Top Trends At Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025: Let’s Talk Attitude

Watches & Wonders Geneva (WWG) is a by-invitation-only event—at least for the first four days before doors open to the public through ticket sales. During that exclusive window, I had the opportunity to visit with just about 40 exhibiting brands and go hands-on with hundreds of timepieces setting the tone for the year ahead.

What stood out most this year was the sheer attitude radiating from the watches—a striking departure from last year’s focus on minimalist refinement. This year was unapologetically bold. There was a spirited embrace of color, whimsical and artistic design flourishes, high complications, world-first innovations, and an ongoing focus on women’s watches.

WWG 2025: The Power of Color

Color was everywhere—both softly spoken and powerfully loud. On the more delicate end of the spectrum, beige and pale green made a strong showing, with mint green becoming a signature shade. Hublot’s new Big Bang Unico Mint Green in a highly saturated mint hue was a standout, as was Norqain’s Wild One Skeleton in the same vibrant tone.

Pistachio, as some brands called it, also came on strong from brands like Rolex and Oris.

Blue, predictably, reigned—yet brands made it feel fresh. Chanel and Zenith unveiled rich blue ceramic cases, while icy blue dials shimmered from on key watches from Patek Philippe, Chopard, and others.

Meanwhile, red dials emerged as surprisingly chic and sophisticated, making a confident return, especially on watches like the new Tudor Black Bay and the new Hermes Cut Time Suspended watch.

The use of stone dials also lent credibility to the color story, with Rolex’s turquoise dials and Tiger Iron (an interesting mix of Tiger Eye gold and iron-like red) and Piaget’s use of malachite, turquoise, tiger eye, and lapis—added a luxurious edge to time.

Perhaps most audacious was H. Moser’s new POP collection, which featured gemstone dials crafted from lemon chrysoprase, Burmese jade, pink opal, coral, lapis lazuli and turquoise paired with contrasting subdials and accents.

WWG 2025: Complication, Creativity, and the Cutting Edge

If color didn’t lure watch lovers in, then the sheer scope of complications on display certainly must have. Brands showed no hesitation in unveiling watches with minute repeaters, split-seconds chronographs, perpetual calendars, and tourbillons—often combining two or more of these feats into a single timepiece. Mechanical mastery was on full view.

Leading the charge was Vacheron Constantin with its breathtaking Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Solaria. Heralded as the most complicated wristwatch ever created, it features an astounding 41 complications and over 1,500 components, including a perpetual calendar, tourbillon, minute repeater, and celestial chart. Eight years in development, it’s not just a technical triumph—it’s a bold statement of what haute horlogerie can achieve.

Patek Philippe added to the conversation with its new Quadruple Complication reference 5308G—a white-gold-cased masterpiece combining a minute repeater, instantaneous perpetual calendar and split-seconds chronograph. The watch boasts a new self-winding movement consisting of a massive 799 parts, with several innovations and two new patents. It features a sunburst ice blue dial and shiny navy blue gator strap with a new patented triple-blade fold-over clasp.

Chopard unveiled a new version of its L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25, a jumping-hour watch now dressed in ethical 18k white gold with a green grand feu enamel dial. The watch houses the L.U.C 98.06-L hand-wound movement, which offers an impressive 8-day power reserve thanks to its four stacked barrels—hence the name “Quattro.”

German brand A. Lange & Söhne didn’t hold back either. Its new Minute Repeater Perpetual watch that was years in the development stages and boasts crystal clear sound. Crafted in platinum with a black enamel dial, the watch is being made in a limited edition of just 50 pieces, with no more than a few rolling out annually.

And while it’s not a complication per se, the new Ulysse Nardin Diver Net (Air) shattered expectations by claiming the title of the lightest mechanical dive watch to date. Crafted from recycled and sustainable materials, it’s a forward-thinking piece that exemplifies the industry’s push for innovation on all fronts. Even the skeletonized movement uses lighter weight materials.

WWG 2025: Art and Envy

Even artistic timepieces were turned up to eleven—but always in a luxurious way. Hermès used actual horsehair marquetry on one of its equestrian-themed  Arceau models. Cartier, meanwhile, wowed with high-jewelry interpretations of its iconic panther, turning to gemstone mosaics and sculptural bangle bracelets that merged timekeeping with art.

Women’s watches also enjoyed renewed attention—from Piaget’s retro-cool “Sixtie” collection to Bulgari’s stunning Serpenti Aeterna watch. But the women’s segment deserves a deeper dive all its own. Stay tuned.