Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026
Watchonista Staff Picks: Watches and Wonders 2026
With Watches and Wonders 2026 in the books, it’s time for the Watchonista team’s annual recap of our staff’s favorite timepieces from the show. Seems easy enough, but with 65 brands exhibiting at Palexpo, plus extracurricular programs scattered around Geneva, we were spoiled for choice.
By Rhonda Riche
Editor-At-Large
My favourite part of Watches and Wonders is getting to try on timepieces. I must have examined over a hundred novelties over the course of seven days. That is why choosing just one favourite is impossible. So, I’ve made up my own categories.
First up: The watch I’d most likely wear every day. That honor goes to the Oris Star Edition – a tribute to the brand’s first lever escapement. It was an easy pick as I already have a vintage barrel-shaped Oris that looks almost the same but smaller and with a green dial.
The second category is the most innovative. Thanks to the rising cost of precious metals and supply chain issues, case materials were a major talking point at Palexpo. And while IWC is no stranger to working with ceramics, the Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar Ceralume takes the material to a new level by imbuing it with Super-LumiNova. Even the strap is radiant! The press had the best time hiding behind blackout curtains, basking in its glow.
The watch that elicited the most emotional response– the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Pump – is another game-changing novelty. This watch was meant to evoke memories of Reebok’s Pump sneakers. But it is more than just a slice of nostalgia – it uses a very modern anodized-aluminum pusher to wind the movement and activate the power-reserve indicator. This action is extremely satisfying.
And finally, my pick for most charming timepiece is the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronograph Mystérieux. It too is innovative. It looks like a typical, three-handed, time-only watch until you push a button and voilà! Almost magically, it turns into a chronograph, revealing two rose gold hands to indicate regular time and transforming the three rhodium-plated hands into chronograph hands.
By Sébastien Aeberli
Design, Content & Social Media
For me, the Tudor Monarch stood out as a refined blend of heritage and modern execution.
During a short touch-and-feel session, the 39mm faceted case impressed with its balanced proportions and sharp lines. The bracelet with a T-fit clasp felt secure and comfortable in brief handling. The papyrus-toned dial, combining Roman and Arabic numerals, delivers a distinctive yet elegant look – made even more appealing at CHF 4,800.
Beyond aesthetics, the Monarch shows strong technical credentials. Powered by the Manufacture Calibre MT5662-2U and certified by METAS, it offers precision within 0/+5 seconds per day. Resistance to magnetic fields up to 15,000 gauss enhances reliability in daily use. The 65-hour power reserve ensures practicality for a full weekend, while visible finishing, such as Côtes de Genève and perlage, reflects solid craftsmanship.
The Monarch embodies the philosophy of Hans Wilsdorf: delivering quality at a competitive price. With integrated manufacturing and independent certification, it highlights the brand’s evolution. The five-year transferable guarantee reinforces long-term value. While not minimalist, its character and historical cues make it a compelling modern take on Tudor’s legacy.
By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor
I have been sailing long enough to completely understand that it can be a better proposition to have a good friend or two who own boats than to own your own. So, I can testify that the Calibre 4162 movement powering Rolex’s Yacht-Master II offers a better sailing tool solution in the form of a newly envisioned regatta timer.
In fact, the new timepiece stands as an apt exemplar of two trends I noticed at this year’s Watches and Wonders show: impressive, often wily advancements in mechanical watch technology and a sense of thoughtful revivalism.
The Yacht-Master II hasn’t received this level of attention for a while; however, the redesign, driven by the new counterclockwise operation of the countdown timer, counts as a revival in that it not only simplifies and clarifies the previous execution’s dial real estate but also continues to present as a skipper-worthy symbol of the profound intersection of sailing and timing.
In Oystersteel ($20,300) or yellow gold ($57,800), the new Rolex Yacht-Master II sets a new standard in the yachting watch world.
By Elena Fichtel
Deputy Managing Editor
Given the avalanche of new releases that came out during this year’s show, I thought choosing my favorite watch would be impossible; however, when I sat down to really think about it, my mind kept returning to the new white-gold Piaget Polo 79 with a sodalite dial (Ref. G0A51151).
Since first seeing the Biver Carillon Tourbillon Titanium Sodalite in 2024, I’ve become increasingly enamored with sodalite dials.
I find the mineral’s intense royal-blue color and ghost-like whisps of white veining inherently pleasing to look at. However, I’m not choosing this latest Polo 79 just because I like the dial material. No, I’m choosing it because of the intense natural contrast between the sodalite and the brushed and polished white gold of the Polo 79’s signature gadroons, case, and bracelet.
It is quite simply the best use of sodalite I have seen to date.
By Cait Bazemore
Contributor
Last year, when Roger Dubuis was celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Maison held a small retrospective exhibition in New York City showcasing models that shaped the brand’s first three decades. Tucked in the shadows of the watches we typically associate with the brand, like the Excalibur and Biretrograde, or exceptional pieces like its Knights of the Roundtable series, were a small handful of ladies’ pieces.
I’ll admit, at the time, I didn’t even know Roger Dubuis made watches for women – I had always associated the Maison with its bold, oversized designs. Ever since then, I’ve been eager to elevate the brand’s often overlooked ladies’ options.
Fast forward to Watches and Wonders this year. Once again in the shadows, behind the showpieces of the fair – the Excalibur Biretrograde models – was once again a more feminine interpretation: the Excalibur Lady of the Lake.
Here, packed inside perfectly sized 36mm proportions, we have the same expansive depth Roger Dubuis achieves in its more audacious designs, thanks to a highly dimensional, multi-layered mosaic mother-of-pearl dial that mimics the depths of the bottomless lake. This design is definitively modern yet clearly carries a timelessness that will transcend over the years.
The takeaway: don’t sleep on Roger Dubuis’ women’s watches.
By Barbara Palumbo
Contributor
I’m not ashamed to admit that there is nothing I love more than a good old-fashioned deal. I mean, my closet is overflowing with thrifted items, I scan Facebook Marketplace daily, and at 12:00 midnight on Thanksgiving, I’m glued to my laptop ordering sh*t I probably don’t even need because of how cheaply I can get it.
What does this have to do with Watches and Wonders, you ask? Well, indirectly, it’s the setup to the watch I am selecting as “Best in Show” this year.
Frederique Constant has been, well, a constant in my life for various reasons. I personally own the Manchette, my significant other owns a Classic Automatic, and I gifted my nephew an FC for his 30th birthday. Nearly every member of the watch media would agree that the brand produces some of the best-value watches around, and this year was no different, which is part of the reason I am choosing the Classic Worldtimer Manufacture as my pick.
While a worldtimer has been part of the brand’s catalog since 2012, this year’s versions saw an updated dial design and a new caliber (FC-719) offering 72 hours of power reserve. My personal favorite, the Ref. FC-719BLW3H6, was the version with the medium blue dial and navy alligator strap. The dial textures, subtle gradient, and silvery-gray embossed continents were *chef’s kiss*, but to have a power piece like this for under $5,000?
No brainer, man. Best of the fair, hands down.
By Ash Longet
PR & Business Development
Dual time rarely feels this composed, which is why the Van Cleef & Arpels Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleurs ended up being my clear favorite at Watches and Wonders 2026. It distills the GMT idea into something that is less about complication and more about atmosphere.
Two apertures - home above, elsewhere below - move in sync, with retrograde minutes adding a subtle sense of motion. The 38mm Midnight case in rose gold and that shifting enamel dial give it warmth and depth. For me, it captures travel not as a function, but as a feeling – exactly what a great watch should do.