For more of the latest and greatest product releases, check out our full collection of the best new gear.
Watch release season will crescendo at the end of March with the trade show Watches & Wonders in Geneva. Watch brands of every size and kind aren't waiting, though, and are already building the hype with releases they don't want overshadowed by the likes of Rolex and others — and this month we saw some of the year's big releases as well as a number of cool ones from smaller brands. Don't miss watches from camera maker Leica, microbrand Maen's shockingly affordable rendition of an "integrated-bracelet" watch and much more below.
Maen Manhattan
We knew the style associated with watches like the Royal Oak and Nautilus would trickle down more to the likes of affordable indy brands. With an integrated bracelet design, vaguely octagonal case shape and alliterative name, Maen once again seems to get a lot of the specs (Swiss automatic movement, 37mm case, tapering bracelet...) and details (check out those bevels) right with its new Manhattan watch — all at an approachable price.
Price: $563
Marin Instruments Skin-Diver
It's tough for a new dive watch to stand out, but the young brand Marin makes a striking proposition. Available in "Standard" black dial and "Polar" white dial variants, the specs and looks of the new Marin Skin-Diver are compelling.
Price: $895 (preorder), $1,150 (retail)
Horage US Biathlon
The Swiss company that helped Bremont develop its ENG300 movement this time has partnered with the US Olympic Biathlon team on a special edition watch. Limited to 100 examples, it's packed with high-end details and the brand's in-house movement, to boot.
Price: ~$2,720
Ochs & Junior Two Time Zone
It's clever and probably not a feature you've seen before, and yet it's pretty clear right away how Ochs & (und) Junior's new dual-time watch works: Windows in the dial display the hours 1-12 on a disc beneath, which can be rotated via the crown. For example, the primary time zone shown here is read as normal (2:24) while the disc indicates the hour in a second time zone (10:24).
Price: ~$3,515
Ulysse Nardin Blast Moonstruck
Watches with astronomical complications are complex, exotic and high-end by nature, but often utterly captivating. That's all true of the new Moonstruck watch from Ulysse Nardin which mechanically displays the moon's rotation, a tide chart and "the apparent movement of the sun around the globe as we observe it from Earth" ...and more.
Price: $73,900
'MB&F: The First Fifteen Years' Book
Avant-garde watchmaker MB&F was founded in 2005, and it now looks back on its first 15 years with a book that's perfect for fans of its artistic approach. MB&F is technical, visual and conceptual if nothing else, and treating all of their works so far in a single hardcover book should offer deeper insight into the brand's unique vision.
Price: ~$215
Ophion Velos Gilt Spectre
Independent watchmaker Ophion teamed up with watch blog The Horophile and UK retailer The Limited Edition on a, well, limited edition of its classically inspired Velos watch. We can attest that the brand is doing some fantastic work for the price, and this new version called the Gilt Spectre offers a striking new titanium execution with an anthracite dial and hands/numerals in gold. With only 40 examples produced, they quickly sold out.
Price: $~$4,425 (sold out)
Waldan Heritage Sportline
Waldan watches has a great backstory, and they now also have some new colors for their modern Heritage Sportline collection, powered by American-made quartz movements.
Price: $300
Formex Field Automatic
Most field watches are sized on the smallish side and characterized by simplicity. The new Formex Field takes the opposite approach but offers a strong value with a 42mm titanium case, Swiss automatic movement and rugged build.
Price: $795-$945
TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 Smartwatch
The newest generation of TAG Heuer's Connected smartwatch features all kinds of new apps and wellness-related features, but the biggest change is that it's now also available in a smaller and highly wearable 42mm version.
Price: $1,800+
Leica L1 & L2
High-end German camera maker Leica excited both the watch and photography worlds when it showed off its first watch collection in 2018. Now, four years later, those watches are finally hitting stores and available to purchase.
Price: $10,000 (L1), $14,000 (L2)
Q Timex 1972 Reissue
We love the Q Timex series of out-loud-and-proud quartz watches for their retro style, affordability and attitude. Most have been sized like the vintage watches they recreate, but the latest comes in a bold 43mm, gold-toned case. Like other Q watches, it's packed with a surprising level of detail for its price.
Price: $169
H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Funky Blue
H. Moser & Cie. is in large part known for its concept of making the perpetual calendar's complicated mechanics and density of information as impressively minimalist as possible. A new version in the Endeavour collection now comes with a "Funky Blue" dial, but also in a version including annotations for all the perpetual calendar information scrawled on its otherwise clean dial — offering a unique look without impeding legibility.
Price: $65,000
Seiko 5 Sports x Worn & Wound 10th Anniversary Limited Edition
Our friends at Worn & Wound are celebrating an anniversary with a very cool collaboration on Seiko's famously affordable field/pilot watch. Referencing a classic model this version, however, has some unique touches from its segmented inner and outer dial textures to a day-of-the-week display offered in English and Japanese.
Price: $325
Casio G-Shock x Rubick's Cube GAE2100RC-1A
A G-Shock x Rubick's Cube collab? What more do you need? In the uber popular GA2100 case that's been dubbed the "Casioak" due to its resemblance to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, it tracks on multiple levels at once, from its fresh colors and hip design to the nostalgia associated with that maddening color-matching game.
Price: $150
Longines Legend Diver
Based on the "compression" style of dive watch, the Legend Diver is one of Longines' most successful watches. Now, it comes in new gradient dial versions in different colors and sizes of 42mm and 36mm.
Price: $2,300
Grand Seiko Evolution 9 "Green Birch" SLGH011
Grand Seiko just can't stop making stunning dials. We loved the recent "White Birch" model, and this new version offers the same mix of impressive features (including an in-house Hi-Beat automatic movement) and birch-inspired textured dial, but this time with a verdant hue.
Price: $9,100
Nomos Tangente Neomatik Platinum Gray
If you know Nomos, this version of the German brand's Tangente will look very familiar. If you know the watchmaker very well, though, you'll notice that this new model features a beautiful rhodium-plated (rhodium is in the platinum group of metals) dial. With the brand's own in-house automatic movement, it comes in 35mm and 39mm sizes.
Price: $3,070-$3,390
Orion Tesseract
Pennsylvania-based watchmaker Nick Harris has long been doing impressive work through his brand Orion, and his latest watch raises the bar even further. Look closely at the dials of the new Tesseract and you'll see beautifully engraved isometric patterns. Rather than stamping or laser cutting (as is often used on watches at this price point and below) the dials were individually milled in the United States. Naturally limited in production, there will only be 19 examples made with three dial colors available.
Price: $3,850-$4,150
Brew Retrograph Espresso
An "espresso-brown" dial matched to a rose-gold-plated case seems particularly appropriate for the New York based microbrand that's based around coffee culture. Aside from that, though, the all-brown look is one we've just been loving lately (see also Oris's bronze Big Crown). Too bad this one's already sold out, but Brew is always one to keep an eye on for the next release.
Price: $375 (sold out)
Breitling Top Time Triumph Ice Blue
In a collaboration with Triumph motorcycles, Breitling launched the latest in their retro-inspired Top Time series. This one features an "ice-blue" dial that seems on-trend today but also handily references the colors of vintage bikes and even a watch Breitling produced in the '70s.
Price: $5,500
Kross Studio “The Batman” Tourbillon
Hey, that's a cool-looking watch. Wait, is that a Batman symbol covering a tourbillon cage? Indeed, it's the latest high-horology-meets-pop-culture collab between the Swiss company Kross Studio and Warner Bros for the 2022 film The Batman. It's in fact part of a 10-piece collector's set taking inspiration from (and including a functioning model of) the "bat signal" spotlight from the franchise.
Price: $100,000 (full set)
Luminox Bear Grylls Rule of 3 Sea Series
Celebrity survivalist Bear Grylls has been much more than an ambassador for Luminox and has inspired a series of watches that seems to grow weekly. The latest features a 45mm case made from recycled ocean plastic, 200m of water resistance, a build that'll surely hold up in a survival situation and "never give up" words of encouragement on the dial.
Price: $495
