Whether it’s commercial-driven pieces, exuberant colours or a celebration of the timeless, here are our thoughts on what to expect from luxury watch brands in 2025

It’s a question that sits on every watch collector’s lips at the start of a year: what can we expect this time? While 2024 brought bold, unconventional coloured dials, a rise in unisex designs, and a continued shift towards smaller watches, the main talking points of 2025 remain to be seen. That being said, we’d venture to make a few educated guesses based on recent developments in the watch industry. While forecasting trends can (and often does) feel like searching for a black cat in a dark room, allow us, dear reader, to offer some illumination.

Blue-chip Models

The watch industry is no stranger to market fluctuations and the numbers from major players in 2024 hint at a more pragmatic approach for the year ahead. Reports from Swatch Group and LVMH in 2024 reveal a dip in net sales from the previous year—down 14.3 per cent and 11.5 per cent respectively—though it’s worth noting these declines follow record highs during the pandemic boom.

The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry has also reported a global distribution decline of almost 3 per cent from 2023. Faced with less-than-stellar sales, we expect brands to bank on familiar, success-proven designs and complications in 2025. Expect a swathe of new variations of iconic models from watchmakers, coming in different-coloured dials and case sizes, as brands look to broaden their high-earning collections.

A Kaleidoscope of Dials

Coloured dials have been a mainstay in recent years. From the now belaboured point of ‘green is in’ and the enduring appeal of blue dials in the past decade, the trend shows no signs of slowing down. You only need to look at the showcase of watches such as Zenith’s Defy Revival A3648, with its striking orange and black colourway, and Chopard’s deep green-dial L.U.C XPS Forest Green, at Watches & Wonders 2024 to see this in action.

Also introduced at the fair were Patek Philippe’s Ref. 5330G-001 World Time Date, fitted with a blue-gray opaline dial, and the brand’s Ref. 4910/1201R-010 Twenty~4, sporting a stunning purple lacquer dial. We expect this love for colour to continue in 2025. In fact, we hope to see watchmakers play with even more exuberant hues. After all, in a global landscape currently mired in challenges and uncertainty, who wouldn’t appreciate a little burst of colour?

Celebration of History

If there’s one theme that has remained steadfast, it’s the enduring allure of retro-style watches. In 2024, brands like Vacheron Constantin, TAG Heuer, Blancpain and Piaget leaned heavily on designs inspired by the past, finding success with creations that tapped into the aesthetics of yesteryears. Vacheron Constantin’s Fiftysix self-winding (ref. 4600E/000R-H101), for example, with its large Arabic numerals placed around a sector-like layout, oozes retro appeal.

Adding to that, we’re also heading into a year of significant anniversaries and milestones for several brands. Audemars Piguet, Breguet and Blancpain are among the few brands celebrating historic anniversaries this year—at 150, 255 and 290 years, respectively. One thing is certain: we’ll see a slew of commemorative pieces that pay homage to their rich heritage of watchmaking this year.

This story first appeared in the January 2025 issue. Purchase it as a print or digital copy, or consider subscribing to us here