Overlooked is your weekly horological treasure hunt — where we dig through the vaults of European Watch Company to spotlight a few quietly brilliant pieces hiding in plain sight. It’s the sleeper hit, the underdog, the “wait, how is this still available?” watch you didn’t know you needed… until now.

This year in watches felt like a study in contrast: tariff uncertainty rattled supply chains and pricing, while brands doubled down on craftsmanship, in-house movements, and long-term value rather than short-term noise. We saw collectors grow more deliberate, less speculative, and increasingly drawn to pieces with provenance, restraint, and real staying power. A year with thorns, yes, but also plenty of reasons to stop and smell the rose gold.

Panerai Radiomir 1940 Oro Rosso 18K Rose Gold

Panerai is well-known for their distinctive Luminor and Radiomir models. Many consider the Radiomir the more wearable of the two, with the lack of a crown guard giving it a less sporty and more elegant silhouette. This example combines a warm Oro Rosso rose gold case with a deep brown dial for an overall elegant look. The Arabic numerals provide a hint of vintage styling with the warm tone of the luminous material on the numerals and hands. It features a manually wound Panerai OPXXVII in-house movement, which you can view through the exhibition caseback, and 100 meters of water resistance. The overall warm and classic look of this piece is complemented by a chocolate brown alligator strap with matching rose gold tang buckle. In like-new condition with box and papers, this rose gold piece might just win this War of the Roses.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day Date 18K Rose Gold 1973 

If a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, this Oyster Perpetual Day Date would be just as beautiful to a wearer who doesn’t speak the Portugese language on its day disc. Made in 1973, it features an automatic Rolex caliber 1556 movement with a day and date indicator, a rose-colored champagne dial, and applied rose gold indices for an overall tone-on-tone rosy glow. In overall excellent condition, its luminous hands and intact Tritium lume plots have a lovely matching patina, and its 36mm case diameter makes it wearable on many wrist sizes. 

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Co-Axial 18K Rose Gold

If you would like to know how long you stopped to smell the roses on your way to the office, this Omega Speedmaster might be the perfect timekeeper for you. It has an in-house Co-Axial calibre 9301 movement with a 60-hour power reserve, two chronograph subdials with 12-hour and 60-minute registers, a date window at the 6 o’clock position, and Omega’s proprietary Sedna gold on the hands and indices. The contrasting black dial and tachymeter bezel insert lend it a little bit of an edge against the warm, rosy Sedna gold case, and its 44mm case diameter gives it a nice presence on the wrist.

IWC Portugieser Automatic 18K Rose Gold

Rounding out our bouquet of rose gold timepieces, this Portugieser Automatic in 18K rose gold is a gorgeous example of IWC’s consistent execution of beautiful simplicity. Featuring a contrasting black dial against the rose gold case, hands, and indices, and a small seconds subdial at the 6 o’clock position. The wearer can also peek at the self-winding, in-house Calibre 82200 movement through the display caseback, while enjoying its power reserve of 60 hours.

As we sip a glass of Four Roses (or another favorite tipple) and barrel into the winter months, it’s worth remembering that spring is coming. What better way to remind yourself that the roses will soon be in bloom again than with a rose gold timepiece on your wrist?