Year in Review: Watch of the Year 2025

Our annual Watch of the Year post is here, and as always it’s a celebration of the diversity and strength of the enthusiast community. There’s a little of everything represented here, from the platonic idea of the Seiko diver, to highly experimental and ultra-modern, to emerging microbrands offering incredible value. But it’s not just about the watches themselves – every year has individual watches that are successful in the ways that get them onto lists like these. It’s the way our team assesses them, and gets to the heart of what makes a watch great, or interesting, or challenging. 

We hope you enjoy our roundup of our team’s favorite watches of 2025. Let us know yours in the comments below, and Happy New Year! 

Christoph McNeill 

For my Watch of the Year this year, I of course went with a Seiko. I know, no surprise there, but consistency is a good thing right? What can I say, I absolutely love Seiko. And I’m not just a homer, they really do put out killer stuff year after year. I nearly picked one of the amazing and beautiful Grand Seikos (the SLGW007 ‘birch’ dial), but I’ve written about the Grand Seikos a lot, and as stunning as they are, I’m a dive watch guy at heart and there is one Seiko diver that really blew me away this year. I’m talking about the Seiko Prospex Marinemaster SLA081 Limited Edition “Shinkai” diver. For brevity’s sake I’ll just refer to it as the Shinkai from here on out.

The Shinkai diver is modeled after the OG 1968 Seiko 6159-7001 diver which is an iconic masterpiece, and of course highly sought after by collectors (myself included, although sadly a nice example has eluded me…). The basic case shape, dial and hour marker configuration, hands and bezel do a great job of honoring the original watch. But that’s where the similarities end. This version is a beast, with a 45mm case that is built like a tank. The large bezel has deeply cut teeth to give it a solid grip, as does the oversize screw-down crown. The lugs each have an extra adapter piece that has matching deeply cut teeth that screws in place when you are using the solid steel bracelet. The bracelet features a tri-fold clasp that has push button release and a slide adjuster to accommodate switching from your bare wrist to being able to fit over a wetsuit. The case and bracelet are titanium with the proprietary Seiko ‘super-hard coating’ to help resist scratches. Steel would have been a better choice, but Seiko is currently enamored with coated titanium so….

The nickname Shinkai means “the deep sea,” which of course is appropriate for a proper diver. It also refers to the beautifully textured dial that is made to resemble the waves and ripples of the sea. The dial is coated with a “lustrous finish” that makes it really stand out. Seiko has done an outstanding job with textured dials lately, and this one is no exception. It looks amazing without being a distraction. The hands are made with the same attention to quality and detail. Broad sword hands with large lume filled plots, brushed finish and polished beveled edges on the hour hand. The watch is powered by a beautifully finished Seiko caliber 8L45A automatic movement that is an accurate, robust workhorse like all the other Seiko movements over the years.  Really a work of art, the whole thing. If I were going to buy a new modern watch, this would be first on my list.

Zach Kazan 

The watch I wore the most this year, as you may have seen by now in our annual video highlighting what made it to our wrists most frequently in 2025, was my Ming 37.09, an easy to wear diver that basically never left my wrist for the duration of summer and much of the fall as well. But it’s not the Ming that occupied most of my mental space this year. That honor goes to the 57.04 Iris, a bold new step for the brand representing a significant evolution in their well understood design language. It was the most serious case of unrequited watch lust I encountered this year, and is the most meaningful “I wish I’d pulled the trigger on that one” moment for me. I’m not sure if that’s the traditional calculus for “Watch of the Year,” but that’s how things have landed this time around. 

Ming’s flying blade lugs have become an aesthetic trademark, and they’ve morphed in shape slightly over the years, but never so much as with the jump to the 57.04. Here, the lugs and the case more broadly take on a pronounced Art Deco influence, which is not something I’d have expected from Ming, necessarily, but makes a certain amount of sense when you consider their goals of celebrating modernity, technology, and bold choices in color and shape, all hallmarks of Art Deco. The “shape” is self-evident from the dramatic steps on each lug, and the commanding presence of the 57.04 on the wrist. 

The dial, too, is outstanding, a celebration of color and lume that complements the brazenness of the case architecture beautifully. It displays readouts for the monopusher chronograph in a minimalist fashion, via a 6:00 subdial, that is very Ming. There are no unnecessary markings or scales, the texture and dynamic tones of the dial are left to stand on their own. 

We’ll surely see more of this case architecture in future Ming releases, which is something we should all be excited about. After a relatively short time, this is a brand that has solidified their status as a true innovator in independent watchmaking, delivering unique creations across a variety of price points. 

Nathan Schultz

Let’s face it, everyone reading this looked at a lot of watches this year. If your watch content consumption habits are like mine, this probably involved a bit of revisiting old favorites (I’ve been on a big Longines Conquest kick lately) by poring over memorized specs and checking your bank account, but was spent mostly keeping up with new releases in a year that seemed to flow more than it ebbed.  And while our opinions on these new watches varied greatly (I don’t recall having much support as I sang the praises of the Land-Dweller after Watches and Wonders), the criteria we judged them by often boiled down to just two things: a good watch that offered a little something extra to make it stand out from the crowd. 

With so many arguably flawless new watches that met this criteria in 2025, for me, pinpointing a favorite came down to identifying the watch that tempted me to hit that buy button the most. I didn’t purchase any new watches this year (keyword being “new” as I finally felt confident enough to dabble in vintage), and the only watch that came close to breaking that streak was the Erebus Ascent HAQ (high accuracy quartz). More specifically, the 36mm blue enamel variant on pre-order as I type this. 

While what makes a watch “good” is largely subjective, is there anything not to like about this HAQ GADA? It’s got a clean and versatile design, snob proof specs (sapphire and 100 meters of water resistance), comes in 3 sizes with 9 dial colors each, and is priced competitively ($469 in the US). But what really wins me over is the Ascent HAQ celebrates quartz in a way few watches do by putting its Swiss-made ETA movement with a 7 year battery life and an accuracy of 10 seconds per year proudly in view with a display caseback. As a collector that now prefers the robust accuracy of quartz after my initial fascination with mechanical movements has plateaued, I can’t deny that I love seeing the enthusiast pendulum continuing to swing toward accepting that watches don’t need a mainspring to be cool. Looking ahead to 2026, I hope to see more battery powered enthusiast watches. If the “sold out” banner found on the Ascent HAQ shortly after its initial launch earlier this year grabbed the attention of other brands as much as it grabbed mine, I have a feeling that wish might come true.

Alec Dent 

The Lorier Roosevelt took my breath away when I first saw it earlier this year and it’s stuck with me like no other watch this year. It’s got some serious vintage charm — a cushion case and knurled bezel evoke some of the early Rolex Oyster cases, while Breguet numerals and a beautiful sunburst dial complete the watch’s unique 1920s glamor. I’m not normally a fan of bronze cases, but Lorier’s website has before and after photos of a Roosevelt after a few months of patination and I was shocked to find myself admiring the Roosevelt patinated even more than I like it clean.

Now the downside: It was a 250 piece limited edition and it sold out almost immediately. I’ll be hoping for a Festivus miracle to see its return — which may end up happening. The Lorier website encourages fans to get in touch to be added to a wait list. Hope springs eternal.

Griffin Bartsch 

I never really know where to start with this one. There are just too many watches released in a given year to boil it down to one. For my money? The Nomos Club Sport Worldtimer could easily be the watch of the year. So could the Breguet Classique Souscription, Angelus Chronographe Télémètre, Dennison ALD Dual Time, Roger Smith Series 6, Rolex Land-Dweller (yeah, it’s actually pretty great), Otsuka Lotec No. 5, Aubert & Ramel Ouréa, or the Chopard L.U.C. Quattro Platinum. For a year that’s been, if we’re being candid, pretty bleak, it’s actually seen a pretty solid one from a new watch standpoint, and there are any number I could choose even beyond the list I’ve just offered. Still, for this exercise, I’m aware I can only pick one, so I’m gonna go with a watch I’ve not been able to get out of my head since I first heard wind of it last month: The Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placid.

I hold a huge amount of affection for Roger Dubuis’s watches, but I don’t think I’d be speaking out of turn to say the brand has not been overly impressive in recent years (cough, cough… decades). Okay, that may be harsh. The watchmaking coming out of Dubuis since its move into sports watches in 2004 has been far from terrible, but the watches themselves have done little to inspire people like me, who espouse a devout fondness for the dressier offerings from the brand’s earliest years. Watches like the Excalibur, SeaMore, and Monegasque certainly have their supporters; I just don’t count among them. Consequently, my interest in the brand has been severely limited in recent years. But there were always signs of life, and a strong one came with the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar earlier this year. That watch revived a classic complication for the brand, and reigned in the scale of the Excalibur case to a shockingly reasonable 40mm.

Now, with the Hommage La Placid, the brand has fully committed to a technical identity and design language that belongs wholly to another era of Roger Dubuis. To see this latest offering, which comes in at just 38mm in rose gold, and makes no concessions to the overly sporty identity Roger Dubuis has embraced over the last two decades, one could easily imagine an alternate history for the maison, one that stuck with the restrained but complicated dress watches Dubuis himself (since passed) used to launch the brand in 1995 (his first watch launched in 1996). It also happens to just be a stunningly beautiful offering, with its layered dial mixing “Leman Blue” lacquered surfaces, polished rose gold details, and mother-of-pearl displays.

I don’t expect that this watch is a declaration of a wholly new direction for Roger Dubuis, but I do hope that it opens up a new avenue for exploration. I’d love to see Roger Dubuis continue to explore what is a compelling archive, not necessarily as fodder for replication or revival, but as a basis for interpretation, like with this watch. In the meantime, I’ll just take a moment to appreciate a very well executed 30th anniversary present, and cross my fingers that at some point I’ll be lucky enough to cross paths with one.

Elodie Townsend 

Though I don’t own the Nomos Club Sport neomatik Worldtimer, it came to me instantly when the question of “watch of the year” started rolling around. The amount of excitement for the watch was astounding, and Nomos’ choice to roll with three classy unlimited editions and six more colorful limited editions was bold; lo and behold, it paid off, and the hype was not overstated after all.

I must first admit that while I don’t own a Club Sport Worldtimer, my dad (the core source of my watch obsession) does, so I do have hands-on experience with the watch. My dad’s Club Sport is the brown and orange Canyon limited edition, which gives it a warm, outdoorsy look, in direct contrast with the cool, metallic colors of the main line. The first thing that strikes you when you put on the Nomos, though, is just how thin it really is, at 9.9mm. It feels almost comparable to a bioceramic watch in weight, and the profile is sleek and comfortable despite the sizable 40mm case diameter and 48mm lug-to-lug width. This is thanks to the DUW 3202 automatic movement, which measures in at a minuscule 4.8mm in height, a feat of engineering for the neomatik line. 

While each of the limited colorways has its own personality, I am a warm color person at heart, so the Canyon is my favorite of the bunch; the Dune and Jungle options, in gentle yellows and earthy greens, respectively, are close runners-up. Still, the original two blue and silver unlimited models are not to be cast aside entirely in favor of the novel limited edition options. They cast a much more serious, buttoned-up tone over the watch, and are appropriately elegant on the provided bracelet. Lastly, that nifty worldtimer function can’t be ignored, even if just as a novelty for someone (like me) who doesn’t get many chances to travel. What results is a design that pushes the very same boundaries that make it timeless, and it’s my confident pick for Watch of the Year. 

Zach Weiss

I would have had a hard time choosing my favorite watch of the year, had the Benzinger x Habring2 Jorge not come out. That’s not to say there weren’t plenty of great releases this year, from Nomos’ Worldtimer to Grand Seiko’s UFA to Breguet’s Expérimentale 1; many were not just memorable, but horologically significant. Yet none have moved me the way this watch has. And by “moved,” I mean got me thinking about which watches in my collection I am not as attached to as I thought I was (the answer is currently “not enough”). 

You see, the Jorge is not just a gorgeous watch, full stop. And it doesn’t just bring together two of the best IYKYK indie brands; it’s basically the most wearable version of another watch I’ve been obsessed with for a couple of years now, the Benzinger GAP. Also, in some ways, a collaboration between Benzinger and Habring2: the GAP mixed George Daniel’s inspired design with Jochen Benzinger’s guilloché and hand-finishing skills, using a Habring2 movement made just for him. That said, it was all under the Benzinger brand name.

A stunning watch that was only bested by its own sequel, the aptly named GAP2, which featured a power reserve and engine turning on the movement plates, I’ve kept an eye on the second-hand market for these, just in case a deal too good to pass up came along. Well, the Jorge is my new target, as it takes the dial of the GAP, adds a moonphase that integrates so perfectly into the offset seconds sub-dial, has an entirely different movement aesthetic inspired by traditional English watchmaking, and utilizes Habring2’s lovely and very wearable 38.5mm x 46mm x 10.5mm case. And I speak from experience on that last point, as it’s the same case Habring2 uses on their Erwin pilot model, which I own.

These are just the broad strokes, as the watch is full of amazing details like heat-bronzed hands and a clicker shaped like a dachshund. The movement, in particular, is just incredible looking and a very different style for Habring2. Priced at $17,800, the Jorge is aspirational, certainly, but also a great example of what makes this tier of indie watches so tempting. Along with brands like Garrick and Kudoke, they offer a high level of hand-finished techniques, bespoke movements, and the kind of scarcity that makes each piece feel very special.

Tommy DeMauro 

I have always and will forever be a fan of vintage horology and the many blessings that classic watch design has brought to our hobby. While I’ve stayed relatively disconnected from recent developments in the current watch market, when word got around that Bulova was sent to release a modern adaptation of the Caravelle Sea Hunter, I had no choice but to become incredibly invested. Coming in at 39mm in diameter, 45.5mm lug-to-lug, 14.3mm thick, it’s a perfect blend of modern and vintage sizing. The dial is simplistic but still manages to pack a punch, mostly thanks to its 666 feet diving rating that is such a staple of Bulova’s divers from this era. Its handset is unique and fun, yet incredibly utilitarian and legible in almost any situation. The stainless steel bracelet is well constructed but easily swappable thanks to its solid endlink quick release springbars. Overall, while not achieving or creating any sort of horological breakthroughs or trailblazing innovations, the Sea Hunter does exactly what it was intended to do: give enthusiasts another excuse to buy yet another black dial diver for their watch collection.

Instead of offering a detailed review of the Sea Hunter (one that was already published here on Worn & Wound when it was initially released), I instead want to give thanks to Bulova for illustrating how a big-time watch company can effectively take into account the opinions of their audience. Bulova is a brand that has been a mainstay of the watch market for well over a century. Unlike many of their counterparts, however, they’ve made sure to closely listen to their loyal supporters, adhere to their advice and feedback, and continuously work on improving each new model produced and designed to be put to market. As a pillar of the brand’s fanbase, The Springbar Podcast––hosted by Bulova/Caravelle fanatics Mike and Joe––has had an immense amount of impact on the brand as of recent, seen through their fruitful relationship with the company’s leadership and press team. Watching the Caravelle Sea Hunter come to life was such a treat to witness, not only because the watch is an absolute gem that directly rivals many divers within its price range, but because it’s an example of how a watch company can do right by their supporters. Fans of horological brands can be a particularly picky crowd most of the time, but it’s because it’s because they want to see the brand succeed and produce watches like the ones that made them fall in love with the brand from the start. It’s no secret that it feels practically par for the course in today’s society for bigger companies to become faceless, profit-churning entities as their popularity and size grow. The Sea Hunter is the physical embodiment of how a watch company can break that stigma.  

Kyle Snarr 

The Kollokium Projekt 02 is one of those watches that evokes serious scroll-stopping power. The first time it popped up in my Instagram feed, my scrolling came to a screeching halt and I had to just take it in. Its striking “neobrutalist” vibes, for me, are so much more my style when it gets this wild organic, landscape treatment. Turn the lights off, and the lume on this thing brings it to a whole other level—several die-cast stainless steel levels actually. Couple all this with a deep-dish, oversized sapphire crystal and you have a package that’s absolutely unlike anything else around. And I can’t get enough of it. 

Richard Chau

Maybe it’s recency bias, but the new 36mm Tudor Ranger is what keeps coming to mind. The Ranger is a watch I always liked for its durability and legibility, and of course, its affordability in comparison to the stylistically similar watch from its sister company (which I am also a big fan of). What has always stopped me from getting one myself is its case size. When the Ranger first shrank, I was disappointed that it only went down to 39mm. 

Finally, Tudor is making the Ranger in 36mm and to put the cherry on top, are offering it in the new Dune dial color. In the sea of black dials out there and in my own collection, this elevated the 36mm Tudor Ranger as my Watch of the Year.

Kat Shoulders 

My favorite watch release of the year came from a place I didn’t see coming: a summer blockbuster. IWC’s Ingenieur Sonny Hayes Special Edition, inspired by Brad Pitt’s character in F1, was one of those rare film collaborations that actually felt right. F1 was hands-down the movie of the summer for many, and the watch carries that same energy. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s not a one-to-one replica of the vintage Ingenieur Sonny Hayes wears on screen (although it would be even cooler if it was). After the movie came out, I noticed a lot of folks in the watch community suddenly picking one up, which felt like a good sign that this was the hit of the summer.

Compared to a lot of watches I’m sure will be on this list, this one isn’t necessarily a game-changer but what really sealed the deal for me were the details. The green dial, one of my all-time favorite colors and something Brad Pitt seems to wear about every other scene, just works. The rose-gold accents on the indices also bring a little warmth and softness to the whole thing. Calling that “feminine energy” on a watch modeled after Brad Pitt feels slightly unhinged, but here we are and that’s my take. Most importantly, IWC absolutely nailed the balance here. With the brand’s history with F1, they could have gone full gimmick, but they didn’t. Instead, it feels like a genuinely great Ingenieur that happens to be tied to a fun moment in pop culture and we’ll likely see around for years to come.