The Roundup: EWC's Favorites of 2025
The Roundup
Each week, EWC will be gathering horological industry news, cultural conversations and moments surrounding our favorite topic: timepieces. Happy Friday; here’s what’s on our watch.
It’s a new year, and we’re looking forward to seeing all of the new watch releases that will be coming out in 2026. While we think about what might be coming next and what new things we’ll be seeing in the new year, we are also taking a look back at our favorites of 2025. Everyone on the team here at EWC is passionate about watches, so let’s take a look at some of our favorite pieces of the year.
The iconic maisons produced some fine timepieces, and several of our team opted for them.
Ivana Bozikovic: Patek Philippe 6196p
“The 38mm case is the perfect size, and I adore the minimalist aesthetic, which stands out among the busy new models. It's romantic and timeless!”
Robert Reustle: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds
“The Reverso is an absolute icon. Previous iterations on a bracelet have never felt cohesive and didn't do justice to a piece that has been around since the 1930's. This newest version, on a gold mesh bracelet with a beautifully textured rose dial, brings the watch to a new level and offers the slickest presentation yet. It’s the ultimate Tuxedo watch!”
David Cote: 2025 Rolex Land-Dweller
“I’m excited about the Land-Dweller mainly because of the new Dynapulse direct impulse escapement, which feels like Rolex’s most significant movement leap forward in its own watchmaking. The new movement may have a substantial long-term impact on the future direction of this brand. Rolex also did something very un-Rolex by launching this technology in a completely new integrated-bracelet line, which is a big, refreshing risk for such a conservative brand.”
Kathleen McGivney: Breguet Experimentale 1
“Breguet is sometimes overlooked amidst the hype of everything else going on in the watch industry, and this piece really showcases Breguet’s technical expertise. It also represents some risk-taking, with an experimental movement and an approach that is typically seen more in independent brands than it is in brands owned by larger groups. It’s cool, it’s technically interesting, it’s beautiful - it’s something absolutely befitting the 250th anniversary of the brand.”
Although Watches & Wonders happened during the first half of last year, a couple of the watches that premiered there stood the test of the rest of the year.
Justin MacDowell: Zenith G.F.J.
“It debuted back at Watches & Wonders. It's a limited edition of 160 pieces made to celebrate the brand's 160th anniversary (GFJ is the initials of Zenith founder Georges Favre-Jacot) and features a 39mm platinum case with a lapis dial and gorgeous brick guilloche decoration. It's powered by a reworked version of Zenith's legendary manual wind Caliber 135 movement and can even be had with a full platinum bracelet. Never expected to have a Zenith on my year end best-of list, but here we are!”
Alexandra Cheney: Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Self-Winding
“This watch first caught my eye, and my wrist, at Watches and Wonders 2025. Despite nine more months of releases to celebrate the brand’s 270th anniversary, the limited Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Self-Winding remains my favorite watch of this year. The carefully considered simplicity of this watch can be seen in its restraint. It's slim, at 8.65mm thick, yet bold in the applied hour-markers, which are hand crafted from 18K gold.”
There’s some love for Daniel Roth releases within the team, with two people choosing the Daniel Roth Extra Plat.
Cat Nelson: Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold
“I love the original Le Sentier 177 from Daniel Roth, and it is one of my favorite case shapes and sizes. Simple and clean but unique in its own right. Seeing that Daniel Roth is back and has released the Extra Plat in Rose Gold— my favorite case metal— has made my heart so happy!”
Emerson Moore: Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription in yellow gold
“Out of all of the new watch releases for 2025, the one I most want on MY wrist is the Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription in yellow gold. I was so glad to see such a refined, understated, and elegantly proportioned piece so early in the brand's re-launch this year. My hope is that the success of this highly limited piece guides the brand's focus in the right direction, and translates to similar releases in higher production numbers!”
Christopher Weiss: Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer
“I was thrilled to see Nomos add a worldtimer complication to their fantastic Club collection. The Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer uses a new in-house, automatic movement and has a perfectly-proportioned case. I love that the two standard production versions feature small pops of color on their clean, Bauhaus-inspired dials... but also that Nomos retained their sense of fun by releasing six additional limited editions in more adventurous colorways!”