Our 5 Best New Watch Releases of 2025

I cannot believe how quickly 2025 has gone past. It seems like only yesterday I was already breaking my New Year’s resolution to stop spending so much time looking at watches online!

Perhaps part of the reason this year feels like its flown by is because we’ve had so many incredible new watch releases throughout the year. So, I thought it would be good to reflect on 2025 in the watch industry and pick what I believe to be the best new watch releases from this year.

This is part 1 of a 2-part series so make sure to check back in for the best watches we have reviewed in 2025!

I’m very much aware that this is a controversial start. This watch divided many of us in the community. It has a silly name that feels more like a marketing flop than a real attempt at maintain heritage, and its beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder.

Now, I will concede that I am not a big fan of the dial design, plus the numerals, plus the fluted bezel and flattened jubilee bracelet. But just like any other Rolex, this watch adds up to more than the sum of its parts. And for that I can overlook the small details that would lose this watch’s spot on this list.

This is a new model line from Rolex, the biggest watch brand in the world and the most significant. Therefore, this watch could’ve have had no redeeming factors and still be an important release for 2025. Luckily for the Land-Dweller, it has several.

During a trip to London earlier this year, I visited the new Rolex showroom on Bond Street. An incredible space filled with all the current models as well as a massive selection of certified pre-owned. And with the addition of a historical look at the GMT Master, this showroom is arguably one of the best spaces to discover Rolex in the UK. Enough about the shop now as it’s the watch we’re interested in. During this visit I had the opportunity to handle the Land-Dweller 36 in White Rolesor (Rolex’s nomenclature for steel and a white gold fluted bezel). On-wrist this watch feels like you would expect a Rolex to feel. Perfectly sculpted for the optimum feel and aesthetic. I would go as far to say that this watch looks far superior in person over the renders online. The wearing experience is wonderful.

The other and possibly most important feature I wanted to mention is the new Calibre 7135 that powers this watch. A total of 16 patent applications have been filed for this movement, most of which are in relation to the new escapement and oscillator which are unlike anything seen before in traditional watch making. Visible through a sapphire case back, this new escapement heralds a new era of watchmaking innovation and technology.

Teddy Baldassare has created a brilliant video discussing the ins and outs of this new movement, and if you’d like to learn more about why the Land-Dweller deserves a place on this list, I highly recommend you watch that video.

How complex can a wristwatch become? ‘Yes’ was the answer that Vacheron Constantin gave at Watches and Wonders this year with the launch of the Solaria Ultra Grande Complication La Première to give its full name, released as part of Vacheron’s 270 ^th birthday present to itself.

Featuring a mind boggling 41 complications, 5 rare astronomical functions, 1,521 components and 13 patent applications filed, this is the most complicated wristwatch ever made. And the biggest challenge faced by Vacheron was not producing these complications but fitting those 1521 components into a wearable case. They managed it and the Solaria measures 45mm in diameter and 14.99mm thick. Not a small watch by any means but I’ve seen time-only watches with not dissimilar dimensions!

This is high horology at its finest and a celebration of Vacheron’s capabilities.

Hype can often be seen as a negative term for undeserved excitement and attention that will not last once the crowds die down. So therefore, I am not going to use it to describe what happened when the Gimlet launched at British Watchmaker’s Day 2025.

What did happen though was a queue that stretched around the outside of Lindley Hall containing enthusiasts from all across the world eager to purchase the first collaboration between Fears and Studio Underd0g. The watch itself is brilliant, a case from the Brunswick, a Sellita Manual Winding SW210-1 movement, and a dial inspired by Underd0g’s 02Series watches. The colour is also brilliant fading from bright green to milky white like the drink it takes inspiration from. For me though it was the way this watch was launched as much as the watch itself that has helped put it on this list. It has arguably done more to promote the current status of the British watch industry and display its creativity than any other watch before it. And that excitement was maintained with the launch of the Manhattan at Windup NYC, and the launch of the Mim0sa online proving the love for the Gimlet was not just hype.

This was a bit of a surprise launch from a brand that has solidified its place as an attainable tool and sports watch brand that made an award-winning chiming watch as a one off. Little did we know, the Bel Canto was Christopher Ward just getting warmed up.

After the sell-out success of the Bel Canto came the C12 Loco. Another showstopper and the fourth model in Christopher Ward’s ‘Atelier’ collection. Featuring the in-house developed calibre CW-003, this watch was designed to compete with the Haute Horology giants but for a fraction of the price. The balance wheel has been moved to the front of the watch, completely changing the aesthetic of this watch over the standard Twelve. The movement is manual wound and features dual barrels which allow for a massive 144hrs of power reserve when fully wound.

The Loco continues to be popular with CW fans and high-end watch enthusiasts alike.

I have never been a fan of the Tudor ranger in its original 39mm configuration. It’s always felt a bit cumbersome when compared to its older sibling in the Rolex Explorer. And for around half the price of said Rolex, it never felt special enough to ask that price tag.

Tudor are unlike a lot of other brands when it comes to releasing sizing’s for their watches. They often start larger and work their way down, for example the black bay began at 41mm, then down to 39mm with the 58 and then 37mm with the 54. Staying on trend, there is a now 36mm version and a new dial colour added to the lineup. The 39mm version remains for those that appreciated that watch. But for me the new case proportions match the Ranger far better than before. This is what this watch should have been all along. The new ‘Dune’ colour is also welcome addition to the lineup as I think it looks phenomenal.

Those were my picks for the best watches released in 2025.Make sure to come back for Part 2! But until then, I want to hear from you.

Which were you favourite watches this year?

And, what do you want to see from your favourite brands in 2026?