Rolex, Tudor, Patek, IWC, Cartier and Lange shine at Watches and Wonders

Rolex

The Oyster Perpetual 41 is Rolex’s commemorative watch for the 100th anniversary of the Oyster, the waterproof wristwatch introduced in 1926.

Presented in yellow Rolesor, the watch features a yellow-gold bezel with an Oyster bracelet made entirely of Oystersteel, instead of the usual gold mid-links.

The slate dial, with its gloss lacquer and sunray finish, carries the anniversary theme further, with “100 years” at 6 o’clock in place of “Swiss Made”.

The Rolex name is printed in its signature green, and the minute track is punctuated by green squares at every five-minute interval. Even the winding crown features the number 100 in relief.

The case measures 41 mm and is waterproof to 100 m, with a domed bezel, Twinlock winding crown and sapphire crystal rendered in anti-reflective coating.

Power comes from the Calibre 3230, a self-winding movement with a Chronergy escapement, blue Parachrom hairspring, Paraflex shock absorbers and around 70 hours of power reserve. The watch also meets Rolex’s updated 2026 Superlative Chronometer certification and comes with a five-year guarantee.

Tudor

Tudor’s rebooted Monarch is not simply a vintage remake; instead, it is intended and designed as a modern watch with historical references built in.

The first things you will notice are the vintage-looking dark champagne dial inspired by the texture and tone of papyrus, and the classic California dial that mixes Roman and Arabic numerals for the hour indices.

Next is the faceted 39 mm steel case, with polished and satin finishes that give it a sharp look, and a new matching two-link bracelet that continues with the same angular style.

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The Monarch runs on Tudor’s Manufacture Calibre MT5662-2U, which is certified by Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres and the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology.

It offers a 65-hour power reserve, and the movement is visible through the case back, with finishes such as Cotes de Geneve, perlage and an 18-karat gold rotor inlay.

Patek Philippe

Patek Philippe marks the Nautilus’ 50th anniversary with a capsule collection of four limited editions.

The celebratory quartet is led by the Ref 5610/1P, a 2,000-piece limited edition that revisits the classic design in an ultra-thin platinum case measuring 38 mm across and is just 6.9 mm thick, while also reviving the medium size first introduced in the 1980s.

It also features a diamond set at the 9 o’clock position on the case instead of the usual 6 o’clock.

Then, there is the Ref 5810/1G, another 2,000-piece edition in white gold with a sunburst blue dial and a bracelet combining polished and satin finishes.

The Ref 5810G, limited to 1,000 pieces, takes a slightly more dressed-down route with its navy blue textile-pattern strap, but look closer and you will notice the classy baguette diamond hour markers.

The biggest surprise is the Ref 958G, a pocket-watch-shaped, white gold Nautilus desk clock with an eight-day power reserve and instantaneous calendar, limited to just 100 pieces.

IWC Schaffhausen

IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive (Ref IW328601) is the Schaffhausen manufacture’s first tool watch engineered from the ground up for human space flight.

Because astronauts may need to operate a watch while wearing gloves, IWC dispenses with the crown entirely. Instead, all functions are controlled via a patent-pending rotating bezel system, while a rocker switch on the case allows the wearer to wind the movement or set home and mission times.

Internally, the in-house Calibre 32722 delivers a 120-hour power reserve with a GMT module and date display. The matt black dial shows two time zones, with a dedicated 24-hour hand on the outer scale – essential when one is orbiting Earth every 90 minutes and experiencing 16 sunrises a day.

Blue accents reference the Earth’s horizon as seen from space. Materials are aptly space-grade: white zirconium oxide ceramic for the case, IWC’s own Ceratanium for the bezel and case-back, and FKM rubber for the strap for durability, thermal resilience and corrosion resistance.

The watch has been certified for space flight by IWC’s partner Vast, whose Haven-1 commercial space station is scheduled to launch in 2027, after enduring vibration tests of up to 10 G – well beyond the 4 G astronauts experience at ascent.

A Lange & Sohne

The new Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” combines a tourbillon with stop seconds and a perpetual calendar within the familiar off-centre layout of the Lange 1.

The calendar indications include the outsize date, retrograde day-of-week display, a peripheral month ring, leap-year display and a moon-phase display with integrated day/night indication.

All indications switch instantaneously and, if the watch runs continuously, will not need manual correction until Mar 1, 2100.

The “Lumen” treatment gives the watch legibility in the dark, and a semi-transparent dial allows UV light to charge the luminous displays beneath it.

The moon-phase display is accurate to one day after 122.6 years and the watch is powered by the newly developed self-winding Calibre L225.1, with a 50-hour power reserve.

It is housed in a 41.9 mm platinum case, paired with a black alligator leather strap, and limited to 50 pieces.

Cartier

Cartier puts shape and craft at the centre of its Watches and Wonders 2026 novelties.

From the return of the Roadster to new versions of the Baignoire, Myst de Cartier and Crash Skeleton, the maison goes all out to show that it is a “watchmaker of shapes, master of crafts”, and that its watchmaking identity is built as much on form as on mechanics.

Take the Santos-Dumont for example. Cartier has reinterpreted the watch with vintage accents, including a flexible mesh bracelet. Three references – two in yellow-gold cases and one in platinum – are availablet; the standout is the yellow gold with gilded obsidian dial made from volcanic stone from Mexico.

At just 0.3 mm thick, the dial is delicate to produce. It is paired with an extremely supple yellow-gold bracelet inspired by Cartier’s made-to-measure metal bracelets from the 1920s. The flexibility comes from 1.15 mm links; each section is made up of 15 rows and 394 elements, all machined, finished and assembled at the manufacture.