Watches and Wonders 2026 is soon closing its doors and it's time for Team MONOCHROME to return home after one of the most intense weeks of the year. We have seen hundreds of watches, published well over a hundred articles, taken several thousand photos and published over 20 videos on YouTube. But now it's time to calm down a little and just talk about which watches impressed us the most and which watches we personally liked the most. The brief to the members of the team visiting the show was simple: no restrictions, just choose the watches you want to have on your wrist.
Note: This selection is based on our own preferences. We'll be back with more of these selections in the coming days, covering specific topics – tech, design, categories… So stay tuned.
Denis – A. Lange & Söhne Saxony annual calendar
This year, A. Lange & Söhne is reintroducing its pragmatic annual calendar in a smaller case and with a new movement. Well, that would be the short story, but the result is simply one of exceptional elegance and sophistication, as you would expect from the German brand. With a slim 9.8mm profile, the delightfully compact 36mm Saxonia Annual Calendar retains the layout and impeccable legibility of its larger sibling, but looks even more sophisticated thanks to subtle dial upgrades. Available in rose gold with an elegant and warm gray dial and in white gold with an argenté dial, these watches are powered by the new in-house automatic caliber L207.1 with a platinum central rotor, a classic screw balance and a stronger barrel that offers a power reserve of 60 hours.
Further details about the new Saxonia annual calendar can be found here in our participatory article.
Denis – Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic 37
Continuing the trend toward more compact watches, Bulgari went back to the drawing board and reduced the size of the simpler model in the ever-growing Octo Finissimo line, the Automatic. Previously available in a 40mm case that might seem large to some, this sleek yet modern 37mm version is now also available, still based on the same impactful design and impressive slimness. With a thickness of 6.45mm (slightly more than the 40mm version), three models are launched: matte titanium, satin titanium and yellow gold. Inside there is a new movement, the BVF 100 caliber with a micro rotor that is only 2.35 mm thick and still has a 3-day power reserve.
Further details about the new Octo Finissimo 37 can be found in our detailed article with video here.
Xavier – Ferdinand Berthoud Timekeeping 1787 Chronometer FB 2TV
Another year, another stunning watch from Ferdinand Berthoud and yet we're always happy to see it coming. Aside from its absolutely exceptional craftsmanship and appearance, this new watch from Berthoud is the first with a flying tourbillon regulator, here paired with a fusee-chain mechanism, with no fewer than 1,240 components – including 777 elements for the chain alone – and requires almost 300 hours of manual finishing. In keeping with the brand's ongoing focus on chronometry, the movement features a stop balance and a second hand reset – two rare but significant functions associated with a tourbillon – to set the time to the nearest second. Presented in a 44mm x 15.46mm round case made from ethically sourced 18k white gold, the design is derived from the Remontoir d'Egalité FB 2RE 2020.
For more details on the Ferdinand Berthoud Mesure du Temps 1787 Chronometre FB 2TV, see our handy article here.
Robin – Grand Seiko Spring Drive UFA Ushio 300 Diver
Finally a fairly compact diving watch from Grand Seiko… Although technically impressive, most of the brand's previous water models were on the large and thick side at 44mm or more. The problem was solved with the release of a new, smaller, thinner yet powerful series of diving watches from Grand Seiko. Part of the Evolution 9 collection and based on the advantages of the compact Spring Drive UFA (Ultra Fine Accuracy) caliber introduced last year, the new duo of Ushio divers measures 40.8 mm in diameter and 12.9 mm in thickness, is made of titanium and is water resistant to 300 m. It is available in two editions, with either a green or blue dial and ceramic bezel. And the bracelet has a nice taper and a micro-adjustment clasp.
Further details about the Grand Seiko Spring Drive UFA Ushio 300 Diver SLGB023 and SLGB025 can be found in our special test report.
Robin – Streamliner pump from H. Moser & Cie
Moser takes watchmaking into high gear once again with the new Streamliner Pump, a bold creation where the orange button of Reebok's iconic inflatable sneaker finds a place and function on a watch. Far more than just a gimmick, it actually serves an important purpose: winding the watch with a great tactile feel. To replace the traditional winding crown, Moser incorporated an interactive orange pusher made of anodized aluminum, but this also meant modifying the movement, and one press of the watch provides more than an hour of power reserve. The classic streamliner case here is made of matt forged quartz fiber, in black or white, with black or white lacquered dials.
Further information about H. Moser & Cie. x Reebok Streamliner Pump can be found in our practical article with video here.
Frank – IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar ProSet
Possibly the most practical perpetual calendar on the market… With the Proset, IWC introduces one of the most intuitive and foolproof perpetual calendars ever, redefining this complication with a new sense of ease and control. With its fully synchronized and gear-based design, it takes functionality a step further by allowing not only forward corrections but also reverse corrections. This gear architecture also allows the crown to move the entire calendar movement forward and backward smoothly as the gears remain in constant, synchronized mesh, allowing for bi-directional adjustments. It is launched in a new, smaller version of the IWC Big Pilot's Watch at 43 mm and is visually consistent with the rest of the collection, but represents a major breakthrough in the field of calendar movements.
Further technical details about the IWC Perpetual Calendar Proset can be found in our detailed article and video here.
Frank – Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Mysterious Chronograph
In the spirit of “Now you see me, sometimes you don’t,” Parmigiani Fleurier completes his three-part saga of hidden functions with the brilliant Tonda PF Chrono Mysterieux. After the GMT Rattrapante and the Minute Rattrapante, the Chrono Mysterieux only has three hands, hiding the fact that it is actually a chronograph. However, press the pusher in the lower left tab and the chronograph hour and minute hands above, as well as the central seconds hand, unite at noon and begin recording elapsed time. When you press the button again the chronograph stops and after the third press resets to return to a “normal” display of just hours, minutes and seconds, with running time tracking in the background. It is a very complex mechanism, but integrated in the most elegant way imaginable.
For more details on this pretty impressive Tonda PF Chrono Mysterieux, check out our hands-on story with video here.
Brice – Patek Philippe Nautilus 50th Anniversary 38mm 5610P
The sporty, elegant icon from Patek is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To celebrate, the brand has released not one, but four limited-edition models for the occasion: a pair of 41mm models in white gold, a most surprising pocket watch and this, the compact, extremely elegant 38mm Reference 5610 in platinum. It is not just a reduced version of the 5811G, but a revised, refined version that captures the essence of the first model with its display without date and seconds, a classic blue dial and an ultra-thin profile of just 6.9 mm. This was made possible through the use of another icon of the brand, the caliber 240 with micro rotor. This version is limited to 2,000 pieces.
Full details about this Nautilus 5610P and the three other limited editions in our introductory article here.
Xavier – TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph
With the Monaco Evergraph, TAG Heuer has truly revolutionized the way chronographs work. The brand new caliber TH80-00 is based on the principle of compliant, flexible mechanisms and replaces the traditional chronograph activation and reset system used for decades. Two of these mechanisms were designed to provide a new tactile action when using the chronograph, and we explained all about them in the video we published earlier this week. The Monaco Evergraph adopts the technical look of last year's Split Seconds Chronograph version with a titanium case, a partially openwork dial construction and a redesigned, more ergonomic all-titanium exterior. Still, it's reassuring Monaco, thank God!
Check out our practical video test of the innovative TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph here!
Brice – Tudor monarch
One of the best surprises we saw during Watches & Wonders this year came from Tudor, which celebrated its 100th anniversary with the all-new Monarch. Modeled after historic watches from the 1930s and 1940s, it features a 39mm wide, faceted stainless steel case with a dark champagne dial that features a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals. The hands are particularly fascinating, showing a new interpretation of the classic snowflake-style hands. The case back reveals the in-house automatic caliber MT5662-2U, which is both COSC and METAS certified. The stainless steel bracelet has H-shaped outer links with faceted inner links that alternate in workmanship and is equipped with Tudor's practical T-Fit clasp. Not bad, Tudor, not bad at all!
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