracelet, and a brand-new movement, the Calibre 7140, the result of seven years of R&D. The 7140 incorporates a silicon Syloxi hairspring, innovative shock protection, and a breakthrough Dynapulse system inspired by natural escapement principles.
Zenith, celebrating its 160th anniversary, paid tribute to its founder, Georges Favre-Jacot, with the launch of the G.F.J. chronometers — refined dress watches powered by a revived version of the legendary Calibre 135. Originally famed for its prize-winning precision in the mid-20th century, the movement has been meticulously reconstructed with subtle upgrades, such as a boosted power reserve of 70 hours (up from the original 40), thanks to a new alloy used in the mainspring.
Meanwhile, the engineers at Grand Seiko continued refining their signature Spring Drive technology. Their latest creation — the Spring Drive U.F.A. (Ultra Fine Accuracy) — is powered by the new Calibre 9RB2, offering a staggering precision of +/- 20 seconds per year. It’s not just a mechanical feat — it’s a quiet declaration of horological mastery.
From Here to Eternity
In the realm of high complications, 2025 brought an unexpected shift: for the first time in years, perpetual calendars edged out tourbillons as the leading complication. A subtle revolution — one rooted in elegance, restraint, and a return to the poetry of timekeeping.
Parmigiani Fleurier’s Toric Perpetual Calendar is a perfect case in point: a minimalist ode to refinement. The manually wound Calibre PF733, equipped with twin barrels for a 60-hour power reserve, was designed so discreetly that only two modest indicators grace the dial — a study in balance and serenity, where mechanical complexity hides behind aesthetic purity.
Another standout came from Saxony: A. Lange & Söhne introduced the Minute Repeater Perpetual, marking the brand’s first-ever combination of these two complications. Inside a platinum case beats the entirely new Calibre L122.2, crafted to bring together the emotional chime of the repeater with the intellectual beauty of the perpetual calendar.
Other maisons followed suit: Patek Philippe, Frederique Constant, IWC Schaffhausen, Piaget, and even British watchmaker Bremont, which surprised everyone with its most complex timepiece to date — the Altitude Perpetual Calendar GMT Mono-Pusher. Elegant, technical, and deeply unexpected, it signaled Bremont’s ambition to play on the haute horlogerie stage.
The Shape of Time
Amid the flurry of new calibres and engineering marvels, it was refreshing to see that many brands had not forgotten what makes watchmaking an art: design — the kind that speaks to the eye before the mind, evoking emotion at a glance. In 2025, beauty often took precedence over technical bravado.
Take Jaeger-LeCoultre, for instance. With the new Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds, the maison returned to its roots — a clean, gold monoface framed in a softly gleaming Milanese-style gold bracelet. It’s a reminder that proportions and restraint can still outshine complexity.
Cartier, ever the master of form, revisited Art Deco elegance with a dramatic ultra-thin Tank à Guichets, where time is revealed through tiny apertures for minutes and a jumping hour, set into a brushed dial — a piece that whispers rather than shouts.
Women’s watches, too, embraced originality this year. Chanel unveiled the charming Blush Watch Capsule Collection, inspired entirely by cosmetics. The Première, Boy.Friend, and J12 models were reimagined in delicate shades of blush, lipstick, and nail lacquer, straight from the Chanel palette.
Piaget introduced a new line dubbed Sixtie, inspired by a quirky 1960s watch once worn by Andy Warhol. The updated versions keep the inverted trapezoidal case but come in smaller sizes with quartz movements, channeling retro playfulness with a contemporary twist.
Hermès, ever clever in its aesthetics, debuted the Maillon Libre collection, built around the brand’s iconic chain-link motif. These pieces can be worn on the wrist, as a brooch, or even as a pendant — a fusion of horology and high jewelry.
And then there’s Van Cleef & Arpels, whose poetic spirit was on full display with the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate. This remarkable creation features an “on-demand” complication: at the push of a button, two lovers come to life in a charming guinguette scene, dancing and kissing under Parisian lights. It’s a watch that asks not for precision, but for presence — inviting us to savor time, not chase it.
Much like the entire fair itself, these timepieces remind us that watches are not only about keeping track of minutes. They are about celebrating moments.
Much like the entire fair itself, these timepieces remind us that watches are not only about keeping track of minutes. They are about celebrating moments.
by Liza Epifanova
Website: watchesandwonders.com
