Business & Industry
Monochrome Watches
Czapek Inaugurates its Quai des Bergues 27 Boutique with Special Editions of the Quai des Bergues and Place Vendôme Complicité
Czapek marks the opening of its Quai des Bergues 27 flagship boutique in Geneva, the address where François Czapek and Antoni Patek founded their partnership in 1839, with two special editions timed to Geneva Watch Days. There's a Quai des Bergues Midnight in Geneva in a 40.5mm steel case with blue aventurine dial (18 pieces, CHF 20,400), and a platinum Place Vendôme Complicité with Bernhard Lederer's double escapement and Glacier Blue accents (10 pieces, CHF 103,000). Anchoring the boutique to the brand's origin story is the point: Czapek is selling provenance as much as product.
WatchPro
Gallet completes Georges Kern’s House of Brands
Georges Kern's revival of dormant marque Gallet completes his three-tier "House of Brands" alongside Breitling and Universal Genève, positioning Gallet at accessible-luxury prices of roughly $2,500 to $5,000 with watches manufactured within Breitling's infrastructure and sold through its boutiques. The commercial bet is the hardest floor of the pyramid: launching a Swiss brand into the crowded, softening $3,000-$5,000 segment (where Longines' estimated 2025 sales fell 18%) just as momentum concentrates in fewer, pricier brands. If Gallet proves the group can move down and UG proves it can move up, Kern turns Breitling from the whole business into the cornerstone of a genuine multibrand group, with a stated CHF 2 billion turnover ambition.
Also at: Worn & Wound · Revolution Watch · WatchTime · Time + Tide · Fratello · Hodinkee · Hodinkee · Hodinkee · Hodinkee
Auction & Market
SJX Watches
Breaking News: Rolex Unique Daytona Set “Four Seasons” to be Sold for Charity
Rolex is sending its unique gem-set Daytona "Four Seasons" quartet, quietly debuted behind closed doors at Watches & Wonders 2026, to a Phillips charity auction at a London hotel gala benefiting Roger Federer's Federer Foundation and Leonardo DiCaprio's Re:wild. Crucially, the four watches will be sold as individual lots rather than a set, a structure that should push the aggregate result higher and puts the CHF31 million Daytona record within conversational reach.
Also at: Hodinkee
WatchPro
Phillips charity auction raises CHF 115,500 at Geneva Watch Days
Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, raised CHF 115,500 for l'École d'Horlogerie de Genève through its fourth annual Geneva Watch Days charity auction on September 3, with 16 one-of-a-kind donated lots led by a unique Konstantin Chaykin design that fetched CHF 24,000. Four editions have now cleared CHF 519,400, all funneled to scholarships for apprentices facing financial hardship. The play is soft power: Bacs lends his gavel, independents donate the goods, and everyone banks goodwill while backstopping the talent pipeline they all depend on.
Community & Culture
Revolution Watch
Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt: Michel Navas & Enrico Barbasini on the Art of the Dial
At Geneva Watch Days 2026, Daniel Roth showed the Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt, a slim two-hand dress watch whose black dial starts as a solid gold base decorated with pinstripe guilloché, then gets masked and electroplated so the rose-gold numerals, signature and minute track emerge from the metal beneath rather than being printed. It sits in the maison's signature double-ellipse 5N rose-gold case and runs the manual-winding DR002 calibre from La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, under Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini. The dial-first pitch is the tell: LVMH is positioning revived Daniel Roth as a métier and movement showcase, not a volume play.
Revolution Watch
De Bethune DB25 Digitale: Denis Flageollet and Antoine Pin on Watchmaking for Today
De Bethune's DB25 Digitale puts jumping hours and minutes plus the brand's signature spherical moon phase into a 42mm Grade 5 titanium case, with a blued titanium dial featuring random guilloché and starry-sky detailing. Inside is the hand-wound DB2144V3 with a five-day power reserve, deltoid bridge, titanium-and-gold balance and triple pare-chute shock system. Wei Koh's sit-down with Denis Flageollet and Antoine Pin frames it as De Bethune's pitch to a collector culture that prizes technical substance, and a bid to keep the manufacture's high-horology reputation front of mind.
SJX Watches
Beyond the Familiar: A. Lange & Söhne’s 1815 Retrospective
SJX runs a deep retrospective on A. Lange & Söhne's 1815 collection, tracing it from the 1994 debut and the design-defining Tourbillon Pour le Mérite through the rare, unusual corners of the family: retailer-exclusive oddities like the 40mm 1815 Cuvette and the one-off 1815 Kalendarwoche, the Blümlein-tribute Tourbograph (limited to 51), the first Honey Gold pieces, and Handwerkskunst enamel-and-engraving showpieces. For the trade it's a reminder of how Lange has quietly used its 1815 line, not just the Lange 1, to flex its calibre catalogue and craft credentials across three decades since the fall of East Germany.
Reviews
Fratello
Sunset On The Wrist: The Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Dusk
Laurent Ferrier's new Classic Moon Dusk is a 20-piece Série Atelier edition in 18K yellow gold (40 x 12.9mm) with a taupe-to-chocolate opaline gradient dial, an annual calendar, and a moonphase rendered in gold-sheen obsidian under an anise-yellow plique-à-jour enamel bridge, priced at CHF 93,000 (ex. taxes) and powered by the hand-wound LF126.02. Fratello praises how the "dusk" concept carries through the whole watch rather than being a brown dial with a poetic name, and credits Laurent Ferrier for keeping the calendar readable via distinct tonal separation and white Assegai hands. Reviewer Walid Benla concludes it is very much a collector's Laurent Ferrier, even musing it deserves a spot in the core collection.
Worn & Wound
The H. Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds Arctic Blue
Worn & Wound spends a summer with H. Moser's Pioneer Centre Seconds in Arctic Blue, concluding the 40mm case (48mm lug-to-lug, 12mm tall with its big dome, on the in-house HMC 200 with 72-hour reserve) is "unquestionably" the correct size and a clear improvement on the unwieldy 43mm, with a restrained fumé dial they rate as best-in-class. But they fault the Pioneer for lacking the personality of the Endeavour and Streamliner, calling it a "compromise" that sits awkwardly between dress and sports; at CHF 12,900 (roughly $16,000) it's Moser's most affordable watch, and the reviewer pointedly warns readers off any pandemic-era fantasy that it will appreciate like a Journe or Richard Mille.
New Releases
Revolution Watch
Trilobe uncorks the Château Trente-Deux
Trilobe has added a deep red, wine-inspired dial to its integrated-bracelet Trente-Deux collection, powered by the brand's in-house X-Nihilo automatic (42-hour reserve) in a 39.5 x 46.18 x 10.5mm steel case, priced at 17,500 euros excluding taxes. The first 100 pieces ship with a bottle of French Burgundy and an exclusive caseback engraving before the reference joins the regular lineup. For a young Parisian maker still building recognition, leaning on France's most exportable luxury signifier (wine) is a shrewd way to court collectors at a five-figure price point.
Monochrome Watches
The Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance Manufacture Edition Blue
Armin Strom has added a Blue edition to its Dual Time GMT Resonance line, pairing a blue PVD mainplate and bridges with two white dials in a 39mm steel case, powered by the in-house manual-winding ARF22 with the brand's patented resonance clutch. Limited to 50 pieces at CHF 95,000. At that price and run size, this is a reminder that Armin Strom's play remains scarcity-plus-horological-flex, colorway variations keeping the signature resonance complication in front of collectors between larger technical launches.
Monochrome Watches
The New, and Splendid De Bethune DB25 Digitale
De Bethune brings its digital time display to the more classical DB25 family for 2026, unveiling the DB25 Digitale at Geneva Watch Days in a 42mm mirror-polished titanium case (11.9mm thick). It pairs a jumping-hour window at noon with a rotating minutes disc at 6 o'clock, a central palladium-and-blued-steel spherical moon phase accurate to one lunar day per 1,112 years, and the third-gen DB2144V3 hand-wound movement with a 5-day power reserve. Price is on request. For De Bethune, a co-founder of the event, it's another headline piece to anchor its independent-haute-horlogerie positioning.
Monochrome Watches
Hand-Hammered Dials for the Gerald Charles Masterlink Atelier Edition
Gerald Charles brings its asymmetric, Genta-designed Masterlink back for Geneva Watch Days as the Atelier Edition, with hand-hammered maillechort dials made in the brand's Geneva atelier in golden rose, golden yellow, or rhodium, limited to 25 pieces per tone. The 38mm steel case stands 7.99mm tall with 100m water resistance and houses the ultra-slim 2.67mm automatic GCA 1000 (a Vaucher micro-rotor movement, 3Hz, 50-hour reserve); price is on request. For the Zivani-owned revival, leaning on artisanal dial work and a name-brand movement partner is the play to justify sitting Masterlink firmly in luxury-sports territory.
Monochrome Watches
The Baltic Aquascaphe GMT MK-II, Now a True GMT and More Accessible
Baltic has updated its Aquascaphe GMT to MK-II spec, most notably swapping the Swiss Soprod caller movement for a Miyota 9075 to make it a true traveller GMT with independently adjustable local hour hand. The 39.5mm 316L steel case now runs a crown guard, 200m water resistance (up from 100m) and comes in four two-tone bezel options (blue, green, grey, red); pricing actually drops to EUR 850 on rubber and EUR 915 on bracelet (excl. taxes), down from the previous EUR 920/1,000. That undercut-while-upgrading move is the tell: Baltic is pushing the accessible-travel-GMT segment on price at a moment when the microbrand field is crowding fast.
Also at: Hodinkee
Time + Tide
The Hamilton Murph 38mm enters a new dimension with a cosmic blue dial
Hamilton has added a cosmic blue-to-black textured dial, inspired by an interstellar comet from Nolan's "Interstellar," to its Khaki Field Murph 38mm, keeping the 11.1mm steel case, 100m water resistance, sapphire crystal, exhibition caseback and 80-hour H-10 movement. It comes on bracelet (ref. H70405140, CHF 870/€995/US$995) or black calf leather (ref. H70405740, CHF 945/€1,045/US$1,075), now available from Hamilton retailers. The Murph franchise remains one of Hamilton's most reliable emotional-IP plays, and the smaller 38mm format is already a bestseller worth extending.
Monochrome Watches
The Bold Bulgari Octo Finissimo Dazzle
Bulgari used Geneva Watch Days to reveal the Octo Finissimo Dazzle, a limited edition wrapping the 40mm titanium case, dial and integrated bracelet in a laser-engraved geometric pattern inspired by dazzle camouflage, leaving only the bezel untouched. Mechanically it's unchanged from the standard 40mm auto: the 2.23mm BVL 138 with platinum micro-rotor, 60-hour reserve, in a 5.15mm case, priced at CHF 16,900 / EUR 19,500 / USD 18,300. Another entry in Bulgari's ongoing play to keep the ultra-thin platform culturally relevant through artistic editions rather than fresh thinness records.
aBlogtoWatch
Hands-On Debut: The CIGA design Everest China 65th Anniversary Watch Delivers The Brand’s First-Ever Automaton With Mountaineering Flair
CIGA Design's Everest China 65th Anniversary marks the brand's first automaton: a 45mm, 13.6mm-thick lugless Grade 5 titanium case (50m water resistance) with a dial made from bedrock harvested from Mount Everest's northern foothills, and a 7 o'clock automaton that re-enacts the 1960 Chinese North Face ascent twice a day. It runs the in-house CD-10 automatic automaton movement (42-hour reserve, 21,600 bph) on a black rubber deployant strap, priced at $1,699. Pre-orders are open now via the brand's e-commerce platform, with a full release set for September 15, 2026.
Also at: Fratello
WatchTime
Chopard: L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph in Prussian Blue
Chopard is releasing a Prussian Blue dial version of its L.U.C 1963 Heritage Chronograph: a 42mm Lucent Steel case (11.48mm thick, 50m water resistance) housing the hand-wound, COSC-certified, Geneva Seal-stamped L.U.C 03.07-L flyback movement with a column wheel, vertical clutch, and 60-hour power reserve. Limited to 25 numbered pieces on a brown alligator strap, it sells for $40,000 exclusively through Chopard boutiques.
Monochrome Watches
The Alpina Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic Route du Rhum in Turquoise
Alpina has launched the Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic Route du Rhum, a 39mm steel diver (40.5mm lug-to-lug, 13.4mm thick, 300m water resistance) with a turquoise dial engraved with Atlantic Ocean currents, a carbon-fibre compass bezel, and the AL-525 automatic (Sellita SW200-1 base, 38-hour reserve). Limited to 313 pieces at CHF 2,195, it swaps the 2024 model's orange for a sailing-themed blue-and-black race edition. A tidy sub-CHF-2,500 tie-in play for a brand leaning on collaboration hooks to differentiate in a crowded dive segment.
Revolution Watch
The Human Touch: ArtyA Unveils the Complexity Métiers d’Art
ArtyA has unveiled the Complexity Métiers d'Art, reworking its double inclined Cônillon tourbillon (linked via differential, 50-hour power reserve, Complexity-01 caliber developed with Purtec Sàrl) with hand engraving, hammering, shot blasting, perlage and polished bevelling over black rhodium plating. The transparent case, cut from solid synthetic sapphire or pigeon-blood ruby, measures 42 x 48 x 13mm and demands roughly 120 hours of diamond machining plus 140-plus hours of polishing per case. Priced at CHF 190,000 in sapphire and CHF 220,000 in ruby, it plants ArtyA firmly in the seven-figure-adjacent haute horlogerie conversation where craft hours, not just complications, justify the ask.
aBlogtoWatch
Louis Vuitton Escale Twin Zone Watches Hands-On: Clever Double 12-Hour Time Zone Dial
Louis Vuitton has expanded its Escale line with the Twin Zone Automatic, a 41mm (12.5mm thick, 50m WR) travel watch whose dial carries two independent 12-hour time zones on overlapping hands that can hide the second set, driven by the in-house LFTVO15.01 caliber (4Hz, 68-hour reserve, gold rotor). Launch pieces include the 18k rose gold ref. W3PG71 at $57,500 and a limited-edition platinum-and-diamond ref. W3PT61 at $229,000, plus an off-catalog rose gold hand-painted Earth Map version. The play here is diverting attention from Tambour and staking out territory against Parmigiani in the niche of hidden-hand dual-time luxury.
SJX Watches
Golden Obsidian for Gérald Genta’s Minute Repeater
Gérald Genta unveiled a Golden Obsidian dial variant of its Geneva Minute Repeater at Geneva Watch Days, swapping last year's black onyx for naturally formed volcanic glass and pairing it with a brown calfskin center-lug strap. Housed in a 40mm by 9.6mm yellow gold 3N cushion case, it runs the in-house manual cal. GG-002, a two-hammer repeater with an 80-hour reserve built by La Fabrique du Temps. It's not a limited edition, sold directly from Gérald Genta at price upon request.
Also at: Revolution Watch
Monochrome Watches
Akhor Brings Rare Stones on its AK-10 Stromatolite and AK-10 Maw Sit Sit
Akhor, Anissa Bader's Geneva independent backed by component maker Clamax, returns to Geneva Watch Days with two AK-10 models featuring rare stone dials: a rose gold version with diamond bezel and red Stromatolite, and a steel version with electric-green Maw Sit Sit. Both keep the 39mm x 11mm cushion case and the patented double-disc "suspended time" architecture, running the manual-winding, chronometer-certified AK-10 (28,800vph, 60-hour reserve, 117 parts) with the Poinçon de Genève hallmark; price is to be confirmed. The Geneva seal on a debutant's own caliber is the real signal here: Bader is buying credibility the fast way, and it should command a premium once a number lands.
SJX Watches
Daniel Roth’s Gilty Pleasure
Daniel Roth has added the Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt (Ref. DBBD04A1), a time-only variant with a true gilt black dial where the 5N rose gold plate shines through the numerals and signature over a hand-guilloché, electroplated finish by La Fabrique du Temps. The 38.6 by 35.5 mm, 7.7 mm-thick 18k rose gold case houses the in-house manual-wind cal. DR002 (65-hour reserve); not a limited edition, priced at CHF 55,000 excluding taxes at Daniel Roth retailers. It lands as the LVMH-backed revival keeps the Extra Plat among the most sought time-only pieces, close on the heels of May's platinum version.