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. 

We have reached the culmination of 2026 awards season, which seemed both quick and extremely long. The red carpets at the Academy Awards and Vanity Fair Oscars party really delivered, and there was a lot of heat on the wrists of attendees. A handful of new releases and some industry happenings rounded out the week. Let's take a look.

New releases

Richard Mille released their RM 07-01 Coloured Ceramics collection, three new colorways of the RM 07-01, limited to 50 pieces of each version. The three versions, in blush pink, pink lavender, and powder blue Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystal ceramic cases, all have gem-set bezels, a difficult achievement in a material with the hardness of ceramic. They all feature distinctive geometric graphical designs on their PVD-treated red gold dials, with colored ceramic details, rubber appliqués, guillochage detailing, and diamond-set components set within white gold inserts. They are powered by the brand’s in-house automatic calibre CRMA2, a skeletonized movement made of grade 5 titanium that has a 50-hour power reserve.

Breitling released the Superocean Heritage B01 42 “Reverse Panda”, ref. AB0156241B1A1, drawing inspiration from the design of their original 1957 Superocean model, ref. 807. That early reference was one of the first divers with a chronograph complication and the first to have the “reverse panda” dial coloration, which has white chronograph counters against a black dial. The new Superocean Heritage B01 Chronograph 42, ref. REF NO HERE, updates these design details with a black dial and silvery-white subdials, a black ceramic unidirectional bezel, date at the six o’clock position, and vintage-inspired hands. It’s powered by the in-house automatic chronograph Manufacture Caliber 01, a COSC-certified movement with a 70-hour power reserve.

Breitling also released two additions to its Navitimer line, the Tribute to Concorde and Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. 

The Navitimer B01 Chronograph Tribute to Concorde, ref. AB01389C1C1P1, is the brand’s tribute to the iconic supersonic Concorde aircraft, which could travel from London to New York in 3.5 hours at over twice the speed of sound. This tribute to a notable and historically significant aircraft is only fitting in Breitling’s pilot’s chronograph, which began its life as a practical tool watch for pilots and other aviation professionals. The watch features a 43mm stainless steel case and is powered by the in-house automatic Breitling Manufacture Caliber B01, which boasts a 70 hour power reserve.

The Navitimer B19 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph was released as a duo of two models using the same in-house automatic Breitling Manufacture Caliber B19, a perpetual calendar movement that automatically accounts for leap years and varying month lengths, and doesn’t require a major manual correction for a century. The full platinum case version, ref. LB19211A1C1P1, is in a limited edition of 75 pieces and has a deep blue lacquered dial, and the steel case version, ref. PB1921251B1A1, has a platinum bezel and an anthracite dial. Both have an aesthetic that speaks to high-altitude flight and the depth and darkness of space. 

Jacob & Co released its patented diamond cut the Angel Cut, demonstrated in its Billionaire Double Tourbillon. The new diamond cut features 37 precisely engineered facets, a tribute to the brand’s namesake Jacob and his wife Angela’s 37 years of marriage. (The name of the cut itself is also a nod to Angela.) According to the brand, the Angel Cut produces a luminous field with reduced extinction, softened contrast, and a more continuous glow across the surface of the diamond. The Billionaire Double Tourbillon Angel Cut timepiece, limited to 18 pieces, is in a 54 x 41 mm white gold case, set with 98 Angel Cut diamonds, while the dial has an additional 88 Angel Cut diamonds and baguette-cut stones. Overall, the watch is set with an astonishing 298 diamonds totaling approximately 79 carats. The movement powering the timepiece is the manually-wound in-house JCAM50 caliber, which has two flying tourbillons, which break through the shimmering dial through apertures at the twelve and six o’clock positions.

Christopher Ward introduced the C63 True GMT, ref. C63-40APG3, powered by their in-house calibre CW-002 movement, the first GMT caliber from the brand. The COSC-certified movement offers independent hour-hand adjustment when crossing time zones, while leaving the minute, seconds and GMT hands undisturbed. The GMT bridge is also visible through an aperture in the dial, allowing the wearer a glimpse of the movement while wearing the watch. There are two choices of dial colors, black or silver, both in 40.5mm stainless steel cases, and a choice of integrated rubber strap or stainless steel Bader bracelet.

The final red carpet of awards season

The conclusion of awards season brought oodles of glitz and glamour to the 98th Annual
Academy Awards. Not only was the red carpet at the Oscars awash with dazzling timepieces, so was the star-studded Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty.

Award winners on the Oscars red carpet included Best Actor winner Michael B. Jordan, who brought the vintage heat once again with his Piaget ref. 9297. Best Supporting Actress winner Amy Madigan wore an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra ref. 220.25.30.20.55.001, and Sinners director and winner for Best Screenplay Ryan Coogler wore a Cartier Tank a Guichet ref. WGTA0236.

Presenters rocked serious wrist game on the Oscars red carpet as well, with Kumail Nanjani announcing the seventh-ever tie in Oscars history while wearing a Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton ref. 4300V/220R-B642, Zendaya in a Rolex Lady-Datejust ref. 279459RBR-0001, and Robert Downey Jr. in a Blancpain Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phases de Lune ref. 5054 O153 B52A.

We’d be remiss not to mention Shaboozey in a Chopard L’Heure du Diamant ref. 1OA385-1106, Pedro Pascal in a Chanel Boy-friend ref. H6589, and Hudson Williams in a Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas ref. 103434, continuing the trend of watches that are traditionally marketed to women being worn (very well, we might add) on men’s wrists.

At the Vanity Fair afterparty, Paul Anthony Kelly wore a Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 ref. 1100S/000R-B430, Barry Keoghan wore a Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Steel Pave 32mm ref. 682.SX.1170.RX.1604, and Connor Storrie wore a TAG Heuer vintage S/El Chronograph 39mm circa 1988, ref. S25-706.

Industry News

Wei Koh was appointed as the President of the Jury of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie, or GPHG, for the 2026 edition of the watchmaking awards ceremony, which will take place in Geneva on November 7. Koh, the founder of publications Revolution and The Rake, and host of the watch-themed episodic series Man of the Hour, is a well-known figure in the watch industry. He succeeds Nick Foulkes, who served as President of the GPHG Jury from 2021-2025.

Citizen gathered the who’s who of the watch world to New York City’s storied Solomon Guggenheim Museum for a gala event celebrating 50 years of horological innovation and their iconic light-powered Eco-Drive movement. On hand were Citizen Watch Group’s President for America, Jeffrey Cohen; and Citizen Managing Director, Eric Horowitz, who each gave speeches highlighting the brand’s history, present, and future. Also on hand in an exhibit on the third floor were a timeline of the development of the Eco-Drive as well as both versions of the newly unveiled and limited edition Photon, which celebrates the Eco-Drive with an eye-catching dial and a contemporary case design crafted from their proprietary Super Titanium.

Swatch has debuted AI-DADA, a tool that allows Swatch customers to provide prompts to an AI-powered tool to design a customized quartz timepiece. The tool uses what the brand calls "artistic intelligence" to turn those prompts into a one-of-a-kind watch design. Users can also further customize their piece by deciding whether or not to include indices on the dial and choosing the color of the mechanism. The finalized watch, marked with a “1/1” on the back to signify its one-of-a-kind status, is then produced and delivered directly to the customer.