Daily Digest

Ebel is preparing a revival backed by a consortium involving F.P. Journe and Chanel, with watch-industry veteran Pierre Jacques at the helm. The brand’s heritage includes flowing case shapes, integrated bracelets and its historical use of Zenith’s El Primero automatic chronograph movement, running at 36,000 vibrations per hour.

Why it matters (interpretation): The involvement of F.P. Journe and Chanel suggests a potentially substantial repositioning for Ebel, supported by established watchmaking and luxury-industry resources.

The Lebond Norman Foster belongs to the Spanish brand’s range of watches created with renowned architects. Founder Asier Mateo works with architects to translate their architectural visions into wristwatch designs.

Bell & Ross has unveiled the BR-05 Chrono Snow Rocket, a 250-piece tribute to speed skier Simon Billy. Its 42mm steel case measures 14.25mm thick and offers 100m water resistance. A matt white dial carries red accents and ski-shaped hands. The automatic BR-CAL.326 chronograph movement provides a 60-hour power reserve.

Patek Philippe held its seventh Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Milan from October 2–18, 2026, offering free admission, watchmaking demonstrations and school visits. President Thierry Stern reiterated the family’s ownership commitment and identified his sons as successors. Exhibition releases included the 5978P perpetual calendar chronograph, with most special pieces reserved for Italian collectors.

Collector Roni Madhvani is bringing a handful of unique watches, including rare Cartiers, to auction for the first time. He assembled much of his collection through direct messages with watch dealers on Instagram.

Sylvain Pinaud’s 30s Tourbillon comes in three versions with 39mm titanium or platinum cases, measuring 11.2mm thick. Asymmetric silver, black or white dials feature white agate or onyx centres. Its in-house hand-wound movement runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour, with twin barrels providing 100 hours of power reserve and a titanium tourbillon cage rotating every 30 seconds.

Breguet has refreshed the Marine 5517 and Marine Chronographe 5527 with gold dials featuring handcrafted Quai de l’Horloge guilloché. The update introduces new colour combinations across six versions in white gold, rose gold and titanium.

Bell & Ross’s BR-03 Space Mission is limited to 999 pieces and features a black ceramic case. The instrument watch adopts a space-themed design, with a miniature cosmic scene and an animated display showing the time.

Chanel expands its Première Galon collection for 2026 with diamond-set interpretations in 18-carat white gold, including a version with black lacquer accents. Following the collection’s 2025 debut, the new watches retain a braided gold bracelet design inspired by the decorative trim Gabrielle Chanel used on her jackets.

MB&F’s dual-time Legacy Machine No. 1 EVO comes in 42mm Grade 5 titanium with a rhodium dial plate ($109,000) or 5N rose gold with green dial plate ($137,000; 33 pieces). Its manual-winding movement runs at 18,000vph with a 60-hour reserve and double hairspring. Both offer 80m water resistance, FlexRing shock protection and quick-change rubber straps.

Grand Seiko has introduced the SBGY045, a limited-edition variation on the Omiwatari. The release comes against the backdrop of the brand’s longstanding relationship with collectors through its GS9 Club, an official community exclusively for owners.

Laurent Ferrier has introduced the Grand Sport Tourbillon Iceberg. It belongs to the collection that established the independent watchmaker’s integrated sports-watch design, preceding the more compact and more accessible Sport Auto and Sport Traveller.

Ralph Lauren’s new Vintage ’67 pairs an 18-carat gold case with a black lacquer dial and cream Arabic numerals. Expected in autumn 2026, it uses a Swiss hand-wound movement with a 90-hour power reserve. The model’s name commemorates the company’s founding in 1967.

Keris has introduced a kinetic sculpture that recreates a watch’s beating heart at a larger-than-life scale, turning the miniature motion into a bookshelf display.

French watch brand Aurec has introduced the Tarrega, featuring a jumping-hour display through an aperture. The model offers the young brand’s interpretation of window-based time displays.

CIGA Design has introduced the Time Cipher Gold, adding a third colorway to the collection. It follows the black and bare-steel versions released earlier in 2026, which feature mirror-polished contours, capsule-shaped micro-sandblasted recesses and black dials with silver index tracks.

Monaco Legend Auctions will offer a 1927 Audemars Piguet rectangular triple calendar with moon phase, the only known platinum example of its series. Powered by calibre 10GHSM, it features applied Breguet numerals and white-gold Breguet hands. Audemars Piguet made fewer than 50 such rectangular calendar wristwatches over the 30 years beginning in 1924.

A. Lange & Söhne’s diamond-set Datograph Perpetual brings back a bracelet configuration collectors have sought since such options disappeared from its catalogue in the late 2000s. Earlier Lange watches fitted with Wellendorff bracelets have seen sharp secondary-market price increases, while differences in bracelet designs and original configurations complicate authentication.

Hublot’s Classic Fusion Tributo revisits its founder Carlo Crocco’s original 1980 design with a 38mm case, up from 36mm, measuring 9.5mm thick. Twelve screws and a black rubber strap retain signature elements, while a layered, stepped case and shorter, downturned lugs distinguish the new model from a direct reissue.

Citizen’s Eco-Drive 50th-anniversary tour included its Tokyo museum, Kawaguchiko Fuji dial factory and Miyota Saku movement assembly facility in Nagano. The dial factory produces approximately 15,000 Eco-Drive dials monthly. Citizen estimates its light-powered technology has avoided the use of about 100 million watch batteries since its introduction in 1976.

Seiko celebrated its 145th anniversary with an evening in Sydney bringing together watches, Japanese artistry and people associated with the brand. Founded by Kintaro Hattori in 1881, Seiko’s milestones include the 1913 Laurel wristwatch, the 1965 62MAS diver and the 1969 Quartz Astron.

The King Seiko VANAC HKF002 is one of three titanium references added in 2026 to the collection revived in 2025. Its angular case, lightweight feel and titanium finishing earn praise, while accuracy, thickness and conspicuous styling draw criticism. The hands-on assessment awards it an overall score of 8.25/10.

The Invicta Pro Diver and San Martin SN004 MilSub are Rolex Submariner homages compared on bezel feel, case finishing, crystal and comfort. The comparison focuses on whether the San Martin’s upgrades justify its higher price.

The Pulsar 7T62-X084 likely dates to around 2005, based on surviving examples’ serial numbers and Seiko’s introduction of the 7T62 movement in 2002. Tommy Demauro proposes “Adventurer” as an unofficial nickname for the tool watch, with the concentration of examples from 2005 suggesting a potentially short production run.

Baume & Mercier traces its origins to a watch shop opened by brothers Louis-Victor and Pierre Joseph Célestin Baume in Les Bois in the mid-1830s. Pierre Joseph Célestin moved to London in 1847, followed by the establishment of Baume Brothers in 1851. Subsequent generations expanded internationally and competed in observatory precision trials.