Watches and Wonders 2025: Things that make us go hmmm

Do we still need watches to simply tell time when our digital devices are ever-present to remind us of the passing of... mere seconds?

This year, at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025, several maisons were determined to make timekeeping a distraction from the grind of life, if you will. Some evoke sweet nostalgia, some delight the senses, and some engage you with on-demand entertainment. And here are our favourites.

1. Cartier Prive Tank a Guichets

Unconventional and unmistakably Cartier, this watch reinterprets its groundbreaking 1928 brutalist-style Tank a Guichets with four new iterations that preserve the model’s distinctive digital display while introducing contemporary refinements.

The collection features three standard models in yellow gold, rose gold, and platinum, alongside a limited 200-piece platinum Oblique edition (above) that rotates the display apertures 90 degrees counter-clockwise for a driver-style layout. Measuring 37.6mm by 24.8mm with a slender 6mm profile, each watch maintains the original’s 12 o’clock crown position and satin-finish case that contrasts with polished horizontal brancards.

The specially developed 9755 MC manual-wound movement powers a jumping hour aperture at 12 o’clock (or 10 o’clock on the Oblique) and dragging minutes at 6 o’clock (4 o’clock on the Oblique). The central face features vertical brushing in gold or platinum, while hand-polished aperture edges imbue subtle refinement. Colour-coded details distinguish each variant: black numerals for rose gold, red for platinum, and an dark green for the yellow gold model.

Faithful to the 1928 design’s aesthetic, these modern interpretations forego excessive polishing, presenting instead with uniformly brushed surfaces that heighten their vintage appeal. The minimalist display discs enhance the watch’s understated elegance while maintaining legibility through a simple three-numeral view for the minutes display. This revival captures Cartier’s unique fusion of technical innovation and design audacity, bringing one of watchmaking’s earliest digital displays into the contemporary era.

2. Hermes Arceau Rocabar de Rire

It has to be a world’s first to have a horse stick its tongue out at you — on a watch. And that’s the signature way Hermes watches blend whimsy and high horology under its over-arcing theme of Le Temps Suspendu (time suspended), which urges one to forget the inexorable passing of time and live in the present.

Housed in a 41mm white gold case with the iconic asymmetrical stirrup-shaped lugs designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, the Arceau Rocabar de Rire is a masterful showcase of Hermes craftsmanship. The mischievous horse, inspired by Dimitri Rybaltchenko’s Rocabar silk scarf, is brought to life through horsehair marquetry, engraving, and miniature painting. The playful animation is activated by a pusher at 9 o’clock, revealing the horse’s tongue against a backdrop of vibrant, hand-laid horsehair stripes.

The intricate decoration demands exceptional skills: The equestrian motif is sculpted by hand with traditional burins, then meticulously carefully painted in layered micro-painting, then fired in a kiln for depth and vibrancy. The dial’s woven effect is achieved by individually selecting, cutting, and gluing strands of dyed horsehair.

Powered by the Hermes H1837 movement, the watch displays hours, minutes, and an “on-demand impulse” function, with finely decorated bridges visible through the sapphire caseback. The anthracite, red, and straw-coloured dial is paired with an alligator strap, completing this 12-piece limited edition timepiece.

3. Piaget Sixtie

The swinging 60s was defined by experimental fashion codes and bold, geometric jewels. In watchmaking, Piaget shone for its groovy gold timepieces, which blend geometric audacity with feminine sensuality, that still remain highly collectible today. Fortunately for those who love vintage aesthetics, the maison has revived its revolutionary spirit with the Sixtie collection.

Featuring a truly unique trapeze-shaped case that stands out in a sea of round watches, it is inspired by watch designer Jean-Claude Gueit’s unconventional designs and Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic trapeze dress from this era of flamboyance and optimism.

The collection comprises several models that are fashioned with pink gold, stainless steel, or both metals — with diamond-set options. The bracelet’s interlaced trapeze links drape fluidly over the wrist, while the gadroon-edged bezel lining the 29mm by 25.3mm case references avant-garde artist Andy Warhol’s famous cushion-shaped Piaget watch.

The satin-finished dial contrasts elegantly with the golden baton hands and Roman numerals, while its case thickness of 6.5mm and supple bracelet afford a featherlight wearability. Fitted with manufacture quartz movement 57P, it is as much a trusty timekeeper as it is a sculptural jewel. The product of Piaget’s Ateliers de l’Extraordinaire, esteemed for its goldsmithing expertise, the Sixtie honours the maison’s 1969 ethos: “Do what has never been done before”.

4. A. Lange & Sohne Minute Repeater Perpetual 2025

If only you could hear this watch sing. We did, and it was magical. The prestigious minute repeater, a celebrated signature of A. Lange & Sohne, is united with the perpetual calendar in this exceptional 40.5mm platinum timepiece. Limited to just 50 pieces, it is powered by the newly developed manual-wound calibre L122.2, with each complication representing a pinnacle of horological achievement in its own right.

The minute repeater mechanism, activated by a slide on the left case flank, produces 720 distinct sound sequences through two hand-tuned gongs, striking hours in a low tone, quarter-hours with a double tone, and minutes in a higher pitch. Technical refinements include a pause elimination feature that skips silent intervals in the first 14min of each hour, along with a patented hammer blocker to prevent unwanted rebound strikes. The gongs are precisely matched to the platinum case’s acoustic properties, resulting in remarkably clear and resonant tones.

Beneath the sapphire crystal caseback, the movement’s 640 components reveal A. Lange & Sohne’s famous finishing: black-polished hammers that alternate between mirror-like and jet-black appearances depending on viewing angle, German silver three-quarter plates adorned with gold chatons, and a freehand-engraved balance cock. The movement incorporates a centrifugal governor rotating at over 2,000rpm to regulate the chime tempo, while maintaining a 72-hour power reserve.

The four-part enamel dial, crafted entirely in-house, presents a glossy black surface framed by white gold appliques. It showcases the brand’s signature outsize date display, complemented by subsidiary dials at 3 o’clock showing the month and leap year cycle, at 9 o’clock indicating the day of week, and at 6 o’clock displaying small seconds alongside a moon phase complication with hand-engraved gold moons set against a starry sky. The perpetual calendar mechanism will require no adjustment until the year 2100, while the moonphase display remains accurate for 122.6 years before deviating by a single day.

5. TAG Heuer F1 Solargraph

With TAG Heuer’s return as Official Timekeeper of Formula 1 — reprising its prominent role from 1992 to 2003 — brings the revival of one of its most storied collections: the Formula 1. This year’s release is more than a nostalgic callback to the 1980s; it’s a thoroughly modern evolution of the watch that debuted in 1986 as the first timepiece to bear the TAG Heuer name.

While the original was a colourful, plastic-cased 35mm quartz watch, the new Formula 1 Solargraph reinterprets that legacy with premium materials and leading-edge technology. The upsized 38mm case — now in sand-blasted steel or lightweight TH-Polylight (also a plastic, but a sustainable new material for the brand) — retains the signature decroche profile but with DLC coatings for enhanced durability. The dial features applied Super-LumiNova indexes and reimagined classic shield-shaped markers, while redesigned hands enhance legibility.

The true innovation lies within: The Solargraph movement, which was introduced in 2022, powers the watch using any light source. Just two minutes of sunlight delivers a full day’s charge, while 40 hours of exposure provides up to 10 months of operation. Even if stopped, 10 seconds under any light restarts it instantly, not to mention the watch is backed by a 15-year battery lifespan. The TH-Polylight bidirectional turning bezel, in the collection’s emblematic daisy shape, adds a satisfying mechanical click when rotated — a tactile detail for racing purists.

There are nine references in total, including six limited editions in bold colour combinations like black/red and white/green. Straps come in either embossed rubber, which is a nod to the brand’s racing heritage, or a sophisticated fluid steel bracelet with improved articulation.