10 Knockout New Watches From Geneva Watch Days 2026

The end-of-summer fair delivered plenty of heat from Breitling, Zenith, Oris, Berneron and more.This is an edition of the newsletter Box + Papers, Cam Wolf’s weekly deep dive into the world of watches. Sign up here.I’m never going to complain about another excuse for brands to release new watches. While most of the heavy hitters still save their blockbuster debuts for Watches and Wonders every April, the upstart Geneva Watch Days—which only launched in 2020—has quickly established itself as a must-watch event, consistently coaxing first looks at high-profile timepieces out of established players (Tudor, Zenith, Breitling, Hamilton) and independent darlings (Berneron and MB&F) alike. Here are my 10 favorite releases from this year’s end-of-summer festivities.Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Miles DavisIt’s hard to argue with a watch that became the go-to for a legendary cool guy like Miles Davis. The Breitling Navitimer boasts a notoriously busy design—all those numbers are essential for the ticker’s “slide rule” complication, which helps pilots with crucial navigational calculations during flights—but the effect is slightly subdued by the reverse-panda dial and the faux-aged numerals.Oris ProPilot X Gonzo EditionMaybe I’ve been doing this too long, but in an era when Audemars Piguet is spinning up $160,000 Black Panther pieces, the phrase “$10,000 Gonzo-inspired watch” doesn’t make me flinch. That’s especially true when the Gonzo nods are done as subtly and as well as they are on this Oris ProPilot X. The brand takes bits and pieces of the weirdo Muppet’s lore and diffuses it throughout the watch: the bright, color-shifting dial is a nod to his showmanship; the chili pepper detail is borrowed from his favorite shirt; and the phrase “10 Great Days” points to his “Gonzo the Great” nickname. (His unintentionally suggestive schnoz, meanwhile, is only barely visible on the watch’s mainspring.)Zenith Chronomaster Solo SportIn 1969, Zenith debuted the El Primero, one of the world’s first automatic chronograph movements. The technology was so famous that even Rolex rang the brand up to use it inside the Daytona in the ’90s. Ever since, Zenith has found inventive ways to build on the legacy of that technological breakthrough. The new Chronomaster Solo Sport is powered by an El Primero movement, but does away with the chronograph itself. It’s a bit of a paradox, but clearly an olive branch to collectors who want the historic heartbeat in a more understated, everyday watch.Bulgari Octo Finissimo Dual Time x Vianney HalterThis is a fascinating meetup between the steampunk clunkiness of Vianney Halter and the elegant thinness of Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo. This has been a good year for the Octo Finissimo, which was radically shrunken down even further in April. But Bulgari is proving the watch still has a few tricks up its sleeve. The collaboration with independent watchmaker Halter, best known for making bulbous watches that look like science experiments gone wrong, makes this Octo Finissimo feel like the perfect choice for a very luxurious pirate.Hamilton Khaki Field MurphHamilton upgraded its smash-hit, uber-utilitarian Murph with a much prettier dial. This new version of the Interstellar-inspired watch features a cosmic “stardust” dial that plays up its association with the sci-fi classic. The OG Murph has become a cult favorite among collectors looking for an affordable daily driver, and this latest edition gives those fans another reason to never go without a Murph. Take the original out exploring during the day, then swap it out for this one before your fancy dinner.Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold GiltThe sexiest piece to come out of Geneva Watch Days is this tuxedo-ready Daniel Roth Extra Plat. After LVMH revived the brand in 2023, it hasn’t overthought the releases. The new DR team has rightfully gone hard on the watchmaker’s signature Extra Plat design. This is instantly the prettiest model in the brand’s current catalog.M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.3Long before indies were the hottest thing in watches, there was Vincent Calabrese. One of the legendary Italian watchmaker’s signature creations is a watch called the Baladin, which shows the hour in a small aperture with an arrow attached to it. The aperture arrow rotates around the dial and points to the minutes on an outer track. For the third edition of its wildly popular M.A.D.Editions—a more affordable line that’s sold through a raffle—MB&F teamed up with the 82-year-old Calabrese for a modern recreation of the design. The watch might be the tamest thing to come out of MB&F…ever?Girard Perregaux Laureato Fifty Tourbillon Micro-Rotor 39Vincent KronentalI’ve never understood why the Laureato hasn’t caught on like other beloved luxury-sport watches with integrated bracelets: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, or even the Vacheron Constantin 222. This version of the Laureato throws the entire kitchen sink at prospective clients. It’s the sweet-spot size at 39mm and offers both a tourbillon and micro-rotor (meaning the weight that spins around inside the watch and winds it is shrunken down to reduce thickness). The tourbillon is also held up by the brand’s signature bridges, which call back to a legendary GP design known as the “Three Bridges” from 1867. This is the Are you happy now? release of the show for me.Berneron MiroirLast year, Sylvain Berneron expanded his eponymous brand’s catalog with the Quantième Annuel, but now he’s back playing the hits with a new edition of the Mirage, the model that put him on the map. If I could One Wish Willow any piece from the brand into my collection it would still be the version with the lapis dial, but this Miroir brings stiff competition. The openworked dial shows off an elegantly arranged and reworked movement. Berneron actually took the movement from previous generations of the Mirage, acted as if he was holding a mirror up to one of its open casebacks, and recreated that reflected image for the dial of this new iteration.The dial is pretty, but the real showstopper for me is Berneron’s new solid-gold integrated bracelet, which turns this design-forward model into a full-fledged piece of stunning jewelry. I got to try this watch on in April and was blown away. Of course, by then, the model—which retails for 130,250 Swiss francs (roughly $160,000)—was already allocated to eager clients for many years to come. Berneron will make 36 each of the white- and yellow-gold versions a year.Tudor NorthflagAfter discontinuing it in 2021, Tudor is bringing back the Northflag, the model in which the Rolex sister brand debuted its very first in-house movement in March 2015. While Tudor has built an impressive roster of nice, normal watches (a great diver, a classic GMT, a timeless dress watch) and exotic-toned chronographs (in South Beach-ready shades like aqua blue and flamingo pink), the Northflag’s quirky, modern dial is its play to expand beyond the vintage-inspired boundaries of its current catalog. The revived iteration is clean and handsome, and feels like it has a chance to really catch on this time around.Cam Wolf is GQ’s Watch Editor. He joined the magazine in 2017 after working at Racked (RIP) as the site’s (first!) (and only!) Menswear Editor and Complex in the role of Style News Editor. Shortly into his GQ tenure, he immersed himself in the world of watches and quickly fell ... Read More