For the watch world, the days counting down to April come with anticipation. Every year, the Swiss city of Geneva opens its doors to the best of horology, inviting brands, industry insiders, and collectors to revel in launches and industry conversation. This year is no different as Watches & Wonders Geneva starts its week-long fair, where 65 brands aim to leave a mark in horology with their pieces.
But unlike previous years, this year’s convention is looking to head in the same direction as most things in culture, i.e. taking a turn to the past. Contemporary visions still exist, but for a good number of maisions, their standout pieces have been relaunches that have been partly reimaged for a new audience and partly baked with nostalgia. Possibly that is the undeniable fact for the industry and for the zeitgeist as a whole. But even with a certain callback, each house has made its references unique to the story they’re trying to tell. Here are the highlights of Watches and Wonders 2026 so far.
Cartier
Bringing back the Roadster, this time in a more streamlined form, Cartier establishes its presence with its horology history. While the brand is known for its aesthetics, and the Roadster has plenty of it, this relaunch was also a moment for the house to highlight its technical components. Pacing 434 components across the curved shape, the piece is both intricate and hard-wearing, showcasing Cartier’s versatility of design language.
IWC Schaffhausen
Unveiling a series of horological breakthroughs, IWC Schaffhausen let its watches speak on engineering and innovation. The centrepiece of the showcase was their Pilot Venturer Vertical Drive, a timepiece engineered in partnership with aerospace company Vast. Replacing the traditional crown with a rotating bezel system and a case-side rocker switch, this watch has been designed to be used in space, with space suit gloves and will be seen en route soon at the upcoming Haven-1 commercial space station mission.
Other highlights of the showcase include the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume, which features a fully luminous white ceramic case, dial, and strap, emitting a vivid blue glow for up to 24 hours; the Big Pilot’s Watch 43 Perpetual Calendar ProSet, which features the IWC-ProSet® system, a user-friendly gear based design that allows the perpetual calendar to be adjusted both forward and backward via the crown while maintaining a moon phase precision of 1,040 years; and the “Le Petit Prince” 20th Anniversary Editions, celebrating two decades of IWC Schaffhausen’s collaboration with the heirs of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The special anniversary lineup includes the Pilot’s Watch Mark XX in both 18-carat 5N gold and stainless steel, the Pilot’s Watch Chronographs in 43mm and 41mm, the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36, and the Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34 Le Petit Prince, featuring deep blue sunray dials and engravings of the Little Prince.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Paying tribute to the place that fostered the maision’s creative spirit—the Vallée de Joux—Jaeger-LeCoultre’s showcase is an immersive booth, set on drawing in the ambience of the valley as well as the stories behind the inventions that kickstarted modern watchmaking.
Set on three levels, the booth highlights both new launches and the current collection. Among these, the Gyrotourbillon À Stratosphère stood out as it highlighted the maison’s code for precision. Pushing the boundaries once again, the timepiece features three axes covering 98% of possible positions, with an extreme lightness, thanks to its intricate 189 components.
Oris
Slowly expanding their key collections, the Oris booth will show 5 new novelties. These pieces take a reimagined look from the past, created for a new, contemporary audience. The Star Edition is a faithful revival of the 1966 original, whereas the new Artelier Complication captures the moon phase in a clean 39.5 mm stainless steel case. The Artelier Date and Artelier Calibre 113 expand with a focus on mechanical innovation. The Artelier Calibre 113 features a 10-day power reserve and a non-linear power reserve indicator that becomes increasingly precise as the power runs down, while the Artelier Date is sleek and minimalistic, powered by an automatic mechanical movement. And finally, the Big Crown Pointer Date in Black is relaunched with a timeless black dial, creating an understated yet versatile feel.
Parmigiani Fleurier
Celebrating their 30th anniversary, Parmigiani Fleurier joined the rest of the watchmakers in releasing new timepieces to take note of. Among the bunch was the TONDA PF Chronographe Mystérieux. A world premiere for the timepiece, the watch is especially fascinating because it comes equipped with the maison’s most complex chronographs developed in contemporary production, featuring a triple clutch construction, comprising one vertical clutch and two horizontal clutches.
Piaget
Taking a bespoke look into how watches, and time itself, can be perceived, Piaget puts focus on timepieces that function as jewellery, that come with movement, with style, and a statement. Taking inspiration from its previous cuff watches, sautoirs, and pocket watches, the latest collection revealed at Watches and Wonders was a modern reinterpretation of sautoir watches. Aptly called the Swinging Pebbles, the trio of ornamental timepieces formed in tiger’s eye, verdite, and pietersite is charming and is Paiget’s way of allowing the past to fit with modern sensibilities, with whimsy and fun.
Their Sixtie watch, another reimagining from the maison’s archives, is a more traditional piece, but designed to be more fluid, working as a piece of high jewellery as well. With a deep blue alligator stap, blue quartz, and soft trapezoid shape, it complements the wrist without being too overbearing.
Van Cleef & Arpels
With the Artemis II mission on everyone’s minds, the moon has become a more sentimental celestial object for most recently. For the house of Van Cleef & Arpels, it has been a century-old fascination and for their exhibition at Watches and Wonders, the curiosity continues. Paying tribute to celestial wonders that in part influence our perceptions of time, the maision introduced an expansion to their already remarkable Jour Nuit collection. The watch features two overlapping complications housed within the case. The first animates the eponymous Jour/Nuit display, while the second illustrates the Moon phase. Beyond the stars, we also get trompe-l’œil creations in their Ludo Secret bracelet watch. Taking the brand’s 1934 Ludo bracelet design, the piece cleverly opens up to reveal a rectangular dial. Blending watchmaking and high jewellery, Van Cleef & Arpels continue to innovate through spectacular design.
