Anniversaries and Milestones, What to Expect from the Watch Industry in 2025?

It is a thing… The watch industry loves to celebrate anniversaries and important milestones. Being emotionally driven products, playing on nostalgia feelings has long proven an efficient strategy for watch brands. And in reality, such anniversaries have seen the creation of some truly important models – the Kermit for the 50th anniversary of the Submariner, the Calibre 89 for the 150th anniversary of Patek Philippe, and the Grandmaster Chime for its 175 years, the Tour de l’Ile for Vacheron’s 250th anniversary… This year, in 2025, we know that three of the most prestigious brands will be celebrating important jubilees, as well as specific models reaching significant anniversaries. And this can already give us a rather clear image of what to expect for 2025.

Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary

Vacheron Constantin was founded in 1755 (one of the oldest watch brands around) and will be celebrating its 270th anniversary this year. We know that VC is particularly inclined to celebrate such milestone moments in its history, as we’ve seen many times already in the past. For its 250th anniversary in 2005, the brand released the Tour de l’Ile, the world’s most complicated wristwatch at the time (and it was awarded the Aiguille d’Or at the GPHG). There were more models (4 wristwatches in total) to celebrate this anniversary too, such as the calendar reference 85250. In 1977, for its 222th anniversary, the brand released a very special watch, the 222, its vision of a luxury sports model to compete with the Royal Oak and Nautilus.

So, what can we expect from Vacheron Constantin in 2025, in order to celebrate its 270th anniversary? Well, it’s hard to tell but certainly something highly complex coming from the Les Cabinotiers collection. Will the brand be able to surpass the insane complexity of the Berkley Grand Complication or the reference 57260, which was released for the brand’s 260th anniversary in 2015? Probably not, but with a new CEO at its head (Laurent Perves) we can imagine that the brand will have to be impactful. And somehow, I still dream about a steel 222 to celebrate this milestone – even though it has nothing to do with 270 years of continuous activity.

Breguet’s 250th anniversary

Probably one of the most historically important watchmakers around, Abraham-Louis Breguet founded his manufacture in 1775 in Paris. Now with a new CEO in place – Gregory Kissling, ex-Omega, appointed in October 2024 – it would seem relevant for the brand to celebrate this major milestone. Once again, the new CEO also needs to make its entrance and such anniversaries are a way to make history, even if Kissling’s appointment might be too recent for him to have created new models. But who knows, the previous boss might have left some goodies in a drawer…

What we’d like to see from Breguet to celebrate a quarter of a millennium is something as classic as it can be. Something truly Breguet, something that mixes technical audacity and innovation with traditional visual elements – guilloche dial, architectural movements, all the brand’s unmistakable signs. Something in the vein of the overlooked Classique Chronométrie 7727, classic outside, highly technical inside.

Audemars Piguet’s 150th anniversary

Another important brand, another major jubilee to be celebrated, and another recently appointed CEO… Audemars Piguet was founded in 1875 by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet and it thus celebrates this year its 150th anniversary. A new CEO has been recently appointed (early 2024) in the name of Ilaria Resta but somehow we have the feeling that the emblematic previous CEO, François-Henry Bennahmias, didn’t leave the company without a few hidden gems.

What to expect from AP in order to celebrate its 150th anniversary…? Hard to tell seeing the brand’s current direction and connections with pop culture. It could be a mix of classic horology and modern design, as the brand still holds some of the greatest watchmakers around. Another watch to expect this year is a revamped Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, as we’ve seen with the John Mayer edition that the current model was phased out. But this might not have anything to do with the brand’s 150th anniversary. Maybe something that surpasses the Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle…?

Some more watch brands’ anniversaries

Besides the big three we’ve mentioned above and that will surely bring impressive new models, other brands are celebrating important anniversaries this year. We can mention, for example, the 30th anniversary of Roger Dubuis – the company was founded by Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias in 1995 – which could result in special edition models. In the same vein, Czapek was relaunched in 2015 and could also bring something quite impressive to celebrate its first decade. Finally, Rolex will celebrate its 120th anniversary this year, as the company was founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London, as Wilsdorf and Davis. The odds of seeing something special from The Crown are low, however.

The 70th anniversary of the Rolex GMT-Master

As we’ve explained in this in-depth historical article, the Rolex GMT-Master was first launched in 1955 and will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2025. Even though it didn’t really talk about it, the brand somehow celebrated the 50th anniversary of the GMT-Master collection in 2005 by launching the reference 116718LN, a deeply revised version of its traveller’s watch and the first Rolex model with a ceramic bezel.

Something worth mentioning too is the 55th anniversary this year of the Apollo 13 mission, and we know now that astronaut Jack Swigert was wearing one during the flight… Will Rolex play on this double historical connection? Maybe not. What we could see, however, is either a special edition of the GMT-Master II (maybe a platinum version or a Coke model) and a dedicated, official GMT-Master book, like Rolex did with the Submariner recently.

The 80th anniversary of the Rolex Datejust

Rolex’s oldest collection still in production, the Datejust, was first presented in 1945 and will thus celebrate its 80th anniversary this year. This classic time-and-date model has been in continuous production ever since and the latest major update to the model dates back 2016, with the introduction of the Datejust 41 with calibre 3235 inside. Will Rolex use the occasion of this 80th anniversary to present an updated version of its all-rounder model? We’ll have the answer at Watches and Wonders 2025.

30 years of Omega and James Bond

Probably the most famous secret service agent in the history of cinema, James Bond has been wearing Omega Seamaster watches since 1995 and movie Goldeneye. Nine movies later and ten different watches used, 2025 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Bond x Omega connection and we’ll surely see something special from the Biel-based brand. We’ve recently seen a dedicated Seamaster Diver 300M to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first Bond movie, so it’s only natural to expect a watch celebrating 3 decades of joint service.

The 55th anniversary of Apollo 13 and the Silver Snoopy award

It’s something of a tradition for Omega to celebrate its role in the Apollo 13 mission (which launched on April 11, 1970). Since the Omega Speedmaster played an important role during Apollo 13, as one of the pieces of equipment that served as backup to the faulty instruments and thus helped save the crew members, on 5 October 1970 NASA gave the Omega and the Speedmaster a Snoopy award to acknowledge the crucial role the watch played.

Since then, we’ve seen several Apollo 13 editions of the Speedmaster, the first released in 2003 (not linked to an anniversary). Then came the Apollo 13 Speedmaster 45th anniversary edition in 2015, and in 2020, the Omega did it again with a 50th anniversary edition of the Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award, with something pretty cool to see on the back. We have the feeling that Omega could do it again this year with a Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 55th Anniversary…

50th anniversary of the Girard-Perregaux Laureato

Girard-Perregaux’s answer to the growing trend for luxury sports watches with integrated bracelet came early on the market… In fact, it was presented before Patek’s Nautilus 3700 (1976), IWC’s Ingenieur SL Jumbo (1976) and Vacheron’s 222 (1977). In 1975, Girard-Perregaux presented the Laureato, yet unlike its competitors, it was powered by a Quartz Chronometer movement. Since then, the Laureato has evolved as a modern collection with mechanical movements and an array of sizes, materials and complications.

However, with its 50th anniversary just around the corner, we can expect GP to be creative and to release something special to celebrate half a century of its emblematic elegant sports watch.

20th anniversary of the Hublot Big Bang

While the brand was founded in 1980 by Carlo Crocco, one of the most important moments in the history of the brand occurred in 2005, with the presentation of the Big Bang collection – somehow one of the most emblematic models of the brand. Following Jean-Claude Biver’s appointment in 2004 as CEO, he set about creating a new flagship collection that was unveiled in Basel in April 2005, an audacious and striking chronograph named the Big Bang. An immediate success, the model is now synonymous with the brand’s design language.

This year, the Hublot Big Bang collection celebrates its 20th anniversary and there’s high chances to see special editions or even a fully revamped model being launched. Maybe smaller, a bit more discreet…

70th anniversary of the IWC Ingenieur

While most will picture the IWC Ingenieur as the SL Jumbo released in 1976 and designed by Gerald Genta, the collection actually dates back to 1955 with the launch of the Reference 666, an instrument watch dedicated to scientists and offering superior magnetic resistance. This year, the watch will celebrate its 70th anniversary, and even if the odds of seeing a re-edition of the inaugural model are low, we can somehow dream of a classic-looking, semi-elegant, semi-instrument looking watch as a tribute to this important model in the brand’s history.

40th anniversary of the IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph

Maybe not the best-looking watch, but a highly important model on both historical and technical levels, the IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph was released in 1985 and it is a watch that matters. While the industry was still suffering from the effects of the quartz crisis, IWC started to develop a wristwatch mechanical perpetual calendar chronograph watch – with a QP module developed by industry legend Kurt Klaus and adapted on top of a Valjoux 7750. The watch, the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar ref. 3750, made a sensational entrance as it was brave for a watch brand back in the mid-1980s to release such a complicated model. But that was done thanks to the visionary mind of Günter Blümlein.

Could we expect something new from IWC in the field of perpetual calendars, or maybe a comeback of the Da Vinci collection, which is now discontinued?

30th anniversary of the Tudor Prince Oysterdate 79200 Fourth Generation

I know, this one is a bit of a stretch. The reason why I am mentioning this Tudor Prince Oysterdate 79200, a watch released in 1995, isn’t really for the sake of seeing a re-edition, but it is to bring back on the table the idea of the new manufacture chronograph movement that Tudor teased recently – the unique Tudor Prince Chronograph One presented in 2023 was equipped with an unprecedented automatic, integrated chronograph movement made together with Kenissi. We can’t imagine developing such a movement just for a unique piece and it is, without a doubt, a teaser for what’s to come in the near future.

That being said, we think 2025 is the right time for Tudor to bring a new racing-style chronograph equipped with this potential movement, and maybe a watch that will look close to a 1995 Prince Oysterdate 79200 – at least, the unique Prince Chronograph One of 2023 was not too far from that.