Our favourite picks from day two of Watches & Wonders 2026
From a vintage-inspired creation to an artisanal timepiece that takes us to ancient Japan, here are five watches make our annual list of horological must-haves.
Hublot
Big Bang Joyful Steel Purple
What’s not to love about Hublot’s take on a watch every woman will want? The Big Bang Joyful Steel Purple brings together colour and sparkle in a compact 33mm case, resulting in a true purple reign on the wrist.
The bezel is set with 36 amethysts in a gem-set halo, each stone carefully matched and hand-set so the purple reads as soothing rather than overwhelming. This, in turn, allows the crisp white dial to stand out even more. Inside ticks Hublot’s HUB1120 automatic calibre, a modern workhorse offering around 40 hours of power reserve. On the outside, the 100m water-resistant steel case ensures it can handle the demands of everyday wear.
The patented One Click system allows you to switch effortlessly between a white-lined purple rubber strap and a full white rubber strap in seconds, depending on whether you’re in the mood for full-on lilac or something a little more understated. In other words, it’s jewellery you can truly live in: a compact, amethyst-rimmed Big Bang that moves seamlessly from blazer to beach, never losing that small moment of joy when the light catches the stones.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai Waterfalls Series
Although Jaeger-LeCoultre didn’t originally intend for the flip side of the Reverso to be a canvas for artistic expression—it was meant to protect the dial from the rigours of playing polo— the blank case back’s real estate proved too hard to pass up. With the Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai Waterfalls Series, that reverse face now carries four miniature Grand Feu enamel reproductions of the final works in Hokusai’s eight-piece A Tour of the Waterfalls of the Provinces, a continuation of a project that Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Métiers Rares atelier began in 2021.
Running on hand-wound movements, each of the four editions is limited to just 10 pieces. The miniature artworks are executed across a minimum of 14 layers of enamel, each fired at 800°C before the next is applied—a process requiring some 80 hours of work per watch. The scale is almost perversely demanding: the finished paintings are miniscule, yet the Japanese cartouches near the top of each frame remain legible. On the front, hand-guilloché dials in barleycorn, wavy, bamboo, and herringbone patterns sit beneath translucent coloured enamel, each pattern requiring between 144 and 360 individual passes of the rose-engine lathe.
Patek Philippe
Calatrava Alarm (Ref. 5322G)
Despite the early mornings and long nights of Watches & Wonders, we can always count on Patek Philippe to jolt us awake. The prestigious maison has done so once again, releasing a slew of stunning timepieces (we counted over 20 new references) that catch the eye. And while the limited editions that celebrate the Nautilus’ 50th anniversary have garnered much fanfare, we’ve been roused to rapt attention by the new Calatrava Alarm Reference 5322G.
Expressed in lacquered blue or green dials, the timepiece features the new automatic calibre AL 30-660 S C that brings the mechanical alarm complication back into the modern era. While traditional alarm watches create sound and vibrations via a hammer striking against a pin attached to the caseback, the new Calatrava Alarm does so by striking an acoustic gong coiled around the movement to produce a more sonorous and richer sound.
Housed in a 41mm white gold case adorned with Clous de Paris guilloché around its entire circumference, the watch effortlessly draws the eye. Couple this with its vignette-like lacquer dial that sports a granular texture, digital alarm display, and syringe-shaped hands, and you have a timepiece you’d never get bored of waking up to.
TAG Heuer
Monaco Evergraph
Leave it to TAG Heuer to get our hearts racing. While it’s no surprise that the racing-associated maison has chosen to focus on its signature chronograph this year, we didn’t expect TAG Heuer to unveil a new calibre that rethinks and reengineers the complication from the ground up. Presented in the 40mm TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph, the new calibre TH80-00 features an ingenious new chronograph mechanism built with flexible components.
Fully developed by the TAG Heuer LAB, the mechanism replaces almost all of the levers and springs traditionally used to kickstart the start, stop, and reset functions of a chronograph with two flexible bistable components. These components—which have been in development for over five years—ensure precise transitions between positions and superior durability.
Better yet, TAG Heuer has chosen to house this new calibre in a more ergonomic and heritage-inspired rendition of its iconic Monaco. Taking cues from reference 1133, the original model from 1969, the titanium case appears sharper and more tapered, offering a sleek and comfortable wearing experience. Completing the composition is a transparent dial that allows full view of the barrel, gear train, and TH-Carbonspring balance and escapement. Offered in two versions: titanium with blue accents and a black DLC-coated titanium version with red accents, the timepiece has a 70-hour power reserve.
Vacheron Constantin
Historiques American 1921
We love classic dress watches with a twist, and Vacheron Constantin effectively lassos our hearts with the Historiques American 1921 that literally offers that. Though born in the 1920s, the watch’s cushion-shaped case and 45-degree offset dial is an anomaly, endowing instant distinction and personality that makes it just as fresh today.
The latest iterations come in two new references: 36.5mm and 40mm in 18k pink gold with grained silver-tone dial, blue Arabic numerals, and blued 18k gold hands. The seconds counter at 3 o’clock sits perpendicular to the offset dial, a deliberate design choice that sharpens legibility while accentuating the watch’s unconventional geometry. Driving everything is the hand-wound Calibre 4400 AS with 65-hour power reserve, also rotated within the case to align its functions with the famous asymmetrical layout.
