A Look at the Watches that Defined LVMH Watch Week 2026

The first major watch fair of the year is always an exercise in setting the temperature. For its seventh edition that took place from the 19th through 21st in January, LVMH Watch Week landed in Milan, marking a deliberate move back to the European heartland. The choice of the Italian style capital positioned the group’s watchmaking arm at the intersection of Swiss precision and Latin flair.

If previous seasons were defined by the somewhat tiresome discourse of ‘stealth wealth’, the opening pulse of 2026 suggests a shift toward objects with more character and, more importantly, more structural honesty. There is a concerted effort across the group to ‘give form to time’—not through the usual abstract romanticism we see in legacy marketing, but through a sharpened lens of transparency and architectural rigour. We are moving away from the watch as a mere accessory toward the watch as a primary vessel for culture. Today, the real flex is the complexity of the skeletonisation within. GMT India rounds up the most significant novelties from the week.

Zenith 

Zenith’s trajectory has become increasingly focused on the intersection of high-frequency precision and brutalist geometry. The broader lineup for 2026 reinforces this, featuring a black ceramic expression of the DEFY Skyline Chronograph and refined updates to the DEFY Skyline 36, alongside the archival DEFY Revival A3643 in stainless steel. However, the DEFY Skyline Tourbillon Skeleton remains the definitive statement. It is a study in subtraction. By utilising an entirely openworked El Primero 3630 SK movement, Zenith has turned the calibre into a structural lattice. The 5Hz tourbillon at six o’clock acts as the heartbeat of a blue PVD cityscape, framed by a rose gold case that feels more like a miniature building than a watch. It is a piece for the individual who views transparency not as a lack of dial, but as a deliberate architectural choice.

TAG Heuer 

There is a renewed sense of technical rigour at TAG Heuer that feels untethered from the usual heritage tropes. The 2026 presentation opened with a refined 41mm glassbox Carrera Chronograph and the maritime-focused Carrera Seafarer, a contemporary nod to the brand’s 1949 tide watch. Yet, the TAG Heuer Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph is the proof of concept. This is the first time a rattrapante has entered the permanent Carrera lineup, and it arrives in a 42mm grade-5 titanium glassbox that favours legibility over nostalgia. The movement, the TH81-01, was developed with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier and is visible through a sapphire dial that rejects unnecessary decoration. It is a sophisticated, high-performance tool that acknowledges Jack Heuer’s 1963 vision while pivoting toward a more cerebral, haute horlogerie future.

Bvlgari 

Bvlgari continues to occupy a unique space as both a Roman jeweller and a Swiss engine room. Beyond the headline pieces, the Maison introduced the Tubogas Manchette—a yellow-gold cuff punctuated with vibrant gemstones—and a poetic Lvcea collaboration featuring Urushi lacquer dials. The Maglia Milanese Monete is an exercise in the physics of gold. Utilising a Renaissance-era mesh technique, the house has created a rose gold bracelet with the fluid drape of silk. The secret watch is concealed by a 2nd-century silver coin of Emperor Caracalla, which pivots to reveal the Piccolissimo BVP100 movement. At a mere 1.9 grams, the calibre is a triumph of micro-engineering that allows the jewellery to retain its primary silhouette.

Hublot 

Hublot’s narrative this year shifted from the loud and the neon to something significantly more mineral. The brand also celebrated Novak Djokovic’s career with a dedicated Big Bang Tourbillon trilogy and marked the 20th anniversary of the Big Bang with the Original Unico. The introduction of Coal Blue—a saturated, stormy hue—marks a move toward a more vibrant elegance. In the Spirit of Big Bang Coal Blue, the dial utilises a pattern inspired by carbon fiber to create a three-dimensional weave of satin and polished squares. It is Hublot at its most contemplative. By leaning into a subtler, more atmospheric palette, the brand has created a piece that feels heavy with intent, proving that even the most provocative houses can find power in restraint.

Louis Vuitton 

At La Fabrique du Temps, Louis Vuitton is busy proving that a fashion house can be the most serious artisan in the room. The wider Escale collection has expanded significantly, now including a worldtime with a micro-painted dial and a sophisticated minute repeater with jumping hours. The Escale Tiger’s Eye is a romantic application of ornamental stonework. By extending the chatoyant Tiger’s Eye stone from the dial across the case itself, the watch becomes a monolithic object. Set in yellow gold, the natural striations of the stone suggest a geological permanence that offsets the ephemeral nature of the Art of Travel. It is a sculptural, tactile piece that feels like a talisman for a life spent in transit.

Gérald Genta 

The revival of the Genta name continues to be a lesson in the importance of proportion. The Geneva collection serves as a cornerstone of this revival, channelling a sculptural cushion-form case that balances softness with structural strength. The Geneva Time Only Marrone moves away from the high-complication fireworks of recent years toward something quieter. With a 38mm rose gold case and a smoked bronze dial, it captures L’Esprit de Genève without falling into the trap of retro-pastiche. It is an exercise in soft, mid-century elegance, intended for the collector who understands that the most powerful design statements are often the most understated.

Daniel Roth 

If Genta is about proportion, the revived Daniel Roth is about the soul of the machine. The Maison continues its focused revival with a commitment to the double-ellipse form, an aesthetic signature that remains central to the brand's identity. The Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton is the first time this iconic frame has been openworked. The house revealed the solid 18k rose gold bridges of the DR002SR calibre, a new movement manufactured in-house at La Fabrique du Temps. This is transparency handled with absolute refinement; the warmth of the gold bridges contrasts against black-polished steel components to create a rare fusion of technical discipline and sensual sophistication.

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