Standout jewellery watches from Watches & Wonders 2026

Standout jewellery watches from Watches & Wonders 2026 From Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet to Chanel and Hublot, the most captivating bejewelled watches of the 2026 fair combine exceptional gemstones, artistic handcrafts and serious watchmaking. While Watches & Wonders 2026 had no shortage of technical firsts, some of its most memorable creations belonged to a different discipline. The fair's jewellery timepieces – among them a S$1.6-million Hublot diamond tourbillon, a Chanel secret watch cuff embroidered by haute couture specialists and a Patek Philippe Grand Complications set with some of the world's rarest gemstones – showed why the relationship between high watchmaking and high jewellery remains one of the industry’s richest creative territories. HUBLOT BIG BANG IMPACT ONE MILLION The Big Bang Impact One Million showcases Hublot's ability to combine high jewellery artistry with complex watchmaking in a statement piece. As its name suggests, it also comes with a cool price tag of CHF1 million (about S$1.62 million). Housed in a commanding 45mm polished white gold case measuring 15.8mm thick, the timepiece places a flying tourbillon at the heart of its design. Encircling it are 500 diamonds in various cuts totalling 44.6 carats that are set in a vortex-like pattern that accentuates the complication. The effect adds depth across the dial and case. The challenge for this watch lay not only in sourcing the stones, but also determining the precise combination of shapes and dimensions needed to achieve perfect alignment. Alternating baguette and fancy-cut diamonds are secured using a combination of invisible and traditional settings, creating a remarkable sense of volume. Beneath the brilliance beats the manually wound HUB9015 calibre that has a generous five-day power reserve. AUDEMARS PIGUET ETABLISSEURS GALETS Among the three debut creations from Audemars Piguet’s new Atelier des Etablisseurs, the Etablisseurs Galets is perhaps the most unexpected. The initiative revives the 18th-century etablissage system of Switzerland’s Vallee de Joux – a decentralised watchmaking network in which farmers crafted components during the harsh winter months. In its early years, Audemars Piguet itself operated as an etablisseur, or coordinator, bringing together the work of specialist artisans before assembling the final watches. That spirit is reimagined here in a collaborative studio that gathers engravers, enamellers, gem-setters, lapidarists and skeletonisation specialists under one roof. Conceived by independent designer Xavier J Perrenoud and crafted with Genevan jeweller Nadia Morgenthaler, the Etablisseurs Galets takes its name from the French word for “pebbles”, drawing inspiration from the smooth stones shaped over centuries along the shores of Lac de Joux. Inspired in part by Audemars Piguet’s 1972 Arabella model, it takes the form of a 31mm yellow gold jewellery watch, with the bracelet as its focal point. Pebble-shaped gold links of varying sizes are connected by tiny gold spheres, allowing the bracelet to drape fluidly around the wrist. Each link has its own silhouette and is set with ornamental stones such as tiger’s eye and turquoise, creating an organic composition in which no two examples appear exactly alike. The timepiece is available in five variations, each with a different stone combination. Free of indices, the asymmetric turquoise-set dial is pared back to gold baton hands and an applied gold AP monogram at 12 o’clock, allowing the natural stone to take centre stage. The watch is powered by Audemars Piguet’s ultra-slim calibre 3098, which measures just 2.8mm thick and is derived from the calibre 3090 – the manufacture’s first fully in-house movement, introduced in 1999. Shaped to fit the pebble-like case and decorated with hand-grained bridges – a rare finishing technique – the movement is assembled, adjusted and cased by a single watchmaker. BVLGARI SERPENTI AETERNA For its latest Serpenti Aeterna iteration, Bvlgari turns one of its most emblematic house icons into a kaleidoscopic composition of gold and gemstones. The 24mm curved rose gold case flows into a sinuous bangle watch, showcasing the house's prowess in goldsmithing and jewellery-making savoir-faire. The highlight is a vibrant constellation of 122 coloured gemstones weighing 13 carats. Rubellite, amethyst, emerald, citrine, tanzanite, Paraíba tourmaline, sapphire, tsavorite, peridot and other precious stones are arranged in a composition of round, pear, square and oval cuts that flow seamlessly across the bracelet. Complementing the gems are 493 round brilliant-cut diamonds with a total weight of 5 carats that trace the contours of the bracelet and continue onto the pave-set dial. This watch required a remarkable level of craftsmanship. Bvlgari’s artisans devoted 225 hours to its development, including 185 hours on selecting and preparing the gemstones alone before spending more than 60 hours on setting work. Openworked hexagonal structures beneath the stones allow light to pass through, amplifying their brilliance and creating a sense of movement across the piece. CHANEL NOEUD DE CAMELIA EMBROIDERED CUFF At the crossroads of haute couture and haute horlogerie, Chanel's Noeud de Camelia Embroidered Cuff unites two of Gabrielle Chanel's most enduring signatures: the camellia and bow. Chanel first adopted the bloom in 1913, borrowing the flower from the dandies, who pinned it to the buttonhole of their jackets. Limited to only 20 timepieces with a quartz movement, the creation centres on a black grosgrain-effect cuff embroidered with black sequins by Maison d'art Lesage. Founded in 1924, this Parisian embroidery and textile house is known as the world's premier embroidery atelier specialising in heavily detailed beadwork, sequin work and handwoven tweeds for top haute couture houses. From the bow’s middle blooms a white gold camellia where the petals are outlined in black lacquer and set with 60 baguette-cut diamonds totalling 2.46 carats. Hidden within the flower is a black lacquer dial, concealed beneath a 0.7-carat brilliant-cut diamond. The secret watch’s proportions are striking. Measuring 65mm by 22.5mm, the oversized bow extends beyond the dimensions of a conventional watch, emphasising the piece as a miniature haute couture creation worn on the wrist. GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE 8-DAY JEWELRY WATCH "RED LION" SBGD228 The Grand Seiko Spring Drive 8-Day Jewelry Watch "Red Lion" SBGD228 brings an unusually expressive character to the manufacture’s Masterpiece Collection. The timepiece takes its inspiration from the lion, Grand Seiko's emblem since 1960, interpreting the animal's strength and majesty through the warmth of rose gold, wine-red mother-of-pearl and Mozambique garnets in a deep, rich crimson. The dial is built around a circular white gold base, with taper-cut diamonds and garnets set in rails along its arc to create a sense of light flowing across the watch. In total, the case and dial are set with 267 diamonds weighing 5.98 carats and 26 garnets totalling 0.87 carats. Legibility, a Grand Seiko hallmark, has not been forgotten: Three garnets mark 12 o'clock, while slightly wider stones at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock help the wearer tell the time with ease. The lion theme continues to the lugs, where diamonds extend outward like sharpened claws. The watch is powered by the Spring Drive 8 Days Caliber 9R01, with its three barrels delivering a power reserve of 192 hours or eight days. The power reserve indicator is placed on the movement side to preserve the dial's composition. Completing the watch is an additional Kyoto Leather strap, specially stamped to evoke the texture of a lion's mane. The material brings together Kyoto's kimono traditions, including Nishijin weaving and gold leaf techniques, with leather tanning from Himeji, one of Japan's leading leather-producing regions. This detail adds another distinctly Japanese touch to the eight-piece limited edition. PIAGET SWINGING PEBBLES Piaget’s Swinging Sautoirs have been part of the house’s vocabulary since the 1970s, shaped by its president Yves Piaget’s belief that a watch should first be considered a piece of jewellery. Swinging Pebbles returns to that idea, looking back to the 21st Century Collection from 1969, when Piaget turned watches into expressive objects worn as cuffs, pendants and sculptural jewels. This new series takes its cue from Piaget’s pebble-shaped pocket watches of the same era. Each pendant is carved from a single slice of ornamental stone, then hollowed out to hold a quartz movement before being closed into a smooth, organic form. The trio includes a pietersite version in white gold, its blue, grey and golden veining framed by a diamond-set bezel; a verdite model in rose gold; and a tiger’s eye edition in yellow gold. Each hangs from an 80cm-long twisted gold chain – a tribute to Piaget’s goldsmithing and chain-making expertise – allowing the watch to move naturally with its wearer. PATEK PHILIPPE GRAND COMPLICATIONS REF 5374/400P-001 Patek Philippe just gave one of its most complex watches, the Grand Complications Ref 5374/400P-001, the high-jewellery treatment. Limited to only eight pieces, the watch combines a minute repeater with two cathedral gongs and a perpetual calendar, bringing together two of the manufacture’s most revered complications. Its 42mm platinum case frames a white mother-of-pearl dial, and baguette diamond hour markers are paired with Paraiba tourmaline minute markers on the flange. Prized for its vivid blue-green hue, the gemstone is among the rarest and most sought-after in contemporary jewellery making. The setting is also very elaborate. The inner bezel ring is set with 48 baguette-cut Paraíba tourmalines totalling 2.53 carats, while 72 baguette-cut diamonds weighing 5.64 carats illuminate the bezel. A further 86 baguette-cut diamonds, totalling 3.5 carats, adorn the case flanks and slide piece. Even the patented triple-blade platinum fold-over clasp is set with 36 baguette-cut Paraiba tourmalines. At its heart is the self-winding R 27 Q calibre, which combines a minute repeater with a perpetual calendar – two of Patek Philippe’s most sought-after Grand Complications. VAN CLEEF & ARPELS LUDO SECRET The Ludo Secret watch celebrates one of Van Cleef & Arpels' most enduring jewellery designs. Created in 1934 and inspired by the shape of a belt, the Ludo bracelet became a signature of the brand's playful approach to "trompe-loeil" (French for optical illusion) jewellery, combining technical ingenuity with the elegance of couture. This latest interpretation revisits a 1949 model, with a supple bracelet made up of mirror-polished yellow gold briquette links. Assembled and adjusted by hand, the flexible mesh has an almost woven quality, underscoring the maison’s skill in jewellery-making. Yellow gold is paired with blue sapphires set within crescent motifs across the buckle-shaped cover. Van Cleef & Arpels’ gemologists selected each stone for its colour, clarity and cut, creating a consistent blue surface. Squeezing both sides of the buckle reveals a hidden white guilloche mother-of-pearl dial, accented by a baguette-cut sapphire at 12 o’clock. Powered by a Swiss quartz movement, the Ludo Secret continues Van Cleef & Arpels’ tradition of concealing time within a jewel. JAEGER-LECOULTRE LA VALLEE DES MERVEILLES REVERSO ONE Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces its new La Vallee des Merveilles collection – French for “The Valley of Wonders” – with three Reverso One creations inspired by Kauai in Hawaii and Hokkaido in Japan. Limited to 20 pieces each, the watches turn the Reverso’s reversible case into a miniature canvas for the maison’s Metiers Rares, or rare crafts, artisans, who combine grand feu enamel, paillonnage, lacquer work and gem-setting. Two models draw on the tropical landscapes of Kauai. The Reverso One Hibiscus Syriacus depicts an Akialoa bird hovering above a blue hibiscus flower, rendered in grand feu champleve enamel – enamel fired at high temperatures in recessed areas of the metal – as well as miniature painting and layers of blue lacquer. Housed in a 40mm by 20mm pink gold case, the watch is set with 335 diamonds totalling about 2.38 carats. The Reverso One Hibiscus Rosa pays tribute to Hawaii’s red hibiscus. The flower, foliage and bird are rendered in layered grand feu champleve enamel with the pistil highlighted in 24K gold-leaf paillonnage, a technique that uses tiny pieces of gold foil beneath enamel. The snow-set case is set with 645 diamonds totalling about 2.37 carats. The Reverso One Sakura represents Japan, taking its name from the Japanese word for cherry blossom and drawing on the springtime landscapes of Hokkaido. Its reverse depicts a red-crowned crane beneath flowering sakura branches, beside a lake set with blue sapphires and diamonds. The crane is rendered in miniature painting, grand feu enamel and snow-set diamonds, highlighting the precision of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s artisans. All three watches are powered by the manually wound calibre 846, which has a 50-hour power reserve. For more stories, go to High Time.