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Replacing damaged parts and restoring full functionality of the calendar works on a Swiss ETA 955.112.

The Best New Releases From Geneva Watch Days 2025

As the summer sun sets over Lake Geneva, the city’s historic watchmaking heart beats a little faster each September. Geneva Watch Days, now in its sixth edition, has firmly established itself as the horology world’s rebellious summer fling—a decentralized, intimate counterpoint to the grand formality of Watches and Wonders. Launched in 2020 amid pandemic chaos by visionaries like Bulgari’s Jean-Christophe Babin, this year’s event from September 4 to 7 swelled to a record 66 brands, drawing over 17,000 visitors to pop-up salons in hotels, boutiques, and lakeside pavilions. The vibe? Relaxed yet electric, with striped deck chairs nodding to a nautical theme, panel discussions featuring legends like Vianney Halter, and hands-on access to novelties that blend heritage with wild experimentation.
What emerged from this lakeside laboratory of luxury were over 150 new timepieces, from affordable indie gems to ultra-complicated grails pushing the boundaries of materials and mechanics. Collaborations flourished, carbon innovations sparked debates on precision, and stone dials continued their renaissance. Amid whispers of U.S. tariffs dampening sales growth to a meager 1.8% in early 2025, the mood stayed defiantly optimistic—proof that watchmaking’s spirit thrives on creativity, not just commerce. Here, in my take on the standouts, I spotlight eight releases that captured the event’s essence: bold, beautiful, and unapologetically forward-thinking.

TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer: Celestial Racing Redefined
TAG Heuer crashed the party for the first time, setting up shop at the Ritz-Carlton with LVMH siblings like Bulgari. Their star? The Carrera Astronomer, a 39mm steel chronograph that swaps racetrack adrenaline for cosmic poetry. Drawing from the brand’s 1962 space legacy—when a Heuer stopwatch orbited Earth with John Glenn—this piece features a groundbreaking moonphase complication with a photorealistic lunar disc and starry subdial, powered by the new Calibre 7 automatic movement. At around £5500, it’s a gateway to high complications without the sticker shock, blending sporty ergonomics with a grey leather strap for everyday orbit. It’s the watch that reminds us: even speed demons dream of the stars.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Lee Ufan x Bulgari: Art in Ultra-Thin Titanium
Bulgari, ever the event’s godfather, leaned into its artistic soul with the Octo Finissimo Lee Ufan x Bulgari—a limited-edition (150 pieces) titanium tourbillon born from a dialogue with Korean-Japanese artist Lee Ufan. The hand-filed case evokes Ufan’s rock-on-mirror motifs, raw and sculptural at just 5.15mm thick, housing Bulgari’s record-shattering BVL 268 movement. Priced at about £38500, it’s not just a watch; it’s wearable philosophy, where minimalism meets mechanical wizardry. In a fair buzzing with collabs, this one felt like poetry etched in platinum-group metal—ruthenium’s sparkle stealing the show.

Ulysse Nardin Freak Crystalium: Dial? What Dial?
Ulysse Nardin doubled down on its Freak legacy with the Crystalium edition, a 45mm titanium beast that ditches the dial entirely for a mesmerizing vapor-deposited ruthenium crystal face in rose gold hues. The open-worked UN-230 movement spins like a steampunk gyroscope, with hours read via rotating modules—no hands required. At £18500, it’s a conversation starter for the avant-garde crowd, blending Art Deco flair with 2001’s original Freak innovation. In Geneva’s indie-heavy lineup, this was the wild child: technical bravado wrapped in crystalline chaos, proving complications can be as beautiful as they are baffling.

Laurent Ferrier Classic Tourbillon Série Atelier VII: Enamel Elegance in Platinum
Independent maestro Laurent Ferrier delivered understated opulence with the Classic Tourbillon Série Atelier VII, a 40mm platinum stunner featuring a teal Grand Feu enamel dial on an 18-karat white gold base. The flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock whirs beneath a sapphire caseback, powered by the in-house LF 619.01 with a 80-hour reserve. Onion crown and alligator strap nod to 19th-century pocket watches, but the modern 11.1mm thickness keeps it wearable. Around $£48000, it’s a love letter to purity—my pick for the collector craving quiet luxury amid the fair’s flashier fireworks.

Czapek Antarctique Passage de Drake x Massena LAB: Robotic Resilience
Czapek & Cie posed a cheeky question—“Will robots rule our lives?”—with the Antarctique Passage de Drake x Massena LAB, a 40.5mm steel explorer whose dial mimics a benevolent bot’s face (think Wall-E, not Skynet). Salmon hues and guilloché waves evoke Antarctic swells, while the SXH5 micro-rotor movement offers 72 hours of power. At £14500 for 50 pieces, this collab with collector William Massena channels resilience: tough, titanium-cased, and 100m water-resistant. In a sea of moonphases, it was the quirky heart-stealer, proving indies can philosophize without pretension.

Oris x Bamford Watch Department Divers Sixty-Five: Vintage Vibes, Custom Kick
Oris teamed with custom king George Bamford for a Divers Sixty-Five glow-up: a 38mm stainless steel dive watch in “Moonlight Blue” PVD with orange accents, vintage-inspired mesh bracelet, and domed sapphire crystal. The automatic Calibre 733 ticks inside, good for 38 hours and 100m dives. Under £2500, it’s the fair’s blue-collar hero—affordable, customizable, and screaming ‘70s cool. Bamford’s touch elevates Oris’s tool-watch ethos, making it a daily driver for divers who appreciate a splash of swagger.

Furlan Marri Disco Volante: Diamond Dust for the Disco Set
The Italian-Swiss upstart Furlan Marri kept the retro flame alive with the Disco Volante, a 38mm hand-wound charmer in steel or gold, featuring a stone dial (malachite or lapis lazuli) and diamond hour indices. Powered by the Peseux 7001 (famously used by Piaget and Omega), it nods to ‘70s glamour with a sector dial and integrated bracelet. At under £4300, it’s quirky luxury without the mortgage—cheeky, comfortable, and a reminder that indies like these keep watchmaking’s soul funky and fun.

TAG Heuer Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring: Carbon Revolution in Square Form
TAG Heuer’s other bombshell? The Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring, a limited 50-piece forged carbon square (39 x 39mm) with a spiral dial echoing its namesake innovation: the world’s first carbon hairspring, rivaling silicon for anti-magnetism and isochronism. The Heuer 02 flyback movement hums with 80 hours reserve, all for £16000. It’s a precision power play, challenging Rolex’s throne while honoring Monaco’s square-shouldered heritage—bold enough to make purists sweat.

Looking Ahead: Why GWD Matters More Than Ever
As the pavilions pack up and collectors clutch their waiting-list tickets, Geneva Watch Days 2025 leaves a lingering thrill. From TAG’s tech assaults to indies’ artistic whims, the releases underscore a industry in flux: resilient against tariffs, hungry for collabs, and laser-focused on wearability. Whether you’re chasing a sub-£5K Disco Volante or coveting a £60K tourbillon, this fair proved luxury isn’t about excess—it’s about evolution. Mark your calendar for 2026; the lake’s calling, and so are the next big ticks.

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