Our Favorites from Watches & Wonders Week

As we do every year when we come back from Watches & Watches, we asked our team to pick their favorite releases of the show. This article is always telling, because our team has a way of looking beyond the hype and zeroing in on watches with real personal appeal. As always, it’s fun to see the logic behind these picks, whether they represent watches our team members would actually want to own, or were simply novelties they were overwhelmed by in the moment. 

Be sure to let us know your favorites from Watches & Wonders week in the comments below, we’d love to hear about them. 

Zach Weiss – Grand Seiko SBGZ011 “Mystic Waterfall”

So many watches, so many wonders, how does one even begin to choose a favorite? Well, for me, the test is after a few days of being away from the show, what I am still thinking about. And this year, while there are a few, the one that impressed me not just as a watch, but as a piece of art was the Grand Seiko SBGZ011 “Mystic Waterfall.” Every few years, Grand Seiko drops one of their breathtaking hand carved watches, but none have been quite like this, at least for me. You see, the SBGZ011 has two firsts: it’s based on the 45GS case, my personal favorite, and it’s the first time the dial has been hand-engraved, too.

Inspired by the Tateshina Waterfall, the SBGZ011 has been meticulously hand-carved on all surfaces of its 950 platinum case with an undulating, organic motif of marks that, at once, appear like flowers or little explosions, yet, taken all in at once, speak clearly, if poetically, to rushing, crashing water. An effect made even more dramatic, as nearly the entire dial features the same seemingly random yet clearly intentional markings. 

The 45GS, known for its wide, zaratsu-polished flanks, provides a dramatic canvas. Its geometric forms contrast with the organic, swirling marks. The artist was cautious in preserving the case’s lines while removing material. Powered by the micro-artist-studio finished 9R02A manual-wound, spring drive caliber, this watch is really Grand Seiko doing what only they can do. High art meets high precision. 

Zach Kazan – Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronometre Date

Picking my favorite watch from this year’s Watches & Wonders was more difficult than in years past. As many have commented, this was, for the second year in a row, at least, a somewhat muted and subdued year for new releases. That’s not to say it was a bad year, but there weren’t a lot of fireworks for me in this year’s crop of novelties. That’s the way it goes, sometimes. The watch industry is still in a somewhat tenuous spot, and it seems clear that brands are still leaning into watches that have broad commercial appeal, as opposed to brazen, boundary pushing new developments that might be more risky. 

So in thinking about this year’s new releases and what I might write about for our annual accounting of the very best, I decided to think about watches I might hypothetically really consider owning at some point. As much as I might admire the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Lumen, that one, unfortunately, is simply not in the cards. Nor is the Ulysse Nardin Superfreak, which is unquestionably at the top of my list of “Best Named” watches this year, and might have made the cut here if I’d taken a slightly different approach. Consider it a very honorable mention. 

Now that we have a little bit of space from the event itself and things have kind of settled in my mind, it’s the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control collection that I can’t quite get out of my head. I guess if I’m picking just one, I’m going with the Master Control Chronometre Date in steel, but would probably be just as happy with the Power Reserve or Perpetual Calendar, especially if I can have it in gold. But keeping things relatively grounded, I’ll stick with the simplest execution, which at $14,200 is very expensive but not completely insane, and attainable if I sell off a chunk of my collection or my crypto wallet has a miraculous recovery. 

This collection feels like something we’ve been waiting for from JLC for a long time. Or at least I have, I won’t speak for what is clearly a huge swath of the population that simply can’t get enough of the Reverso, which feels like the brand’s Royal Oak more than ever (not complimentary). For context, I’m a huge fan of Jaeger-LeCoultre, but I’m drawn mostly to their weird 1970s output (like this vintage Memovox I once owned, and currently miss) and their ultra overbuilt Master Compressor line (RIP) from the early 2000s. When they reintroduced the Polaris a few years back, it felt like JLC might be getting back into a sportier, weirder domain, but that line has been largely ignored and static. And the watches just aren’t very good, in my opinion, and feel like a let down in terms of fit and finish against everything else the brand makes. 

These new Master Control pieces plug a gaping hole in their catalog. They’re sporty, elegant, extremely well executed in their finishing, and start a new chapter in the brand’s long term commitment to chronometry, testing each movement to their own high standards and reestablishing historic “HPG” designation. They are also, somewhat unbelievably, fairly accessible. Integrated bracelet sports watches command a large premium in this environment, so it wouldn’t have surprised me at all if Jaeger-LeCoultre had told me these watches start at around $20,000. 

Of course, once you step into the precious metal pieces things begin to get out of hand with pricing, as you’d expect, but that gold perpetual calendar was something else, and now a few weeks removed from having it on my wrist, it’s clear that these watches were my favorites of the show. 

Cait Bazemore – H. Moser Streamliner in 28mm + 34mm

All throughout Watches and Wonders, you’re constantly asked about the favorite model you’ve seen. I tend to answer honestly – the whole week is a blur, and all the models morph together into one single watch. At the end of it all, I’m asked the question again, this time by each outlet I contribute to. In the wake of the show, there’s some time to digest and parse through four days of non-stop appointments at 31 of the 65 brands, many of which are debuting not one, not two, but half a dozen or more references. There are many factors that could determine a favorite: most technically innovative, most artistically impressive, most interesting or surprising. This year, for me, my pick comes down to the watch I would genuinely kill to own (but, of course, can’t afford) and will be added to my grail list: the H. Moser & Cie Streamliner in 28mm and 34mm.

I’ve been a big fan of the Streamliner since its debut in 2020. The case and bracelet are perfectly executed with a design that both looks and feels good even in the original proportions. However, it wasn’t until 2023 that I really started to fall in love with the model. At Geneva Watch Days that year, I got my hands on the Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel. Moser is no stranger to a stunning and exceptionally executed dial, but as a die-hard lover of enamel, this one truly blew me away. The 39mm proportions weren’t bad on my wrist either – I was smitten. This year, H. Moser has made this incredible design even more accessible with the addition of both 28mm and 34mm variants, and I’m not sure which I love more. Here, the dials have that instantly recognizable frosted texture thanks to hand engraving and this time a lacquer finish in silver for the 34mm and burgundy for the 28mm. I look forward to seeing the evolution of these new sizes in different dial executions, but for now, I would happily rock either of these.

Christoph McNeill – Eberhard MCMLIX (1959) Scafograf 200

My pick for favorite release from the Watches and Wonders this year is the Eberhard MCMLIX (1959) Scafograf 200. Anyone that has read anything from me knows I’m a vintage diver guy, and I love when a brand does a great heritage version of one of their classic vintage designs. The original Eberhard Scafograf divers are beautiful and incredibly hard to find in any condition whatsoever. They are highly sought after by collectors, and nearly impossible to acquire in my experience. As such, I’m stoked that Eberhard dug deep in the archives and are bringing back the original Scafograf 200 from 1959 in a fairly faithful re-imagining. 

The main feature that really sets the Scafograf 200 apart is of course the dial, with its four large triangle markers at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. They kept the dial pretty accurate, but they did eliminate the date window which is most excellent. This new MCMLIX comes in four variations. The dial (and bezel) comes in either blue or black, and there is an option to have a brushed silver outer minute track. Personally I’m not a fan of the silver outer track on this watch, I prefer the solid color. The hands are also faithful to the original design, with the hour hand having a large triangle tip to match the hour markers. The most noticeable departure from the original design is the case. The original had a more symmetrical shape with an integrated crown guard. The new model has a more classic Submariner style case in 39mm with traditional crown guards. This is unfortunate, I would have liked to see a case closer to the vintage design. 

The Scafograf 200 comes with a choice of strap, either a leather strap with stitching to match the dial color or a nice Milanese mesh bracelet with their proprietary “2CLICK” buckle. There is a helium release valve on the case at 9 o’clock, in case you might actually dive with your dive watch. Pricing is around $3,000 after currency conversion. All things considered, the Eberhard MCMLIX Scafograf 200 is a gorgeous diver from a storied brand, with solid vintage DNA.

Kyle Snarr – Marathon Cerashell Navigator 

Marathon took the opportunity to unveil their latest innovation at Time to Watches in Geneva during the Watches and Wonders week. I’ve always been a fan of their quirky and cool Navigator watches, with their asymmetrical case design made from a high-impact fibre composite. They’ve now taken this watch to the next level by introducing a completely new and proprietary case material called CeraShell®. It’s crafted from bio-sourced plastic and ceramic powder, which lightens the payload while upholding the durability. Other enhancements include: an all-new aluminum bezel that delivers a more tactile rotation, removable spring bars, and a custom tritium tube insert in the bezel pip. Now, if they’ll just make this thing in every color imaginable, I’d collect each and every one of them.

Brett Braley-Palko – Hermès Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune 

On any given day, I tend to keep my personal tastes a bit minimal, a bit conservative. I’m not big on patterns, color, or anything above a 38mm case. Even so, the one time of the year I allow myself to get a little extravagant with my wishlist is around Watches and Wonders, with the Hermès Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune in Bleu Abysse being the stand-out for me this year.

Undoubtedly, there has been a trend towards more skeletonized watches, especially for high-end brands that want to show off their manufacturing and design chops. The French maison Hermès is no exception, having shown a variety of skeletonized watches under their Mysterious Mechanisms collection. And while I reviewed many photos of various novelties coming out of Geneva, I kept coming back to the Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune.

I think what interested me most about this particular reference is that it’s a well-balanced marriage between Hermès’s classic design language and the experimentation that legacy houses allow themselves in the watch space versus, say, in their runway or accessory collections. With this in mind, the neutral navy dial, cutaway to reveal the mechanics of the H1953 movement, and the bright platinum case seem like a lot – and, perhaps, it is – but balanced against the broader brand aesthetic of Hermès, it’s a welcomed change of pace and, perhaps, a reminder that the luxury brand didn’t just decide to go into watches – it has a watchmaking history going back to 1928.

My only gripe, though, is the size. At 39.5mm it’s just a bit too big for me, personally speaking. But, then again, I don’t have $42,450 to buy this watch, so what the hell am I complaining about anyway?

Kat Shoulders – Cartier Santos Dumont

Trying to pick a favorite watch from Watches & Wonders is kind of like picking a favorite pet, nearly impossible. But I’ll try to do my best to entertain the Worn & Wound readers, just don’t give me flack if I pick wrong. This year, my nominee for best-of goes to the new Cartier Santos-Dumont, in particular, the obsidian dial yellow-gold version. It’s no surprise I often leave the Cartier photo appointment with the thought racing through my head “why the heck don’t I have a Cartier in my collection” and this year was no different. The new Santos-Dumonts feature precious metal cases and come with a wonderful new bracelet, and that’s where this thing really gets you. Cartier traces the DNA back to their first made-to-measure metal bracelets from the 1920s. There’s a fluidity to the way it drapes against the wrist that’s hard to explain until you’ve worn it. I found myself not wanting to put it down. That comfort comes down to the links themselves, which come in at just 1.15mm thick. Each section runs 15 rows deep, and when you add it all up, Cartier claims you’re looking at 394 individual pieces. With every one of them machined and finished in-house at their Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 

The dial was the next thing that really won me over. Cartier used gilded obsidian here, which is dark volcanic stone. And that iridescent quality you see isn’t a finish or a treatment, it’s microscopic air bubbles trapped inside the material. Oh, and it’s sliced to just 0.3mm thin. Which posed a challenge to the watchmakers. It’s one of those details that makes you stop and stare and frankly made me not want to leave the Cartier booth. I kept thinking about the curves and finishing on this one long after my appointment. But I can’t close out without mentioning a few of my other favorites of the show, most notably the IWC Pilots Venturer Vertical Drive which I did a write up for here. And the new Tudor Monarch hit hard as well. 

David Von Bader – TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph

One of the most difficult tricks for a heritage brand like TAG Heuer to pull off is creating something truly progressive without selling out its identity. TAG Heuer has produced a steady string of recent hits that infuse modern watches with the charm of the beloved pieces from their archives, but they’re a brand that intends to keep playing in the big leagues of Swiss watchmaking, and that requires a showstopping statement piece. The Monaco Evergraph is that watch. 

Featuring a wholly new and wildly impressive movement called the Calibre TH80-00, the Monaco Evergraph is a bold statement of intent from TAG Heuer. The watch’s bleeding edge movement tech is housed in a piece that vamps on the brand’s most iconic form factor. While it may not tug at the heart strings of the vintage Heuer fan in the same way some of their modern interpretations of classic references might, the Monaco Evergraph is one of the most impressive watches from Watches & Wonders 2026 and it’s the exact watch TAG Heuer needed to make at this moment.