MONOCHROME Team’s Favourite Timepieces of Watches and Wonders 2026

Watches and Wonders 2026 is about to close its doors, and it’s time for Team MONOCHROME to head back home after one of the most intense weeks of the year. We’ve seen hundreds of watches, published way over a hundred articles, taken several thousand photos and published over 20 videos on YouTube. But it is time now to settle a bit and simply discuss what were the watches that gave us the best impression, the watches we, on a personal level, liked the most. The brief to the members of the team who attended the fair was simple: no constraints, just select the watches that you’d want on your wrist. 

Note: this selection is based on our own preferences. We will come back with more of these selections in the coming days, covering specific topics – technical, design, categories… So stay tuned.

Denis – A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Annual Calendar

This year, A. Lange & Söhne reintroduces its pragmatic annual calendar in a smaller case and with a new movement. Well, that would be the short story, but the result is simply of exceptional elegance and refinement, as you’d expect from the German brand. The delightfully compact 36mm Saxonia Annual Calendar, with a slim 9.8mm profile, retains the layout and impeccable legibility of its larger sibling but looks even more refined thanks to subtle dial upgrades. Available in pink gold with an elegant and warm grey dial, and white gold with an argenté dial, these watches are powered by the new in-house automatic calibre L207.1 with a platinum central rotor, a classic screw balance and a stronger barrel that delivers 60 hours of power reserve.

More details about the new Saxonia Annual Calendar in our hands-on article here.

Denis – Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic 37

To continue on the trend of more compact watches, Bulgari returned to the drawing board and reduced the size of the simpler model in the ever-growing Octo Finissimo line, the Automatic. Previously available in a 40mm case that could feel large for some, it is also possible to get this elegant yet modern 37mm version, still based on the same impactful design and impressive thinness. Measuring 6.45mm in thickness (slightly more than the 40mm version), 3 models are launched: matte titanium, satin-polished titanium and yellow gold. Inside is a new movement, the calibre BVF 100 with micro-rotor measuring just 2.35mm high, and yet 3 days of power reserve.

More details about the new Octo Finissimo 37 in our in-depth article with video here.

Xavier – Ferdinand Berthoud Mesure du Temps 1787 Chronometre FB 2TV

Another year, another stunning watch from Ferdinand Berthoud and yet we’re always pleased to see them coming. Apart from its absolutely exceptional finishing and looks, this new watch from Berthoud is the first to feature a flying tourbillon regulator, here paired with a fusee-and-chain mechanism, with no fewer than 1,240 components –  including 777 elements for the chain alone – and requiring nearly 300 hours of manual finishing. In line with the brand’s constant focus on chronometry, the movement includes a stop balance wheel and a second hand reset – two rare but meaningful functions in the context of a tourbillon – to set the time with to-the-second accuracy. Presented in a 44mm by 15,46mm round case fashioned from ethical 18k white gold, the design is derived from the 2020 Remontoir d’Egalité FB 2RE.

For more details about the Ferdinand Berthoud Mesure du Temps 1787 Chronometre FB 2TV, consult our hands-on article here.

Robin – Grand Seiko Spring Drive UFA Ushio 300 Diver

Finally a rather compact dive watch from Grand Seiko… While technically impressive, most of the previous aquatic models of the brand have been on the large and thick side, all being 44mm or more. Problem solved with the release of a new, smaller, thinner and yet highly capable series of dive watches by Grand Seiko. Part of the Evolution 9 collection and relying on the benefits of the compact Spring Drive UFA (Ultra Fine Accuracy) calibre presented last year, the new duo of Ushio divers measures 40.8mm in diameter and 12.9mm in thickness, is made of titanium and water-resistant to 300m. It is available in two editions, either with green or blue dial and ceramic bezel. And the bracelet has a nice taper and a micro-adjustment clasp.

More details about the Grand Seiko Spring Drive UFA Ushio 300 Diver SLGB023 and SLGB025 in our dedicated review.

Robin – H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Pump

Moser pumps up horology again, with the new Streamliner Pump, a bold creation where the orange button of Reebok’s iconic inflatable sneaker finds a place and a function on a watch. Far from just a gimmick, it actually serves an important purpose, that of winding the watch with a great tactile feel. Replacing the traditional winding crown, Moser has incorporated an interactive orange anodised aluminium pusher, but that also meant modifying the movement, and one press provides more than 1 hour of power reserve. The classic Streamliner case is here made of matte forged quartz fibre, in black or white, with black or white lacquered dials.

For more details about the H. Moser & Cie. x Reebok Streamliner Pump, consult our hands-on article with video here.

Frank – IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar ProSet

Possibly the most practical perpetual calendar on the market… With the Proset, IWC introduces one of the most intuitive, foolproof perpetual calendars ever, redefining this complication with a new sense of ease and control. With its completely synchronised and gear-based design, it goes one step further in terms of functionality by allowing not only forward corrections, but also backward adjustments. This geared architecture also allows the crown to drive the entire calendar train backwards and forward smoothly, as the gears remain in constant, synchronised mesh, thus allowing bi-directional adjustments. Launched in a new, smaller version of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch measuring 43mm, it is visually consistent with the rest of the collection but represents a major breakthrough in the field of calendar movements.

For more technical details about the IWC Perpetual Calendar Proset, please consult our in-depth article and video here.

Frank – Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronograph Mysterieux

In a case of “now you see me, now you don’t”, Parmigiani Fleurier completes its three-part saga of hidden functions with the brilliant Tonda PF Chrono Mysterieux. Following the GMT Rattrapante and the Minute Rattrapante, the Chrono Mysterieux shows only three hands, hiding the fact that it’s actually a chronograph. Press the pusher in the lower left lug, however, and the superimposed chronograph hour and minute hand, as well as the central seconds hand, join up at noon and start tracking elapsed time. Push it again, and the chronograph stops, and resets after the third push, to return to a ‘normal’ display of hours, minutes and seconds only, having kept track of the running time in the background. It’s a very complex mechanism, yet it is integrated in the most elegant way imaginable.

More details about this rather impressive Tonda PF Chrono Mysterieux, in our hands-on story with video here.

Brice – Patek Philippe Nautilus 50th Anniversary 38mm 5610P

The sporty-elegant icon of Patek celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and, in order to celebrate, the brand has just released not one but four limited edition models for the occasion: a pair of 41mm white gold models, a highly surprising pocket watch and this, the compact, supremely elegant 38mm reference 5610 in platinum. It’s not just a reduced version of the 5811G, but a revised, refined version that captures the essence of the inaugural model, with its no-date and no-second display, a classic blue dial and an ultra-thin profile of only 6.9mm. This was made possible thanks to the use of another icon of the brand, the calibre 240 with its micro-rotor. This version is limited to 2,000 pieces.

All the details about this Nautilus 5610P and the three other limited editions in our introductory article here.

Xavier – TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph

With the Monaco Evergraph, TAG Heuer has genuinely revolutionised the workings of the chronograph. The brand-new Calibre TH80-00 relies on the principle of compliant, flexible mechanisms to replace the traditional chronograph activation and resetting system that’s been in use for decades. Two of these mechanisms have been developed to deliver a new tactile action when using the chronograph, and we’ve explained all about it in the video we released earlier this week. In the process, the Monaco Evergraph adopts the technical look of the Split Seconds Chronograph version from last year, with a titanium case, partially openworked dial construction, and a restyled, more ergonomic exterior in full titanium. Yet it’s reassuringly Monaco, thank heavens!

Head over to our hands-on video review on the innovative TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph, right here!

Brice – Tudor Monarch

One of the best surprises we’ve seen during Watches & Wonders this year came from Tudor, which celebrated its 100th anniversary with the brand-new Monarch. It’s modelled after historic watches from the 1930s and 1940s, and comes with a 39mm wide faceted case in stainless steel, with a dark champagne coloured dial that shows a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals. The hands are especially intriguing, showing a new take on the classical Snowflake-style hands. The caseback reveals the in-house automatic Calibre MT5662-2U, which is both COSC and METAS certified. The stainless steel bracelet has H-shaped outer links with faceted inner links, that alternatite in finishing, and it features Tudor’s practical T-Fit clasp. Not bad, Tudor, not bad at all!