Watches & Wonders 2025: A Celebration of Modern Elegance with The Finest Timepieces

With the conclusion of Watches & Wonders 2025, watch collectors and connoisseurs have been revelling in the beauty of time, courtesy of some of the most gobsmacking and distinctive timepieces that defined the pinnacle of haute horology. Revamped icons to record-setting launches, artistic flamboyance to bold complications – this edition has been a celebration of contemporary elegance, wearable art, and technical innovations in the world of horology. And from the dazzling buffet of the many delectable timepieces presented, here’s our curation of the horological masterpieces to satiate your appetite for the wonders of time.

Rolex Land-Dweller

Rolex Land-Dweller

Well, the Crown always comes first, especially when there’s a major new model launch in over a decade. Having emerged as the most talked-about debut timepiece from W&W’25, the Land-Dweller demands immediate attention with its refined blend of retro-style integrated-bracelet sports watch and revolutionary movement innovation. Beyond the striking honeycomb dial, it features an angular case, the ultra-slim Flat Jubilee bracelet, and a new in-house automatic movement, Calibre 7135, with Dynapulse escapement – serving up an amalgamation of aesthetic elements from the archives with modern elegance. The Land-dweller is available in White Rolesor (steel and white gold), Everose Gold, and Platinum – along with diamond-set versions – in 36mm and 40mm case sizes. A perfect embodiment of ‘shock and awe’ by the Crown!

Chanel The Lion of Mademoiselle Toi et Moi Watch Ring

Chanel The Lion of Mademoiselle Toi et Moi Watch Ring

From being Gabrielle Chanel’s animal totem to Maison’s iconic emblem, the lion has been a symbolic constant across the world of CHANEL – having been represented in the precious art pieces of the rue Cambon apartment or on the mother-of-pearl buttons of tweed jackets. Inspired by the twin lions that decorate the apartment, the Toi et Moi watch ring (from The Lion of Mademoiselle collection) features two perfectly symmetrical lions framing a dial set with baguette-cut diamonds, accented with diamonds across the body of the ring and part of the lion’s mane. This ode to the ‘King of the Jungle’ gives a rather majestic and talismanic allure to time with a balance of Chanel’s emblematic artistry and watchmaking savoir-faire.

Piaget Sixtie

Piaget Sixtie

In a market crowded with round and octagonal cases, Piaget draws on the spirit of the Maison’s 1969 Swinging Sautoirs of the 21st Century collection to introduce Sixtie, the new jewellery watch that embraces the trapeze-shaped watch case. Inspired by the flamboyance and audacity of the late 1960s, Sixtie transforms the asymmetric trapeze shape with the elegant softness of the white solar satin-brushed dial punctuated by golden hour markers, baton hands, and Roman numerals – along with the textural intricacy of the finely chiselled gadroons on the bezel, which evokes Piaget’s signature 1970s models, including the one famously worn by Andy Warhol. Available in steel, rose gold, and two-tone, the unapologetically niche Sixtie blends geometric and curvaceous, classic and contemporary, and retro nostalgia and creative boldness. And yes, there is a high jewellery Sixtie sautoir necklace to complete this sublime tribute to Maison’s golden age of design and watchmaking under Jean-Claude Gueit.

Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets

Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets

Yes, Cartier has revived one of the most unconventional and rare Tank variants – Tank à Guichets. First launched in 1928, this beloved jumping-hour timepiece has been brought back in two styles – one with the original 1928 display placement (i.e., the hour aperture at 12 o’clock and the curved dragging minutes at 6 o’clock.) and another with asymmetric display (i.e., the hour aperture at 10 o’clock and rotated 90º counter-clockwise with the minutes at 4 o’clock clock). While the Tank à Guichets (with the traditional layout) has three variations crafted in platinum, rose gold, and yellow gold, Tank à Guichets Oblique (with only platinum case style) is a limited-edition release of only 200 pieces. These modern interpretations balance the Art Deco elegance and contemporary functionality with mechanical innovation, especially since both styles are powered by a new, specially developed manual-winding movement.

Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication-La Première

Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication-La Première

No edition of Watches & Wonders is complete without a few horological records. And after last year’s record of the most complicated timepiece in the world with the Les Cabinotiers Berkley Grand Complication (a pocket watch with 63 complications), Vacheron Constantin is setting the record for the most complicated wristwatch in the world with Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication-La Première. This horological masterpiece features 41 complications – including five rare astronomical functions and a Westminster minute-repeater – housed in a 45mm dial with just 15 mm thickness. Constructed by a single watchmaker over eight years, Vacheron Constantin demonstrates its ability to balance wearability and complexity, craftsmanship, and innovation with the Solaria.

Hermès Maillon Libre Broche

Hermès Maillon Libre Broche

This year, Hermès has set out to play a game of hide-and-seek with time itself. Imagine a watch that doesn’t really look like a watch but is a little jewel piece that happens to keep time. And it’s no longer confined to your wrist but hiding in plain sight pinned to the lapel, clipped to the sleeve, or strung around the neck on a leather cord. Yes, this is the Maillon Libre Broche! An unexpectedly elegant and cheeky jewelled timepiece that reinterprets the iconic Chaîne d’ancre while quietly turning time into an afterthought.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Shahnameh

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Shahnameh

Launched in the 1930s, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso was designed as a remedy to the distress of polo players over the impairment of the timepieces during matches. This blend of sports, style, and innovation transformed into Reverso’s iconic silhouette and flip function. Fast forward 90 years, Jaeger-LeCoultre launched the 1931 Polo Club collection at W&W’25 to celebrate the disruptive charm of the Reverso. And the one series that simply yet spectacularly steals the spotlight is Reverso Tribute Enamel Shahnameh. Inspired by the tales of mythical Persian literature – Shahnameh (written by the poet Ferdowsi in the 10th century), Reverso Tribute Enamel Shahnameh is a series of four limited-edition timepieces with each featuring a miniature enamel reproduction of a different illustrated scene from Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp (a 16th-century edition of the epic Persian tale with 258 illustrations). The scenes depict the stories of myth, culture, and symbolism – namely, SAAM COMES TO ALBURZ, RUSTAM PURSUES AKVAN, SIYAVUSH PLAYS POLO, and FARIDUN TESTS HIS SONS – as miniature enamel paintings elevated with the craft of paillonnage. On the flip side of each enamelled scene is the 18k white gold dial featuring an intricate guilloché pattern and Grand Feu enamel to complement the colours of the landscape of the scene. With Reverso Tribute Shahnameh merging history with artistry through the exceptional craft techniques of Métiers Rares™ atelier, each watch requires more than 100 hours to complete and is limited to only 10 pieces per scene. And yes, this Reverso is not just a mere watch; it’s a two-centimetre museum-worthy miniature artwork on your wrist.

All Images Courtesy of Respective Brands