It was a dense week for watch launches, led by Patek Philippe’s unusually expansive Milan program and a blue sapphire turn from G-Shock.
The mood ranged from high-complication Geneva watchmaking to ceramic nostalgia, compact anniversary chronographs and sport watches built around titanium and shock resistance.
At a glance
- Patek Philippe unveiled seven Milan limited editions alongside the six-model Gondolo Ladies First collection.
- The standout technical launch was the platinum Ref. 5978P-010, pairing a hand-wound chronograph with an instantaneous perpetual calendar.
- Other highlights included Louis Vuitton’s ceramic Monterey revival, Raymond Weil’s 500-piece Millesime Jubilee and NORQAIN’s titanium Wild ONE trio.
Patek Philippe’s Milan moment
Patek Philippe used its Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Milan as the stage for a broad set of commemorative pieces, with seven limited editions created for the occasion.
The headline watch is the Ref. 5978P-010 Milano 2026 Limited Edition, a 120-piece platinum model with an all-new manually wound CH 29-535 PS QI calibre.
That movement brings together a chronograph and an instantaneous perpetual calendar, with a 500-part construction and a 55-to-65-hour power reserve.
The 42mm case is made from 950 platinum and measures 14.45mm thick including the crystal, with a sapphire caseback inscribed “Patek Philippe Milano 2026”.
Its navy sunburst dial uses a black gradient rim, a recessed textured centre, white gold markers and red chronograph hands, giving the grand complication a distinctly modern register.
The remaining Milan editions span several corners of the catalogue, including an Aquanaut, a Calatrava, a perpetual calendar, a minute repeater and two cloisonné-enamel World Time minute repeaters showing Milan by day and by night.
Alongside the limited editions, Patek also introduced Gondolo Ladies First, a six-watch cushion-shaped collection that nods to the 2009 Ladies First Chronograph.
Each Gondolo Ladies First measures 31 by 34.8mm and uses the quartz calibre E15, with three diamond-flange models and three Joaillerie versions set with coloured stones for the hour markers.
Louis Vuitton brings Monterey back in ceramic
Louis Vuitton’s Monterey Ceramic revisits the 1988 LV II designed by Gae Aulenti, keeping the defining 12 o’clock crown and railway-style scales intact.
The new Monterey comes in 37mm black or green ceramic cases, both powered by La Fabrique du Temps’ automatic LFT MA01.02 calibre with a 45-hour power reserve.
The watches pair lacquered dials with bright lacquered hands, leaning into the original’s graphic character rather than treating it as a museum piece.
Pricing is listed at EUR 23,000 or CHF 19,400, positioning the Monterey Ceramic as a design-led Louis Vuitton watch with serious in-house watchmaking credentials behind it.
Anniversary colour and titanium architecture
Raymond Weil continued its 50th anniversary year with the Millesime Jubilee, a 39mm stainless-steel chronograph limited to 500 pieces.
The watch uses a light-blue dial with midnight-blue counters, black indexes and obelisk-shaped hands with green-emission Super-LumiNova.
Inside is the automatic RW5030 calibre, delivering a 62-hour power reserve, while the case keeps proportions compact at 12.9mm thick with 50 metres of water resistance.
NORQAIN expanded the Wild ONE with three titanium-accented models, including 39mm and 42mm skeleton watches and a 42mm Meteorite Special Edition.
The skeleton models use the new COSC-certified NORQAIN 4K Manufacture Calibre with a 65-hour power reserve, while the meteorite-dial version runs on the Kenissi-made NN20/1 with 70 hours.
The cases combine Grade 5 titanium top plates, a black NORTEQ back plate, rubber shock absorber and sandblasted titanium container and caseback, with 200 metres of water resistance across the trio.
The 39mm skeleton model is limited to 400 pieces, giving the smallest version of the new titanium Wild ONE line a more defined collector angle.
Details & Specifications
| Patek Philippe Ref. 5978P-010 | 42mm platinum instantaneous perpetual calendar chronograph, manually wound CH 29-535 PS QI, limited to 120 watches |
|---|---|
| Patek Philippe Gondolo Ladies First | 31 x 34.8mm cushion-shaped quartz collection, calibre E15, diamond-flange and Joaillerie versions |
| Gondolo Ladies First pricing | USD 37,510 for Ref. 7043G, 7043R and 7043GR; USD 68,768 for Ref. 7043/250G, 7043/250R and 7043/250GR |
| Louis Vuitton Monterey Ceramic | 37mm black or green ceramic case, automatic LFT MA01.02, 45-hour power reserve, EUR 23,000 or CHF 19,400 |
| Raymond Weil Millesime Jubilee | 39mm stainless-steel automatic chronograph, RW5030 calibre, 62-hour power reserve, limited to 500 pieces, CHF 3,895 |
| NORQAIN Wild ONE Titanium | 39mm and 42mm skeleton models plus 42mm Meteorite Special Edition, COSC-certified movements, 200m water resistance |
Taken together, the week showed how varied the current watch landscape has become, with traditional grand complications, archival design, accessible anniversary watchmaking and material-focused sports watches all competing for attention at once.
