The return of the smaller case
After years of watches growing larger and more imposing, the pendulum has swung decisively. Bulgari presented a 37mm edition of its Octo Finissimo. H. Moser & Cie. introduced its Streamliner in 34mm and 28mm. Neither brand has compromised on movement quality, both retain in-house mechanical calibres, but the aesthetic statement is unambiguous: elegance is now measured in subtraction, not addition.
Heritage as creative starting point
Across the fair, watchmakers mined their own archives for inspiration, launching designs that traced visible lineages back to defining moments in each brand's history. Cartier's Santos and Tank collections received new variations that reinforce what has made them enduring: formal elegance accessible enough for daily wear, design-led enough to attract fashion-forward buyers alongside traditional collectors. Rolex, characteristically conservative, maintained its strategy of incremental refinement, precisely the reason its models continue to dominate secondary market value charts.
The rise of expressive dials
Dial decoration spilled over onto bracelets and clasps in a way rarely seen before, creating what WWD editors called "new preciousness." The most striking motif was green, malachite, bloodstone, natural aventurine, enamel, reflecting a broader appetite for expressive, nature-inspired colour in high-end timepieces. Chanel's Sautoir Gabrielle blurred the line between watchmaking and jewellery entirely, with a gem-setting that mimics the house's signature quilted material.
Bulgari pushes boundaries, Hublot defies gravity
Bulgari's new Serpenti Tubogas Studs Capsule, four variants featuring mother-of-pearl, carnelian, sodalite and malachite dials, embodies the fusion of jewellery and watchmaking that defines the Italian house's identity. Hublot, never one for restraint, went further still: the Spirit of Big Bang Impact features diamonds set directly into sapphire crystal through hundreds of hours of laser machining, limited to 20 pieces.
Hermès steps up as a serious watchmaker
Perhaps the most strategically significant statement of the fair came from Hermès. The house's increasing investment in its Swiss manufacture, reflected in timepieces with more sophisticated mechanical complications, housed in titanium cases with DLC coating, signals an ambition to be taken seriously as a haute horlogerie player, not merely a fashion brand with a watch line. It is a long-term play, but the direction of travel is clear.
Sources: Robb Report · Who What Wear
