I Went to Geneva to Uncover the Top 3 Watch Trends Every Fashion Person Should Know

Fashion fans have Paris, and watch enthusiasts have Geneva. As the epicenter of the watchmaking industry, the Swiss city plays host to the annual Watches and Wonders event, which I was lucky enough to attend this year. The world's most prestigious brands were on hand to show off their newest creations, including Rolex, Cartier, Bulgari, Chopard, Piaget, TAG Heuer, Chanel, Hermès, IWC, and others. My mission? Try on as many timepieces as humanly possible and report my findings to our Who What Wear readers. First, I put together an Instagram Reel showcasing my top five favorite timepieces, and now I'm breaking down the recurring trends I spotted at the event.

I was far from the only person to roam the event's hallowed halls in 2025. In seven days, Watches and Wonders welcomed a total of over 55,000 visitors, a 12% increase from last year. Cyrille Vigneron, President of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, reflected on the event's success in a statement: "Watches and Wonders has established itself not only as a must-attend inter-professional event, but also as a platform for expression for the watchmaking maisons. The event gives each of them the opportunity to visually express their own universe, to see and wear beautiful creations, and to share a common passion."

Focusing largely (but not entirely) on women's watches, I was excited to view the new releases through the lens of a fashion person, as opposed to a watch expert with an encyclopedic knowledge of the industry. Even if you don't know your tourbillons from your tachymeters, there's a place for you in the wild world of watches. Read on to learn about my favorite watch trends from the 2025 edition of Watches and Wonders.

Sure, watches with white dials and black leather straps will never go out of style, but if you're ready to expand your horizons, might I suggest a pretty pastel version? Many of the biggest brands at the 2025 edition of Watches and Wonders presented pieces in shades of lavender, mint, baby pink, and sky blue. Chopard and Hublot went monochrome, using the same color on both the dial and the strap, while TAG Heuer and Rolex contrasted their dainty pastel dials with sleek steel bracelets.

One day before Watches and Wonders began, Roger Federer posted a seemingly innocuous carousel of Instagram photos. Watch fanatics, however, immediately recognized one picture's significance: It offered the first look at Rolex's new Land-Dweller, complete with a honeycomb dial. Other brands that showcased patterned dials this year included Grand Seiko, Chopard, Cartier, Zenith, and IWC. One particularly striking piece was Bulgari's new Serpenti Aeterna crafted with an arrowhead-shaped dial paved with diamonds.

Expert skiers go off-piste, while watch buffs go off-wrist. Hermès presented a spectacularly innovative timepiece that can be worn as either a brooch or a pendant necklace. Piaget and Chanel also showcased watch necklaces, while the latter went a step further by hiding a miniature dial atop a gold ring.