18 (actually major) watch flexes spotted at the world's biggest watch fair

For 51 of the 52 weeks of the year, Geneva is mega chill. A hub for corporate meetings and diplomacy (all boasting ample watch flexes of course), it’s a modest, orderly place, with a pretty old town perched on the edge of Lake Geneva and the Jet d’Eau its beating heart. Indeed, the city barely lifts a finger, and on Sunday, almost all shops are shut. But last week, its population swelled by *checks notes* nearly 30% as anyone who's anyone in watchmaking touched down.

Yeah, it was Watches and Wonders where 66(!) brands drop their latest watches to the world. Months, sometimes years, of development are revealed in a matter of days, setting the tone for what collectors, retailers, and enthusiasts will be talking about for the rest of 2026. But there’s so much more to it than new watches.

The fair now spans over 84,000 square metres, a footprint large enough to make even seasoned attendees recalibrate internal maps and pray for more comfortable shoes. And with 25,000 public tickets sold, the once trade-heavy gathering continues its evolution into something far more culturally open.

A Harry Winston Premier Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar double-wristed with a Beyer signed Patek Philippe Ellipse, spotted on Daniel Isaak, @isaaaakdaniel

Only at Watches & Wonders, the MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual

For the first time, Audemars Piguet, a brand long known for operating independently, joined, and its presence was symbolic. When one of the hottest brands joins the ranks of its competition and acknowledges the growing gravitational pull of this show, especially as one of the industry’s most self-contained maison, that’s validation on a different scale.

The heavyweights all came out swinging this year: Cartier resurrected the Roadster, Patek Philippe delivered an instant-classic platinum Nautilus in 38mm, Rolex toasted 100 years of the Oyster case with a Jubilee-dial Oyster Perpetual and enamel-dial Daytona, and Piaget doubled down with new Sixtie models and the ‘Swinging Pebble’ – a watch necklace inside a stone.

The newly released Cartier Panthere set with 646 diamonds

A special Chopard Snake Bangle ref. 5199.1 from 1980s, seen here on the wrist of Tanika Donovan, @dahlia.dials