Having spent all week on the sunny shores of Lake Geneva for Watches and Wonders 2025, I've got a pretty good insight into the industry at large. This year offered further proof that the luxury watch market is as prevalent as ever, with major brands bringing new models and innovations to market.
With over 60 brands exhibiting, each with its best watches in tow, there was a lot to unpack. There were also a lot of trends which were hiding in plain sight.
While you might be forgiven for seeing the wealth of enamelling or jumping hour complications as the biggest trend of the year, I don't think that's true. One thing which caught my eye time and time again was the Perpetual Calendar complication.
I lost count of the times I saw them on different models and booths, actually. But it's not just the prevalence which is important here – the range of watches they came on is worthy of note.
Everything from the record-breaking, one-of-one Vacheron Constantin Solaria Ultra Grand Complication – price still to be decided, but enough reported interest to suggest it will be eye-watering – to the reasonably-priced and beautifully-decorated Frederique Constant Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture were on offer.
I was also buoyed by the range of designs in use. Normally, perpetual calendars all look fairly similar, with a commonality that has become part and parcel of watch design in general.
This year, I think we saw the start of an era where the complication not only becomes more accessible, but more playful. The Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantieme Perpetuel offers a much more minimal appearance, which leaves the complication feeling much less, err, complicated.
Then there's the A Lange & Söhne Minute Repeater Perpetual. That redesigns the moonphase wheel – itself a large part of the perpetual calendar aesthetic – with a black and silver design, rather than the blue and gold which is more common.
I'm hoping that this is the start of a bigger trend, which sees the complication arrive on more and more pieces. In particular, I'm hoping to see it start to penetrate the circa-£3,000 range a little more. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but early signs are certainly strong.
