The case for complexity: These are the bold, new watches that dared to take risks in 2026

Amidst this year’s crop of conservative, commercially viable timepieces, these complicated watches remind us that innovation, creativity and hand-craftsmanship still remain the bedrock of haute horology.

A flair for whimsy  

Even though Patek Philippe’s history is replete with automaton clocks and pocket watches, it has never made an automaton wristwatch. Until now, that is. This year marks the launch of the Reference 5249R-001 Hours and Minutes on Demand “Crow and Fox” under the Rare Handcrafts collection. Inspired by a 1958 pocket watch bearing the tale by the same name, it displays the time on demand on two retrograde hour and minute indicators. When the pusher is activated, the scene comes to life; the fox shows the hours with its paw or snout, and the crow drops the cheese to indicate the minutes. It’s a playful take on La Fontaine’s famous fairytale, which depicts a fox flattering a crow on her “beautiful” voice, goading her into opening her mouth to drop the cheese. Cautionary tale aside, the timepiece is a worthy addition to Patek Philippe’s stable of complications, reminding us that the Swiss watchmaker does whimsy with as much flair as its more classic collections.

Patek Philippe clearly pulled all stops this year (as it usually does), and we would be remiss not to mention the Ref. 6105G Celestial Sunrise & Sunset (below, left). Part of its Celestial series, this latest iteration features a rarely-seen sunrise and sunset indication, while also taking into consideration daylight savings. We will spare the technical details—but suffice to say that this is astronomical excellence at its finest, elevated by its magical display that brings the stars to the wrist. 

A triple whammy 

As mentioned a few pages back, the big trend at Watches & Wonders 2026 was undoubtedly skeletonised watches: the art of paring back a movement to its bare bones is a highly underrated and sophisticated skill. Now, imagine the complexity of doing so with a timepiece that features a complication or two—as with this H. Moser timepiece with a tourbillon and minute repeater (above, right) —and you have a veritable demonstration of the Swiss atelier’s considerable watchmaking chops. This is a watch that engages all the senses: from the chimes of the minute repeater to the visual ballet of the tourbillon. The openworked nature of the timepieces also allows us to appreciate the high level of finishing on every component, while the exposed black bridges contrasting with the blue fumé dial reminds us that this is pure Moser through and through.

Great virtue

Few maisons blend traditional artistry with technical ingenuity quite like Bovet. The Virtuoso V is a case in point: featuring a jumping hour and retrograde minute dial, it offers an impressive five-day power reserve. Synchronising these complications—so they operate in perfect tandem without losing accuracy—is no easy feat. Beyond its technical prowess, the watch dazzles with a deep-blue guilloché dial. Flip it over, and it transforms into a pocket watch with an open-worked reverse side. At 43.5mm, the Virtuoso V is forged in lightweight titanium.

The major leagues

Vacheron Constantin has always been considered as one of the top three watchmakers in the world—a distinction that can be attributed to its continuous 271-year-old legacy. But even the world’s most respected watchmaker needs to keep innovating to stay relevant in today’s changing world order. And boy, has VC managed to remain in pole position. This year’s piece unique Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Skeleton is proof: it combines a minute repeater and a tourbillon, which, for the watchmaker, is just another Monday. Jokes aside, beyond the complexity of combining both these complications into one wearable wristwatch, the watchmaker pulls another hattrick with the skeletonised movement, which Vacheron reveals took more than a year of development to shave off 40 per cent. The result? A one-of-a-kind, ambitious undertaking that rightfully belongs to the major leagues.

The watchmaker’s watchmaker strikes again 

Jaeger-LeCoultre started life as a movement maker for the likes of Patek Philippe and IWC, earning it the moniker of the “watchmaker’s watchmaker”. It continues to flex its technical prowess, most recently with the Master Hybris Inventiva Caliber 178 Gyrotourbillon À Stratosphère (below, left). Inventiva is a new line under the Hybris family, where the brand zooms in on one complication and completely reinvents it, stripping it back to basics. For its first Inventiva intervention, Jaeger-LeCoultre has focused on, unsurprisingly, the tourbillon. This 2026 iteration makes the bold claim of being the most precise tourbillon ever,  featuring three rotating tourbillons in one, covering more than 98 per cent of positions. Technically speaking, it’s one beast of a watch—and one of the highlights of this year’s launches— but also pretty goddamn sexy with its blue enamel dial and openworked construction that allows its wearer to see the magic under the hood. Only 20 pieces will be up for grabs.

Live long and prosper  

One of only three pieces, the Hautlence Retrovision ’64 (above, right) pays a quirky tribute to the 1960s, specifically Star Trek. It’s the third in the Retrovision series which started in 2024 with the 47, a watch that resembled a Bakelite radio from the 1940s. The latest in the series is the 64, and it’s just as weird and whimsical—belying the brand’s technical chops beneath the hood. The cheese grater-like hinge case opens to reveal a retrograde jumping hour track. Above sits the openworked dial, which semi-conceals a one-minute flying tourbillon peeking from the side. Orange and green accents add to the pop art, bombastic nature of the watch. The case is hewn in titanium, with brown PVD and red gold PVD coating.  

Quiet luxury

Under the auspices of CEO Guido Terreni, Parmigiani Fleurier has become the Brunello Cuccinelli of the watchmaking world—think stealth luxury, the ultimate IYKYK brand. The Tonda PF Chronograph Mysterieux epitomises this ethos and aesthetic. At first glance, the timepiece looks deceptively simple, but beneath the pared-back design lies a hidden secret: a closer look reveals a monopusher embedded in the left lower lug. When activated, two chronograph hands emerge from beneath the hour and minute hands, revealing the genius of the design. Then other details emerge: the hand-knurled platinum bezel, the discreet logo, the integrated lugs, and of course, the grain-d’orge hand-guilloched dial in a serene mineral blue. Wrought in stainless steel, this is a sports watch steeped in watchmaking tradition, with a distinct modern character.

The mechanics of light  

When A. Lange & Söhne re-built itself after the fall of the Berlin wall, the brand’s custodians realised that to differentiate itself from its Swiss counterparts, it had to double down on its German heritage, focusing on the values of robust, meticulous engineering. One of the collections that endures is the Lange 1, an anomaly in the watch industry at that time, with its asymmetrical dial. It continues to be a canvas for innovation, evinced by the 2026 Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen”, which marries these two complex complications. Lange’s Lumen treatment was born when director of product development Anthony de Haas was struggling to read the time of his Zeitwerk in the dark. Instead of doing what other watchmakers do, i.e., use SuperLuminova to coat indices and indicators, Lange, of course, had to find a solution that was uniquely Lange. The watchmaker applies the luminous material beneath the dial. The dial itself is crafted from a dark-tinted, semi-transparent sapphire crystal that appears almost opaque to the eye, yet allows ultraviolet light to pass through. This UV light charges the lume below, which includes the outsize date discs, time display and, in more complex iterations, calendar indications.

Sounding time

Presented in a new guise for 2026, the Chopard LUC Strike One Titanium (above, left) comes, as its name suggests, in a titanium case and with a stunning hand-guilloched honeycomb salmon dial. Despite being highly sought after by collectors, salmon dials still remain relatively rare in watchmaking, making this iteration all the more desirable. The timepiece bears the hallmarks of Chopard’s classic LUC design codes, while a discreet, open aperture between one and two o’clock reveals that this timepiece boasts of more than meets the eyes: here, two gongs play peek-a-boo, revealing Chopard’s patented sapphire gong technology that produces a melodious chime, unaffected by the titanium case. Not a minute repeater, nor a petite or grand sonnerie, the timepiece chimes once at the top of every hour—reminding its wearer of the fleeting nature of time.

Honouring tradition 

More than 10 years after Ferdinand Berthoud was revived by Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele—and multiple awards later—the house is once more pushing the limits of chronometric precision with the Chronomètre FB 2TV (above, right).  This is a brand for purists, staying true to its original quest to honour and improve on the time-old codes of watchmaking. This year’s launch is no different, featuring a chain-and-fusée system, a flying tourbillon, a cone-and-feeler power reserve device as well as a hacking seconds and a zero-reset mechanism. The beauty of watch lies in the fact that all these elements can be seen dial-side, allowing collectors to appreciate the glorious spectacle of the fusée-and-chain mechanism, along with the flying tourbillon’s mesmerising dance—as well as the superb hand-finishing, which, according to the brand, took about 300 hours. The watch measures 44mm, in an ethically sourced white gold case.  

Go further with our exclusive Watches and Wonders 2026 coverage.

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