The Roundup: the "Cardinal Directions” Edition
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.
North America takes center stage in the watch world this week with news sweeping across the continent in every cardinal direction.
First Stop: Mexico City (South)
The Salón Internacional Alta Relojería (SIAR) Mexico is the leading destination for haute horology in Latin America. This week, the fair’s Mexico City edition took place for the fifth installment with an impressive 51 brands exhibiting, from traditional Maisons to independents. Hublot chose to mark the occasion by unveiling a very limited series of 100 pieces, the Big Bang Unico Calavera All Black which features a sapphire dial with a skull on its surface. Consulting firm Deloitte also presented its renowned annual global watch industry study at SIAR for the first time, including a dedicated chapter on Mexico.
Stop Two: Las Vegas (West)
Yes, watch fairs are on the rise globally, and North America wants a piece of the pie with continued expansion through each of the tradeshows. Couture and JCK have long anchored the Las Vegas community in the jewelry scene. Couture has also been host to a select range of watchmakers, and now JCK is getting in the mix. This week, the fair announced the addition of a new section dedicated to leading global watch brands and retailers for the upcoming installment in 2026.
Next Up: NYC (East)
WatchTime NY notches its 10th edition, marking a major milestone for the US market. What started as a local fair for the NYC watch community has grown to a global event, attracting industry veterans and collectors from all around the world and with a record 44 brands exhibiting this year including 10 brands making their WatchTime debut, including Ressence, Ming, and Konstantin Chaykin.
In the Big Apple, new releases abound. Blancpain added a whopping 16 new references to its Villeret collection. In tandem, its Swatch Group counterpart Breguet expanded its iconic Reine de Naples line and soft launched new models in its classic Marine collection as its 250th anniversary celebration continues. Speaking of anniversaries, Zenith continues to commemorate its 160th with two highly limited edition versions of its Defy Zero G.
Other exhibiting brands are also presenting new offerings like Parmigiani Fleurier who unveiled the latest evolution of the GPHG 2022 Best Time-Only Watch winner, the Tonda PF Automatic, now in Deep Ruby. Ulysse Nardin presented two bold colors of its Freak S thanks to the addition of the metiers d”art technique of enamel. Urwerk added a slightly more traditional model with the UR-10 SpaceMeter, and Frederique Constant introduced a moonphase complication to its Classics Carrée Automatic line for the first time.
Finally: Austin (South, but North of Mexico)
This weekend, set your sights on Austin for the next Formula 1 race. Historically, we’ve seen some new watches drop for the occasion, and as always, there will be wrist spotting on and off the track. Before the weekend festivities kickoff, IWC celebrated its partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team by hosting an event to debut its latest timepieces.Mercedes drivers George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli were the main attraction, showcasing the new IWC Mojave watch collection. The desert-inspired color palette of the watches will complement their driver suits during Sunday's MSC Cruises US Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA).