January 20, 2026 |
Since exploding onto the scene with a Dubai-based showcase in 2020, LVMH Watch Week has become the annual kick‑off for cutting‑edge luxury horology – a platform where powerhouse maisons set the tone for the year ahead. Now in its seventh edition, the 2026 chapter saw the event land in Milan with nine LVMH labels – Bvlgari Horlogerie, Hublot, Tag Heuer, Zenith, Daniel Roth, Gérald Genta, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and L’Epée 1839 – all unveiling their most innovative novelties yet.
The Milanese showcase delivered watches that span disciplines – from Zenith’s architectural Defy innovations to Hublot’s sport‑meets‑haute collaborations – proving that LVMH’s horological might is as diverse as it is unstoppable. Here, we spotlight the standout pieces that are redefining luxury timekeeping in 2026. Emily Phillips
Hublot
Milan’s Via Montenapoleone set the stage for Hublot to unveil its 2026 lineup at LVMH Watch Week, showcasing a bold mix of innovation, style and sport-inspired design. Leading the charge was the Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition, a trilogy of 101 watches celebrating the tennis legend’s record-breaking career. Crafted from recycled Lacoste polo shirts and tennis racquets, the 44mm timepiece featured a tourbillon with a racquet-string mainplate, a tennis-ball power reserve barrel and a strap mimicking a racquet grip.
Next, marking 20 years of the iconic Big Bang, the Big Bang Original Unico blended Hublot’s signature design with modern upgrades, including a sapphire caseback, ergonomic curved lugs and four material-forward models: Black Magic, Titanium, Titanium Ceramic and King Gold Ceramic.
Hublot similarly expanded its SR_A collaboration with Samuel Ross, unveiling the Big Bang Unico SR_A, a 42mm black ceramic chronograph marrying industrial design with the Unico movement. Meanwhile, the Big Bang & Spirit of Big Bang Coal Blue introduced a mysterious mineral-blue hue across two 43mm and 42mm models, while the Classic Fusion line debuted sage green across 33mm, 42mm and 45mm pieces, including Hublot’s first pastel green chronograph.
Last, but certainly not least, the Classic Fusion Chronograph UEFA Europa League Titanium Carbon honoured Hublot’s football passion with a 50-piece limited edition in carbon, titanium and the league’s black-and-orange palette. It was bold, inventive and unmistakably Hublot. EP
Louis Vuitton
This LVMH Watch Week, Louis Vuitton served up multiple pieces that showcased the brand’s aptitude for high-complication watchmaking. Rooting its presentations in innovative design, the powerhouse purveyor of luxury proved it deserves the label ten times over.
First in line was the Escale collection, a wondrous example of the highest level of haute horology on the market right now. Inspired by the house’s trunk heritage and the art of travel (escale is a direct translation of the French word for “stopover”), some designs feature flags from across the globe across the watch’s face. Initially relaunched in 2024, the collection has now been developed even further to include four new calibres and five new permanent collection models. Designed by LVMH’s Geneva-based manufacturer, La Fabrique du Temps, the offering proves LV’s watchmaking arm is always facing forward.
One specific watch of note was the Escale Tiger’s Eye. Expanding on the house’s use of ornamental stonework within its fine watchmaking work, this jaw-dropping, limited edition piece is comprised of 30 separate parts. Featuring a case ring crafted from tiger’s eye quartz gemstone, the rest of the case components were chiselled from yellow gold – the first time this has ever been done in the Escale collection.
Also showcased was the Tambour Convergence Guilloché, marking the third model in the Tambour Convergence collection that debuted at last year’s LVMH Watch Week, and the Louis Vuitton Camionnette. A playful reimagination of the house’s legendary delivery trucks that connected its workshops and stores back in the day, the Camionnette – a timepiece-inspired object – blends high-end craftsmanship with splendid storytelling. That, after all, is what Louis Vuitton is all about. Bella Koopman
Bvlgari
Bvlgari brought Italian flair and Swiss precision to LVMH Watch Week 2026, reimagining four of its iconic lines with gold, gemstones and artisanal mastery. The Maglia Milanese Monete, for one, combined ancient Roman coins with supple Milanese mesh for a rose-gold secret watch that proved to be as flexible as it was striking. Powered by the ultra-compact Piccolissimo BVP100, it was a miniature marvel of mechanical ingenuity.
The Tubogas Manchette dazzled next with Seventies-inspired geometry, a single-coil yellow-gold cuff and nearly 12 carats of diamonds punctuated by vibrant gemstones – citrines, rubellites, peridots, amethysts, topazes and spessartites – transforming the wrist into a kaleidoscope of colour.
Serpenti Seduttori Automatic then snaked back in two new iterations: a malachite-dialled, diamond-set rose gold model and a white opaline dial with a fully diamond-clad bracelet. Both housed the 50-hour Lady Solotempo automatic movement and wrapped the wrist like liquid luxury.
Finally, the Lvcea Notte di Luce mesmerised with Urushi lacquer dials in black adorned with mother-of-pearl mosaics for a sparkling fusion of Japanese artistry and Italian elegance, limited to just 80 pieces. Shine on. EP
Zenith
At the forefront of Swiss timepiece architecture for over 160 years, the highly revered pioneers at Zenith bestowed a generous offering of five contemporary chronometers centring the ticking soul of cities around the world, and emboldening the innovator’s commitment to the Defy collection. Building upon the previous design infrastructure from 1969, the Defy Skyline 36 was reborn in sleek, lustrous silver chrome adorned with or without diamonds. The piece oozed retro cosmopolitan-chic in a new, modern sphere. Zenith also revisited the Defy Revival A3643 with a dazzling sapphire display back flaunting an Elite 670 manufacture and open-worked star rotor.
Next in the collection was the electrifying Defy Skyline Tourbillon Skeleton, which featured an open-worked rendition of the El Primero movement with rhodium plated chamfers. Zenith did not hold back, further embellishing the creation with sapphire crystals cloaked in a breathtaking satin-brushed and polished 41mm rose gold case. For customers who prefer the understated, Zenith reimagined the Defy Skyline. Newly rendered in exclusive black ceramic and displaying one 10th of a second, the timepiece proved a potent silent steed. Seeing off the cityscape was the Defy Skyline Skeleton, whose open-worked construction revealed the beating El Primero 3620 SK calibre apparatus in gold, with an exposed gold dial to match. This city-centred assemblage elegantly expressed the intricacies, complexities and flow of metropolises everywhere. Fi Munday
Tag Heuer
Tag Heuer kicked off 2026 with three bold new expressions of its racing spirit, maritime heritage and technical mastery. Leading the pack was the Carrera Chronograph 41 mm, a sleek evolution of the iconic glassbox design. Available in blue, teal green, or black with racing accents, its sculptural sapphire crystal and three-dimensional dial architecture pair perfectly with the in-house TH20-01 movement and 80-hour power reserve. It was everyday performance with a motorsport soul.
The Carrera Seafarer sailed onto the scene next, reviving Tag Heuer’s historic tide watches of 1949. Designed for modern collectors with a nod to nautical instruments, the Seafarer merged functional maritime indications with Carrera’s signature elegance – a true modern tool watch with a vintage soul.
Finally, the Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph set a new benchmark. Tag Heuer introduced the rattrapante complication to the Carrera line for the first time, housed in a 42mm titanium glassbox case. Powered by the hand-finished TH81-01 calibre from Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, it combined technical brilliance, transparency and haute horlogerie flair, cementing Tag Heuer’s status as the “master of chronograph”. Tag Heuer proved that precision, heritage and bold design still reign supreme in 2026. EP
Photography courtesy of Hublot, Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Zenith and Tag Heuer.
