Watches and Wonders 2026: the biggest Geneva fair yet, and what to expect

Geneva is about to get very crowded. Watches and Wonders 2026 runs April 14 to 20, and this year's edition is the biggest the fair has ever attempted. Over 200 brands across multiple venues, 55,000 expected visitors, and a week's worth of new releases that will determine what you'll be reading about (and lusting after) for the rest of the year.

Here's what we know so far, what's worth paying attention to, and what you can safely ignore.

The main event at Palexpo

The core fair brings 66 brands under one roof. The usual suspects are all there: Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier, IWC, Omega, Zenith, and the full Richemont and Swatch Group rosters. The professional days run April 14 to 17, with public access from April 18 to 20. Tickets went on sale February 10 via watchesandwonders.com.

Organizers expect around 6,000 retailers, 1,600 journalists, and 15,000 invited guests. If you're going as a member of the public on the weekend days, bring patience and comfortable shoes. The Palexpo is enormous and somehow still feels crowded.

The interesting newcomers

Eleven new brands joined the exhibitor list this year. The ones worth watching: Sinn from Germany (finally getting the international stage they deserve), Behrens from China (bold move for a young brand), and L'Epée (the clock specialists who make those spider-shaped desk clocks that look like they belong in a Bond villain's office).

There's also a new satellite event called Chronopolis, running April 14 to 18 with about 20 independent brands. Studio Underd0g, Dennison, and AWAKE are among the exhibitors. This is where you'll find the weird, experimental stuff that the main fair is too buttoned-up to include.

And then there's Time to Watches, which is somehow the second-largest event by exhibitor count despite having a name that makes English teachers wince. It's at Villa Sarasin, a three-minute walk from the Palexpo.

Total across all events: somewhere north of 200 brands showing watches in Geneva during that week.

Audemars Piguet is making noise early

AP didn't wait for the fair. They dropped a full collection in February, two months ahead of schedule, and the lineup is wild.

The Neo Frame Jumping Hour is the standout. It's a 34.6mm pink gold piece with a jumping hour complication, which is suddenly everywhere in 2026. The design pulls from a 1929 pre-model reference, and it houses AP's first self-winding jumping hour caliber (the 7122, based on the Royal Oak Jumbo's 7121).

Then there's the 150 Heritage Pocket Watch, limited to two pieces. Two. It has 47 functions including 30 complications, a grande sonnerie, minute repeater, flying tourbillon, and a perpetual calendar. This is AP flexing their haute horlogerie muscles in the most impractical way possible, and I love it.

New Royal Oak chronographs and perpetual calendars are also in the mix, including a ceramic "Bleu Nuit" perpetual calendar that looks gorgeous in press photos. If you're an AP collector, February alone gave you plenty to obsess over.

We carry a solid selection of Audemars Piguet pieces, including the Royal Oak Chronograph and several Offshore variants if the new releases have you reconsidering your collection.

Vacheron Constantin already played their hand too

VC kicked off 2026 with the Overseas Tourbillon in titanium, featuring what they're calling a "deep red" sunburst dial. The color is somewhere between burgundy and ruby depending on the light, and it's paired with the brand's signature peripheral rotor that lets you see straight through to the tourbillon at 6 o'clock.

It's the latest in VC's strategy of giving the Overseas collection more personality through dial colors. The titanium case keeps it light on the wrist, which matters when you're wearing a tourbillon daily (if you're the type who wears a six-figure watch to the grocery store, no judgment).

We have several Vacheron Constantin Overseas models in stock, including the Dual Time and the Chronograph in rose gold.

What to actually watch for in April

The biggest questions heading into the fair:

What does Rolex do? They're always the headline, and they reveal nothing before the day. Last year's lineup leaned conservative. The rumor mill says 2026 could bring something unexpected, but the rumor mill says that every year.

How aggressive do brands get with pricing? After across-the-board increases in 2025, there's pressure to either hold the line or justify further hikes with genuinely new complications and materials. The secondary market data (covered in our market recap) shows buyers are already voting with their wallets by shopping pre-owned.

Will the independents steal the show again? The last couple of years, smaller brands like MB&F, De Bethune, and F.P. Journe generated more buzz per square meter than any of the big groups. With Louis Vuitton and De Bethune teaming up on a limited GMT this year, the lines between mainstream luxury and independent horology are blurring.

Does the "In the City" program work? This year adds a Montreux Jazz Festival partnership and evening programming on the lakefront. Geneva is trying to turn watch week into a full cultural event instead of a pure trade show. Whether the public buys in depends on whether it feels genuine or like an elaborate ad campaign.

The side events worth knowing about

Beyond the Palexpo, the Watchmaking Village at Pont de la Machine will run workshops and career sessions. If you've ever wanted to try assembling a movement, this is your shot. ECAL (the Swiss design university) is back for a third year with student installations exploring new ways to experience time, which last year ranged from fascinating to pretentious in roughly equal measure.

The LAB section inside the Salon has been redesigned to focus on startup tech. Fifteen projects were selected from over 60 applications. If you want to see where watchmaking intersects with new materials, sustainability, and whatever "horological innovation" means in 2026, that's the area.

There's also the Wake Up! exhibition tracing alarm clock history from the Middle Ages forward. Niche, but if you're the kind of person who reads watch blogs, you might be exactly the target audience.

Should you go?

If you're in Europe and remotely interested in watches, the public days (April 18-20) are worth the trip. Geneva in mid-April is beautiful, the fair is genuinely impressive in person, and the satellite events mean there's something for every taste and budget.

If you can't make it, we'll be covering the major releases as they drop. The brands that matter most to our inventory, Rolex, Omega, Zenith, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin, will all get dedicated coverage once their 2026 lineups are official.

Two months out. The countdown is on.