Editors' Picks: Our Favorites From Watches & Wonders 2026

It's official: this year's Watches & Wonders has, effectively, come to a close. As is tradition, the 60+ exhibiting brands brought out their freshest and finest for 2026, unleashing the novel, unexpected, and surprising into the watch-loving world. Now that our Editorial Team has had a weekend to catch their breath, we put them to what might be the greatest challenge of the show: choosing just one favorite watch. 

Bilal Khan: IWC Ingenieur Green Ceramic

It was a big year for the IWC Ingenieur, which added, amongst others, a titanium perpetual calendar, a solid gold tourbillon, and some much-appreciated additions to the 35mm line. Personally, it was the olive green ceramic Ingeniuer that took the show for me. I love a deep, rich earth tone matched with gold accents (and a solid gold crown), so the full-ceramic case of this Ingeniuer with that classic checkered dial makes for my favorite contemporary iteration of this integrated bracelet sports watch to date. Once you wear a full ceramic watch, it’s hard to forget the lightweight feel of such an indulgent case material and it seems to me like the Ingenieur was just made for this. The case is just 11.5mm thick, so it comes in well within that 12mm thickness psychological barrier that I (and I assume others) have. Price, of course, will reflect the nature of this material but you get a lot of watch for $23,800.

Danny Milton: Rolex Day-Date 40 Jubilee Gold

My favorite watch of watches and wonders is a tough decision to make. There were so many interesting releases. But I suppose I can distill things down to a kind of release that piqued my interest – the focus on materials and utility. We saw Zenith create a novel approach to the clasp, not to mention its tantalum take on the G.F.J., Cartier introduced a new luxury category to the bracelet game, and Tudor expanded its use of ceramic. But this whole notion can also be applied to a release from Rolex: The new Day-Date with an aventurine dial, diamond baguette markers, and an all-new gold alloy.

That’s right, Rolex introduced a new gold at the show: Jubilee gold. It’s hard to describe it, but the reality is that it’s a combination of white, yellow and Everose. It’s not any one of those options, but rather all of them all at once. And the result is a subtle golden sheen on a watch that is known for its golden..ness. Paired with the subtly vibrant and positively amazing dial, the reflections off of those diamond markers, in tandem with the tone of the gold, create a singular unit of watch that is fully realized. This watch is not so much about mechanical innovation as it is about refining a format in all the right ways.

Erin Wilborn: Bvlgari Octo Finissimo 37mm

As every year, the sheer volume of new watches in such a short time period nearly causes me to short-circuit (in the best way), but, based on sheer impulse and vibes alone, the new 37mm take on the Octo Finissimo has proven to be my favorite of this year’s show. It strikes me as the sizing that the design was always meant to be. I’m sure a lot of this has to do with it being an option that would reasonably work on my small wrist. To achieve the long-anticipated smaller proportions of the design, the new BVF 100 movement was needed to match the shift in scale, which measures just a slim 2.35mm thick. The quintessentially thin profile that marks the line has become a little thicker in the process to 6.35mm, and currently, this size is offered in titanium or yellow gold. Personally, I challenge the brand to go EVEN smaller on the diameter, and I’m willing to wait as long as it takes to get there. 

Mark Bernardo: Cartier Roadster

As with just about every year at Watches & Wonders, choosing a single favorite watch among the many dozens of standouts is almost painfully difficult. However, the new release that I keep returning to — as I sift through the overflowing archives of new watches, in my mind and on my IG feed — is Cartier’s revamped Roadster. To me, Cartier’s men’s watches are nearly always underrated in comparison with the maison’s flashier ladies’ and high-jewelry timepieces, despite the fact that the Santos and Tank models, both conceived for male wearers, are still undisputed icons more than a century after their debut. The Roadster, whose original version came along relatively recently, in 2002, is perhaps the most aggressively sporty model in the current lineup.

The tonneau case and integrated bracelet take their design cues from the sleek, aerodynamic bodywork of luxury cars, while the dial incorporates classic dashboard elements while still remaining unmistakably Cartier, with the radiating Roman numerals and sword hands that have long been a hallmark of predecessors like the aforementioned Tank and Santos. The bezel’s exposed rivets, along with the date magnifier and the machine-like, cylindrical cabochon crown, further distinguish the new Roadsters, which come in both “large” (47mm x 38mm) and “medium” (42.5mm x 34.9mm) sizes, in gold, steel, or a bi-material combo of both. The “large” models are equipped with Cartier’s self-winding Caliber 1847 MC, while the “medium” watches contain another in-house automatic movement, Caliber 1899 MC. 

D.C. Hannay: Oris Star

If you could buy an untouched new old stock watch without the fear of damaging a frail vintage piece, would you? That’s the feeling the new Oris Star Edition evokes, a virtual time capsule from the mid-‘60s that represents a pivotal moment in the brand’s history. It’s a faithful recreation of one of Oris’ most important watches, part of the Star model family, which was their first with a Swiss lever escapement after decades of legal wrangling. Origin story aside, this is simply one damn handsome watch, confidently embracing its own midcentury perfection. 

The vintage-leaning 35mm barrel-shaped case silhouette has plenty of presence despite its measurements, the bold finishing shining like its namesake heavenly body. That’s thanks to a gorgeous radial brush finish and polished bezel up front, flanked by sleek polished bevels and case sides. One of the most striking throwback details of the Star Edition is the tall plexi crystal protecting the vertically-brushed silver crosshair dial. Its boxy presence perfectly nails the MCM aesthetic, bringing that unmistakable appearance and magnified distortion to the dial’s outer edge, something that just can’t be replicated with materials like sapphire. Inside is the automatic Oris Calibre 733, based on Sellita’s SW200-1, a reliable Swiss heart that recalls those days when a movement just got down to its timekeeping business, rather than fighting for our attention with finishing frippery behind a display back. 

When I say the Oris Star Edition seems like a vintage timepiece, I mean it, from its retro dimension set and clean, understated dial, to its period-correct acrylic glass and idiosyncratic case finish. I cannot emphasize enough how this watch seems plucked from the dusty storeroom of an elderly dealer’s shop, flying in the face of those outsized contemporary timepieces with “vintage styling cues”. Taken as a whole, this is a watch that leans into a particular moment in time, and with its utterly convincing level of execution, it captures everything I love about this golden era of watch design, without compromise or apology. It’s effectively a brand-new watch released from the historic amber of nearly 60 years, but without the worries of originality or fragility that come with the pitfalls of vintage collecting. Consider me smitten.

Jonathan McWhorter: Zenith G.F.J. Tantalum

My overall favorite watch from this year’s show is the G.F.J. from Zenith, but not the crowd-pleasing bloodstone dial in yellow gold. The variation that stuck with me most is the tantalum model with the onyx and mother-of-pearl dial. Green and Gold is typically my kryptonite, but the dark, sleek form factor of the tantalum G.F.J. easily won me over. To me, a dress watch needs a certain amount of presence without taking over, and this G.F.J. has the exact right amount, with the full monty to be appreciated upon repeated inspection. 

Front and center is the deep onyx dial with flush trapeze-cut diamond hour markers, which you almost wouldn’t even notice due to the elaborate brick motif carved into the onyx minute track(complimentary). A black mother-of-pearl sub-seconds gives the seriousness of the dial some whimsical relief, but only just. However, the case is where this watch really sings.

The design team at Zenith, under Romain Marietta, has really crafted something special here. The not-perfectly-circular dial opening is a stroke of genius, as the 12-6 & 3-9 dimensions differ by just one millimeter. An imperceptible detail, yet the net results are absolutely apparent. This year, the G.F.J. is fashioned in tantalum, which has the added benefit of elevated scratch-resistance, aside from just looking super sick paired with the black dial and navy alligator strap (an inspired choice).

Alas, only 20 will be made, and I’m sure they will all go to happy and loving homes. The only tragedy is that one of them won’t be mine.