Four distinct trends have emerged from 2025’s standout releases, each revealing a different facet of contemporary watchmaking. Rather than simply evolving along predictable lines, brands are embracing bold experimentation that honours tradition while charting new territory.

These trends showcase horology’s capacity to innovate without losing sight of its core principles. Each offers a glimpse into an industry that has found its creative stride, balancing technical mastery, design vision, and enduring craftsmanship.

The Bracelet 

One of the most noticeable changes in contemporary watchmaking is the way the bracelet has moved from supporting role to centre stage. Once considered little more than a practical necessity, it is now treated as an integral part of the design language, often accounting for more of the watch’s presence than the case itself.

Rolex underlined this shift with the 2025 Land-Dweller. Its integrated flat Jubilee bracelet flows seamlessly from the case, removing traditional lugs and creating a clean, continuous line. Inside, the calibre 7135, with its Dynapulse silicon escapement and ceramic balance pivot, delivers precision to match the innovation of the exterior.

Bulgari continues to show how a bracelet can define a watch’s character. The Serpenti articulated bracelet wraps around the wrist like the mythical serpent, with the watch head serving almost as a jewellery accent. The bracelet’s fluid movement and luxurious weight create an entirely different wearing experience that elevates the timepiece to pure adornment.

Heritage Revivals 

Luxury watchmaking continues to draw strength from its own archives, with brands reinterpreting iconic, heritage designs for today’s market. It’s a strategy that delivers both authenticity and continuity, while allowing modern materials and techniques to elevate classic forms.

A. Lange & Söhne’s 1815 collection embodies this approach. Named for Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s birth year, it reflects the founder’s pursuit of precision and understated elegance. The 2025 additions in 34mm capture the proportions of historic pocket watches, enriched with contemporary movement finishing that showcases the brand’s artisanal craft. The result is quietly graceful but unmistakably current.

Piaget’s Polo 79 demonstrates how sports-inspired design can be refined without losing character. The cushion-shaped case and integrated bracelet remain faithful to the original, while updated materials and finishing bring it firmly into the present. Smaller versions feature Mother-of-Pearl dials and subtle diamond detailing, balancing athletic DNA with quiet sophistication.

Breitling’s Superocean Heritage draws from the company’s 1957 diving watches, when ocean exploration drove demand for robust timepieces. The modern interpretation combines vintage elegance with contemporary craftsmanship, creating pieces refined enough for elegant seaside occasions whilst maintaining serious water resistance capabilities.

Bold Colours

Luxury watchmakers are embracing vibrant and unexpected colours on the dial, treating them as central to a watch’s identity. Emerald greens offer a jewel-like presence, smoky gradients provide subtle depth, and shades like turquoise and cobalt blue make a clear, confident statement.

Omega’s Turquoise Seamaster Aqua Terra unveiled two fresh interpretations of its Seamaster Aqua Terra line, introducing turquoise dials that capture the essence of tropical waters. Available in both 38mm and 41mm configurations. The turquoise varnish dial, accentuated by a black gradient that evokes sunlight filtering through ocean depths. 

A symbol of modern femininity, the Bulgari Lvcea Pink Mother-of-Pearl combines elegance with everyday wearability. The polished and satin-brushed stainless steel case frames a pink mother-of-pearl marquetry dial, set with 12 diamond indexes.

Patek Philippe explores colour in its small-sized Ladies’ Nautilus, featuring an azure blue lacquered dial. The hue is carried through the ultra-sturdy composite strap with a fabric pattern, secured by a white-gold Nautilus fold-over clasp. The octagonal bezel is set with 46 brilliant-cut diamonds, while the lacquered “wave” pattern, white-gold applied numerals and hour markers with luminescent coating, and white-gold alpha-style hands complete a design that is both refined and expressive.

Skeletal Dials

Skeletal watches are expected to continue to capture attention in 2026, offering a window into the mechanics that make each timepiece tick. By stripping away the dial, these designs highlight the artistry of movement, allowing the wearer to appreciate the interplay of gears, bridges, and escapements in real time.

Jacob & Co.’s Astronomia Four-Axis Tourbillon stands as a testament to mechanical artistry. The watch features a quadruple-axis tourbillon, with each axis rotating at distinct intervals, showcasing a dynamic interplay of motion. Housed in a 47mm rose gold case, the skeletonized movement is visible through sapphire windows, allowing light to dance across the intricately finished components. This timepiece not only tells time but performs as a kinetic sculpture on the wrist.

Richard Mille’s RM 16-02 Automatic Extra Flat features an open-worked dial, revealing the CRMA9 calibre, blending technical precision with visual impact. Crafted in Grade 5 titanium or Terracotta Quartz TPT, the watch combines avant-garde materials with traditional skeleton techniques for a striking, sophisticated result.

Jumping Hours

Jumping-hour complications are making a quiet comeback, offering a different way to tell the time. Instead of relying solely on traditional hands, the hour appears through a small aperture, while the minute hand continues its sweep — a clever twist that adds interest without feeling gimmicky.

Chopard Manufacture presents the L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25, a 40mm jumping-hour watch in ethically sourced 18-carat rose gold. Its L.U.C 98.06-L movement, featuring four barrels with Quattro technology, delivers an eight-day power reserve. The straw-marquetry gold dial, with the aperture at 6 o’clock, showcases in-house craftsmanship and finishing certified by the Geneva Seal.

Gerald Charles marked its 25th anniversary with the Maestro GC39, a jumping-hour piece that combines celebration with refined engineering. The aperture makes the hour instantly legible, while the movement’s jumping-hour disc, 25 times heavier than a conventional hand, advances with a force 70,000 times greater than a standard three-hand mechanism, showcasing remarkable technical precision.