Watches and Wonders 2026 Predictions

Watches and Wonders is the Super Bowl of the watch industry—the moment when the biggest brands unveil their novelties for the year. Powerhouses like Rolex, Tudor, Cartier, IWC, and many more compete to steal the show. Today, I’ll be sharing my predictions for what we might see at this year’s fair from some of my favorite brands.

Rolex

Rolex had a significant year in 2025 with the release of the Land-Dweller, so they might take a more subdued approach this year. I don’t expect a completely new model or anything too radical. Instead, we’ll likely see new colorways and material variations.

Source: Teddy Baldassarre

For the Land-Dweller, I anticipate Rolex expanding the line with a black or navy blue dial variation, and possibly a two-tone or full yellow gold option.

2026 marks the 70th anniversary of both the Day-Date and the Milgauss. Could Rolex reintroduce a modern Milgauss? It’s possible, but given Rolex’s conservative nature, I’d be surprised to see them release brand-new models in back-to-back years. More likely, we’ll see a set of new dial colors for the Day-Date. I’m particularly fond of the green ombré dial—adding more ombré colorways, perhaps a red gradient, would be stunning.

Source: From Squalor to Baller

Two years ago, Rolex discontinued the fluted motif and palm leaf dials for the Datejust. Last year, they largely ignored the Datejust to focus on other models. 2026 could be the year of the Datejust. I’d love to see them reintroduce a linen dial.

My final Rolex prediction: a smaller Submariner, possibly 38mm, to appeal to the growing trend toward more wearable sizes.

Tudor

Tudor is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and everyone expects something significant to commemorate this milestone. Many believe they’ll reintroduce a vintage chronograph with a modern update. But I’d love to see the return of the Tudor Submariner. The Submariner represents the heart of Tudor’s identity: vintage-inspired, heavy-duty tool watches. Imagine a black dial, 39mm Tudor Submariner with a Master Chronometer movement and a five-link bracelet with T-fit clasp. It would be a beautiful watch.

Source: Fratellowatches

Knowing Tudor, they’ll likely do something special with the 1926 model—perhaps a limited edition anniversary piece incorporating red, their signature brand color. It’s not one of their more popular models, so it’s not something I’m really looking forward to.

Beyond a new model, I’d like to see Tudor update the Black Bay 58 line with recent improvements: upgrading the movement to the Master Chronometer, including the five-link bracelet, and adding the T-fit clasp with micro-adjustment. These were great innovations Tudor has made over the past few years, and it would be nice to see them included in the BB58. We also may see the BB58 GMT get a new colorway—black and green, black and blue, or even a monochrome without gilt. All would be cool pieces.

IWC

Last year, IWC paid great attention to the Ingenieur, so it would make sense if they focused on a different model in 2026. But IWC will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ingenieur this year, and they’ve consistently been releasing new Ingenieur models since its debut. I think they’ll continue to bolster the Ingenieur line with new and exciting variations.

Source: The 1916 Company

Last year, IWC added a perpetual calendar complication to the Ingenieur. Could 2026 be the year they introduce a different complication—perhaps an Ingenieur GMT or chronograph? Most likely the latter, since the Ingenieur bezel is key to its design language, and a GMT’s 24-hour markers would overlap with that. But a chronograph Ingenieur would be pretty cool to see.

Cartier

One of the biggest complaints about the Cartier Santos is that it’s a scratch magnet. Some people like that patina, but for those who don’t, the titanium Santos is a great option. I predict Cartier will release another dial variant of the titanium Santos, possibly in black or gray. I really enjoyed the linen dial Santos-Dumont models from last year, but they were only available in XL. I’d like to see more linen dial Santos-Dumonts in smaller sizes.

Source: Hodinkee

Cartier has always straddled the line between jewelry and watchmaking, and many of their models lean toward the jewelry side. The Panthère is a beautiful watch available in various sizes and metals, but it consistently features a quartz movement. I’d love to see Cartier release a Panthère with a mechanical movement. This would make it more appealing compared to competitors at the same price point. For enthusiasts, the technical craftsmanship and expertise required to create a mechanical timepiece is part of the allure—something quartz movements simply can’t match.

I know there are many other brands that I didn’t cover in this post—maybe I’ll do a part 2. There are about two months until Watches and Wonders 2026, and I can’t wait to see what new watches we’ll be getting.

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