From left: Donald Trump announces reciprocal tariffs which may cause watch prices to soar; Roger Federer was spotted wearing the Rolex Land-Dweller prior to Watches & Wonders; MB&F and Eric Giroud release the M.A.D.2. Photos: Reuters, Rolex, Handout
Despite the industry entering uncertain territory amid Trump’s swingeing tariffs, watch aficionados can still count on stylish new pieces from Audemars Piguet, Breguet, MB&F and more
This March and April, the world once again descended on Geneva for the year’s biggest watch fair, Watches and Wonders. But hanging over the fair were US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the Swiss watchmaking industry, and brands seem increasingly likely to price up their watches as a result.
Nevertheless, we were cheered to spot several stars wearing Rolexes on television recently, or grail watches off screen; Breitling added another aviation-themed vintage brand to its expanding catalogue; and Philips in Association with Bacs & Russo are putting several beautiful clocks up for auction.
1. Watches and Wonders
Visitors attend the opening day of the Watches and Wonders Geneva luxury watch fair, in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 1. Photo: EPA-EFE
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The biggest event on the high horology calendar landed at Palexpo in Geneva during the first week of April, and the Style team was on the ground to take a closer look at all the new releases. Sixty brands showcased their novelties in stunning booths to over 55,000 attendees. This year’s edition was also arguably one of the most star-studded yet, as Kim Woo-bin visited Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jay Chou visited Tudor, Eileen Gu and Simone Ashley visited IWC Schaffhausen, Gianna Jun visited Piaget and Kylian Mbappe visited Hublot along with Usain Bolt, just to name a few.
Jay Chou visits the Tudor Booth at Watches and Wonders 2025 in Geneva. Photo: Handout
Brands had a lot to say this year. Rolex officially unveiled its first five-hertz movement with the Land Dweller, whilst Vacheron Constantin celebrated its 270th anniversary and also released the most complicated wristwatch ever made (the Les Cabinotiers Solaria). Bulgari made its first-ever appearance at the fair, debuting the thinnest tourbillon watch in the world, while Cartier revisited its Tank à Guichets, an art deco jumping hours watch design from the 1920s.
A Tank à Guichets watch displayed at Cartier’s stand during the opening day of the Watches and Wonders on April 1. Photo: Agence France-Presse
We cover the fair in-depth on the rest of the Style website, most notably the major trends present at this year’s event, and why gold was so prominent.
2. Watches affected by Trump’s tariffs
US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick presenting their new tariffs on April 2. Photo: Reuters
