While 2026 may seem like a quieter year for Watches and Wonders, a step back reveals a surprising number of lovable watches. What emerges is incremental refinement, even the culmination of good ideas, along with a handful of genuine surprises. Here, then, are some of my personal highlights.

Let’s start with the solid yellow gold Spring Drive U.F.A. (SLGB006) from Grand Seiko. A brand long known for excellent steel daily wearers, it is intriguing to see it step into full gold territory. Gold gives any Grand Seiko watch a more commanding character, as if its sheen immediately signals something important and unusual. Perhaps it is the pairing with a black dial, still uncommon for the brand, made even better by tiny golden flakes scattered across it like a starry night. Then there is the appeal of the latest, most accurate Spring Drive movement yet in a gold case, which makes the whole proposition even more compelling.

Grand Seiko Spring Drive U.F.A., SLGB006

My next pick is the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona with an enamel dial, which stands out because it feels very un-Rolex. Over the years, Rolex has moved steadily towards more controlled and predictable material processes. One example is the discontinuation of leather straps on the Day-Date in favor of more standardized configurations. Here, though, things shift. The brand is now exploring methods that demand far greater difficulty and uncertainty, such as enamel dial making, first seen on the Day-Date “Puzzle” and now appearing in an even more unexpected form on a steel Daytona. Of course, this is not just any steel Daytona. It is an off-catalog model with a platinum bezel ring and caseback, plus an all-new Cerachrom bezel made using a patented process involving a tungsten carbide coating for a metallic sheen. It is a watch packed with surprises and clearly destined for serious collectors.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona (©Revolution)

Also along the lines of familiar, but different and better, is the Patek Philippe Calatrava Minute Repeater World Time Ref. 5531G-010. You will not see it everywhere in the news, as it belongs to the Rare Handcrafts collection and is limited to just 10 pieces. A typical world time from the brand would feature a cloisonné enamel dial in a vibrant palette, but here it is entirely different. This uses champlevé enamel, where the surface is engraved first and then filled, with a palette that shifts to cooler tones of silver and blue, or more precisely, many shades of blue that create a far more realistic ocean scene, with ridges that seem to rise from within. And it is also a minute repeater. An overpowered combination that immediately invites love.

Patek Philippe Calatrava Minute Repeater World Time Ref. 5531G-010

Patek Philippe Calatrava Minute Repeater World Time Ref. 5531G-010

Then there is the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar. It looks familiar, but has been carefully reworked. The size is now 36mm instead of 38mm, giving it the feel of a mid-century dress watch, the kind you might expect to see commanding strong auction prices. At this scale, the triple calendar counters appear larger and almost fill the dial. Thin printed marker bands frame them, creating a proportion that feels minimalist, even softer than Lange’s usually stern design language. I think it will resonate with those looking for a more feminine Lange, something the brand has not often offered.

A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar

Finally, Zenith gives its signature G.F.J. Caliber 135 a very attractive update. This is a relatively new collection, launched last year to revive its legendary mid-20th-century observatory movement, which won hundreds of prizes over the years. The debut came in strong with a platinum case and lapis lazuli dial, a pairing that already felt hard to surpass, until this year’s version appeared in tantalum and onyx. It is more minimalist, colder and more technical, which suits the competitive spirit of the movement underneath. The use of two unusual materials to build that palette is the finishing touch that makes it hard to resist as a quiet winner of the fair.

Zenith G.F.J. Caliber 135