What to know (and want) in watches this October 2025
Get all your watch news and updates for October right here
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IF YOU THOUGHT WATCHMAKING and the world of watches was a slow and steady industry, think again. October brings with it a rush of watch launches, openings and designs that feel more like a sprint than a gentle tick.
Below is your monthly roundup of the best in what’s new, what’s exciting and what’s happening in the watch world.
Zenith’s Defy Skyline Tourbillon just got the rose gold treatment
Zenith’s Defy Skyline Tourbillon arrives in rose gold – a warm, architectural take on the brand’s most modern line. Its deep brick-red dial nods to the red-and-white brickwork of Zenith’s historic Manufacture in Le Locle, fusing heritage with forward design. Powered by the in-house El Primero 3630 calibre, the watch beats at a high-frequency 5Hz, anchored by a tourbillon light enough to rest on a fingertip.
Alternating polished and brushed surfaces highlight the 41mm case, while an openworked star rotor in rose gold adds depth to the movement. Available exclusively through Zenith boutiques, it’s a study in precision and restraint – proof that innovation doesn’t always have to shout.
Discover more about the watch here.
Words Ruby Stephens
Rado’s True Square Open Heart, now with a little more spark
Rado’s True Square Open Heart has always been one of those designs that doesn’t need to shout – it just sits there, perfectly balanced, doing its thing. The latest update gives it a subtle seasonal glow: two new versions in polished white and plasma high-tech ceramic, now detailed with diamond hour markers and a glimpse of the movement beneath.
It’s minimalism, but not in a cold way – clean lines, smooth edges, a little light play. Inside, the automatic calibre R734 hums along with an 80-hour power reserve, keeping the technical side just as sharp as the exterior.
It’s the kind of watch that feels effortless on the wrist – refined, versatile, and quietly festive.
Discover more about the watch here.
Words Ruby Stephens
The Panerai Luminor 40mm goes ceramic
In the great downsizing of men’s watches, the smaller-is-better mentality has finally hit the high-tech watch space. It’s a move that makes sense for your timepieces fit for the evening, where something elegant can easily slip under the sleeve, but even chunky watches are now taking part. This comes in the new Panerai Luminor GMT Ceramica PAM0146, which marks the Florentine watchmaker’s first-ever combination of a 40mm Luminor case with ceramic. First introduced in the portfolio in 2007 with the Radiomir Black Seal Ceramica PAM00292, the lightweight material breathes new life into the military timepiece.
“Designed for the cosmopolitan traveller, this watch embodies understated sophistication and the innovative spirit we want to impart to our clients,” says Panerai COO Jérôme Cavadini. The Luminor’s unmistakable crown protecting device is also made of ceramic, as well as featuring a sophisticated, all-black design.
Learn more about the watch here.
Words Benjamen Judd
TAG Heuer unveils the fifth-generation Connected Calibre E5
Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer has unveiled the latest evolution of its connected collection: the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5. Marking ten years since the launch of its first connected watch, this fifth-generation model represents the brand’s most advanced fusion of digital innovation and traditional craftsmanship to date.
Presented in Boston, the Calibre E5 embodies what TAG Heuer calls a “digital heart with a mechanical soul”. Available in both 45 mm and 40 mm case sizes, the new range refines its signature architecture with sharper lugs, smoother pushers and an interchangeable strap system that flows seamlessly into the case. The result is a smartwatch that feels unmistakably Swiss: precise, tactile and beautifully engineered.
Powered by the brand’s proprietary TAG Heuer OS, the Calibre E5 offers improved legibility, enhanced connectivity, and up to three days of battery life. Its expanded suite of wellness and sports applications now includes running plans, heart-rate and sleep monitoring, and an upgraded Golf Edition featuring more than 40,000 mapped courses.
Breguet marks 250 years of mastery with two new Classiques
As Breguet marks its 250th anniversary, the maison is doing what it does best: blending history with innovation. Two new Classique models lead the celebration – the Classique Régulateur à Pivot Magnétique 7225 ($136,500 AUD), powered by a high-frequency 10 Hz escapement and magnetic-pivot balance, and the Classique Phase de Lune 7235 ($118,300 AUD, limited to 250 pieces), a refined tribute to the original No.5 pocket watch from 1794.
Together, they show Breguet’s mastery of contrast – technical muscle wrapped in classic restraint.
The brand also debuts the new Breguet Hallmark, a certification underscoring its aesthetic, technical, and ethical standards – a fitting seal for a house that’s spent two and a half centuries perfecting the art of accuracy.
Discover more about the novelties at breguet.com.
Words Ruby Stephens
The Piaget x Warhol collab you’ll actually want to wear
There aren’t many watches that could double as wall art, but then again, not many watches come with Andy Warhol’s blessing. Piaget’s new Andy Warhol Watch “Collage” Limited Edition is as much a creative statement as it is a timepiece – a 45mm slice of pop-cultural history rendered in gold, colour, and character.
Warhol owned seven Piagets in his lifetime (of course, he did), one of which inspired this latest collector’s piece. The Maison has revived that same 1973 design – the kind Warhol might’ve worn while holding court at Studio 54 – and dialled up the artistry. Literally.
The face features marquetry in black onyx, green chrysoprase, yellow serpentine, and pink opal, arranged in a vibrant collage that nods to one of Warhol’s 1986 self-portraits. It’s powered by Piaget’s in-house 501P1 automatic calibre, proving there’s real mechanical substance beneath all that shine.
The stepped 18-carat yellow gold case, the green strap, the engraved Warhol portrait on the caseback – every element feels intentional, playful, and unapologetically Piaget. Only 50 exist, which makes it part-art, part-horological folklore.
Warhol once said, “Art is what you can get away with.” For Piaget, it’s what you can make wearable – and somehow still elegant. This is a watch that doesn’t just tell time; it tells a story about two icons who understood that glamour and genius often share the same wrist.
Words Ruby Stephens
Blancpain’s Villeret gets a quiet refresh
Some watches shout for attention; others simply hold it. Blancpain’s latest Villeret collection falls firmly into the latter. Refined, quiet, and self-assured, the new models take the maison’s most classic line and give it a subtle seasonal refresh — all warm tones, gentle proportions, and that unmistakable sense of restraint that only comes with 290 years of watchmaking confidence.
There are three main players here: a sleek three-hand automatic, a complete calendar with moon phase, and a smaller 33mm moon phase calendar. Each arrives in new autumnal shades — think opaline silver and golden brown dials — with Roman numerals sculpted in gold and hands tipped in Super-LumiNova.
Under the surface, Blancpain’s manufacture movements tick away with all the finesse you’d expect: silicon hairsprings, hand-finishing, and a reworked open-worked rotor that gives a flash of drama through the sapphire caseback.
The moon phase still carries its enigmatic smile, the straps now swap out effortlessly, and the cases have been trimmed down for a lighter, more contemporary feel.
Blancpain’s Villeret reminds you why elegance, when done properly, never goes out of style.
Words Ruby Stephens
Jacob Elordi caught gold-handed in vintage Audemars Piguet
Just days after being announced as an official ambassador for Cartier, Jacob Elordi has been spotted flirting with danger: that being, an ultra-rare Audemars Piguet while accepting the Maverick Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival over the weekend.
Elordi’s latest red-carpet flex leans vintage and quietly scholarly: an Audemars Piguet Bamboo “Jumbo” Day-Date and Phases of the Moon in 18k yellow gold and champagne dial. The nickname points to the sculptural, integrated bracelet of tapering cylindrical links that meet an ultra-thin octagonal case, AP’s early-’80s answer to the quartz era by treating the wristwatch as high jewellery as much as horology. Pieces from this family are scarce; period accounts point to examples around 33–33.5 mm that pair precious-metal cases with an in-house self-winding movement slim enough to disappear under a cuff, moonphase and calendar neatly balanced on a champagne dial.
Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet Bamboo “Jumbo” Day-Date and Phases of the Moon in 18k yellow gold and champagne dial.
The effect is discreet glamour rather than maximalist sparkle, which suits Elordi’s recent tilt toward smaller, dressier watches and the broader “tiny watch” mood on men’s wrists.
While J Balvin has been photographed with a closely related 18-carat yellow-gold “Oversized Bamboo Moonphase Calendar” from 1982 at approximately 33.5 mm, underscoring the model’s rarity and thin automatic architecture, Elordi’s pick reads less hype piece, more connoisseur nod to Audemars Piguet’s jewellery-driven experiments beyond Royal Oak orthodoxy. It’s a thoughtful move: complicated, precious, historically interesting and sized for elegance—exactly the kind of deep-cut choice that signals he’s paying attention.
Words Benjamen Judd
Hermès gives their H08 a sporting chance
Hermès has given its cult H08 a mechanical glow-up with the launch of the H08 Chronograph Monopusher, creating the maison’s sportiest, most technically advanced evolution yet.
First introduced in 2021, the H08 carved out a niche as the thinking man’s sports watch: equal parts architectural and playful, with a cushion-shaped case and typography that felt both classic and new. This latest iteration keeps those geometric lines intact but injects them with muscle. The 44mm case is crafted from carbon-fibre composite coated in graphene powder, paired with a ceramic bezel and a dial of black gold punctuated by yellow accents.
Words Benjamen Judd
Inside, Hermès has fitted its H1837 automatic calibre topped with a new 212-part monopusher chronograph module, an old-school complication prized for its purity of form. One button starts, stops and resets the timer, preserving the symmetry of the case while showcasing serious watchmaking credentials.
Water-resistant to 100 metres and available on either a Jaune de Naples or black rubber strap, the new H08 Monopusher is a subtle flex for those who like a time warp: part retro experiment, part technical statement.
Words: Benjamen Judd
Omega heads back to the moon
Omega has taken its most lunar-inspired timepiece to new heights, unveiling seven new models in the Speedmaster Dark and Grey Side of the Moon collection. While the silhouette remains true to the 44.25 mm chronograph that once orbited the Moon on Apollo 8, these 2025 editions reflect more than a decade of refinement in ceramic engineering and movement design.
The latest models introduce a slimmer case architecture, reworked Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibres 9900 and 9908, and a striking manual-winding variant powered by the 9908 with a matte black dial punctuated by red and grey detailing. Each model is hewn from OMEGA’s precision-milled ceramic, with laser-brushed surfaces and diamond-polished bevels creating remarkable depth. Liquidmetal™ tachymeter scales and enamel details further enhance durability and finish.
A standout tribute to the Apollo 8 mission features the Calibre 3869 with a laser-ablated lunar surface spanning both sides of the watch, the near side visible through the skeletonised dial, the far side revealed through the sapphire caseback.
Completing the update are new straps in rubber and nylon, some imprinted with lunar-surface textures. A subtle reminder that Omega’s connection to space remains as tangible as ever.
Words Benjamen Judd
Riding momentum: Swatch signs Australian surf prodigy Hughie Vaughan
At just 19, Australian surfer Hughie Vaughan has joined the Swatch Proteam, cementing his place among the world’s most fearless talents. Raised on the Central Coast’s North Shelly Beach and surfing alongside his three older brothers, Vaughan picked up a board at the age of two and hasn’t slowed since.
After being crowned Stab Magazine’s 2023 Junior of the Year, he went on to claim back-to-back WSL Pro Junior titles and stunned the surf world with a first-ever Stalefish backflip at the Swatch Nines Surf 2025 — hailed as “the best air in surfing.”
Now, with his blend of daring technique, raw power, and quiet determination, Vaughan embodies the same fearless creativity that’s long defined Swatch. Together, they’re carving a new chapter — one wave, and one perfectly timed jump, at a time.
Words Ruby Stephens
A gallop into the new year with IWC’s Portugieser Automatic 42 “Year of the Horse”
IWC Schaffhausen has galloped into the Lunar New Year with the new Portugieser Automatic 42 Year of the Horse – a limited-edition release that marries precision engineering with a touch of spirited symbolism. Limited to just 500 pieces, the 42mm timepiece features a stainless-steel case and a burgundy dial inspired by the lucky red hues of Lunar New Year celebrations.
Beneath the surface, IWC’s in-house 52011 calibre powers the watch with an impressive seven-day reserve, driven by the brand’s signature Pellaton winding system. Flip it over, and you’ll spot the pièce de résistance: a gold-plated rotor shaped like a galloping horse – a nod to the creature’s symbolism of strength, success and forward momentum. Offered with interchangeable black and burgundy alligator straps, it’s a refined way to mark the Year of the Horse – or simply to channel a bit of that same fearless energy.
Words Ruby Stephens
Hublot kicks off October with a literal bang.
The Swiss brand has never been shy about colour, but this month they’ve doubled down with two Spirit of Big Bang releases that push the limits of its favourite playground: materials.
In 2014, it took the risk of dropping a tonneau case into its Big Bang line, a shape that made traditionalists twitch and collectors line up. More than a decade later, that contrarian streak is alive and well with two new Spirit of Big Bang references that arrive this October: the Orange Ceramic and the Frosted Carbon.
The Orange Ceramic is the kind of watch you can spot from across the room at 40 paces: a 42mm slab of colour that literally bangs. Limited to 200 pieces, it’s the first time Hublot has dressed this case shape in ceramic, the shade of traffic cones and Aperol. Case, bezel, strap, flange – everything has been carefully tuned to hit the same note, a feat of colour-matching as much as watchmaking. Bright, scratch-resistant (unless you’re waving a diamond around) and running on the HUB4700 skeletonised chronograph calibre, it is as loud mechanically as it is visually.
The shadowy sibling alongside it is the Frosted Carbon, a study in stealth by comparison. The case appears as if carbon fragments were frozen mid-flight, each one catching or swallowing the light differently, meaning no two are alike. Light, strong, water-resistant to 100 metres and kitted with titanium screws, pushers and crown, it’s engineered for more than just flexing on Instagram.
Both editions are powered by the same HUB4700 automatic chronograph with date and 50-hour reserve, visible through sapphire casebacks.
Coincidentally, they’ve also managed to launch the perfect Halloween pairing. Nicely done.
Words Benjamen Judd
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