The Best New Watch Releases for May 2026

May has been an interesting month weather wise. It seemed like every half hour the sun would disappear, a biblical shower would occur to then return to sunshine and rainbows shortly after. We’ve had hail, sleet, rain, mist, and sunshine but as I am writing this the outside temperature is 32°C, I haven’t seen a cloud in three days, and summer feels like it has truly arrived. With the warmer months finally here, let’s take a look at some of the best new watch releases for May 2026.

When people ask me why I love watches I usually try and sound smart by saying that it is because watches are the intersection of engineering, design, jewellery, fashion, history, and, of course, art. So, when a watch brand leans heavily on artistic inspiration I tend to notice. Even more so when the artist in question is as talented as Rendao Liu, a contemporary artist that pushes experimentation while adhering to tradition. The sea as philosophy is the name of the artwork and it captures the powerful beauty of the ocean and condenses it onto the little dials of these watches. The 5N rose gold case is also beautiful and frames the dial very well.

Price - ~£30,000

This 750-piece limited edition blends Mr Jones’ fun playful designs with one of the most famous UK comic books, The Beano. Dennis and Gnasher are the minute and hour hands with Dennis’ finger pointing at the minutes and the sausage just out of Gnasher’s reach points to the hours. The dial depicts part of the comic showing the duo’s adventures. The watch features Mr Jones’ new case design and a quartz movement. It’s a collab that suits both brands to the ground, and I think it’s a really fun watch for fans of both Mr Jones and The Beano.

Price - £225

2025 and 2026 both seem to be the year of the jump hour. Big brands like Cartier and Audemars Piguet have both released jump hours along with British brands like Fears and Christopher Ward jumping on the trend. Each brand has a slightly different way of approaching the design and if you’re asking me, I’ve never been a massive fan of the plain empty dials most jump hours have with the small hour window and minute track or window. But that’s where this design differs. It features not only a full minute track with the dial in sapphire which is accompanied by a second smaller disk that displays the hour at the 12 o’clock position, and there is a sweeping large seconds hand above the minute track. The surrounding dial is then decorated with either brushing or a finishing technique called charbonné. The dial on this watch is more fascinating and beautiful than any jump hour I’ve seen before and also allows you to witness the moment the hour jumps beneath those sapphire dials.

Price - £2,200 for brushed, £3,050 for charbonné

Formex built their reputation on big, rugged, tough watches made and tested to go anywhere and accompany the wearer on all activities. For that reason, I was pleasantly surprised to open my inbox and find this new watch that seems to be a complete departure from the current lineup. The Aria is a fully new watch designed and built from the ground up by Formex, and that now includes the movement. The FX01 micro-rotor movement is the first manufacture calibre from the brand and debuts in the Aria. It was co-developed with Horage and housed in a 40mm titanium case that is a mere 6.9mm thick. This watch is all about slim ergonomics and the proportions are very impressive. The integrated style bracelet is also full titanium and has been designed with the inspirations of nature in mind allowing it to flow over the wearer’s wrist. The call of the wild doesn’t end there as the three launch dial colours have been inspired by Switzerland’s natural beauty. Selva Green carries the warmth of the forest floor; Ardesia Grey is more architectural; and Denso Blue hovers between storm and stillness. Those are mostly Formex’s words not mine, but I like the connection between ecology and watchmaking as that mirrors my career so far!

Price - £5,600

I may not be the biggest fan of new Omega watches, but I can appreciate when they get it right as I love the brand. Along with that this new release is feature in a video game, something that a few watch brands have now done, and I am a big fan. I’m not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination, but in the few games I have played I’ve often been disappointed that you can’t really wear a cool watch. Gaming is supposed to be about living your dream life, I was driving multi-million-dollar hypercars, but I could never wear my dream watches. But now this watch actually features in the new Bond game. So, for that reason I think this watch is cool. I also like the design, Omega haven’t plastered 007 all over the dial or given it some garish gold motif, they’ve just kept it simple, understated and tactical like a real spy watch should be. The price is also fairly reasonable considering Omega’s seemingly ridiculous prices of late.

Price - £7,900

How many complications and specifications would and explorer or adventurer need in a watch? That’s the question Sinn seemed to ask themselves when developing the 613 and the answer they came up with was 'yes'! It would probably need to be water resistant, antimagnetic, dual time, date, rotating bezel, and maybe a chronograph. Naturally, this watch has all of those thrown into the mix. The pushers are equipped with Sinn’s D3 system that allows them to be used while submerged meaning dives can be tracked more accurately. The movement is shock resistant and anti-magnetic. This watch truly has everything you could need as an adventurer or explorer. But this does all come at a cost, the thickness of this watch is 15.3mm because it has so much crammed into it and the diameter is 41mm meaning this is not a watch for those that prefer things on the small side.

Price - £2,785