Fratello’s Top 5 Watch Brands To Keep An Eye On In 2026

Happy New Year, everyone! After looking back at 2025 with a series of lists, it’s now time to look forward to the year ahead of us. For this second list of 2026, we highlight five brands to watch in the next 12 months. They do not necessarily have to be small and upcoming ones. This list focuses solely on brands that we are curious about this year for various reasons.

But before we jump in, let’s take a small look back at 2025. All of us at Fratello agreed that it was a long year with numerous releases. Thankfully, among them were a great number of brilliant watches. From new, exciting designs to groundbreaking technical timepieces, there was plenty to enjoy. We certainly hope that 2026 will bring a similar level of excitement and surprise. A notable point to mention is that several brands celebrated anniversaries in 2025, resulting in significant product introductions. This year, we will see two notable brand anniversaries, but other than that, it’s mostly a post-anniversary year. Additionally, we have seen small brands grow into regular players that we expect great things from. Overall, it will be interesting to see what’s in store, and we have picked five brands we will follow closely in 2026. Let’s find out what they are!

Brands to keep an eye on: Breguet

Many eyes were on Breguet last year, as the brand celebrated its 250th anniversary. Indeed, we saw a variety of excellent releases, with the Classique Souscription 2025 having kicked off the celebrations for the brand and the stunning Expérimentale 1 having served as the closing highlight just over a month ago. It was exciting to see all the new watches and get a sense of the direction Breguet is going in with Gregory Kissling at the helm.

The brand’s CEO took over in late 2024 and worked closely with the team to develop an impressive lineup for the anniversary year. It also resulted in the “Aiguille d’Or” at the GPHG in Geneva for the Classique Souscription 2025, which was the crowning achievement of an excellent year for Breguet.

But we are looking forward to seeing what is next in this post-anniversary year. Some of the larger projects that require more time are those that involve the introduction of new model lines. The first thing that comes to mind is the next generation of Marine models.

The Expérimentale 1 piqued our interest because it showcased a new case design for the Marine, which we hope to see more of this year. Additionally, the same watch marked the launch of a line of experimental, R&D-focused watches, as Lex explained.

With the momentum built in 2025, it will be interesting to see what Breguet will unveil in 2026. This watchmaker has always been one of the defining names in the industry, and it will be good to see the brand continue to thrive this year.

Brands to keep an eye on: Tudor

Without a doubt, the biggest brand anniversary this year is Tudor’s 100th. Rolex’s sister brand was founded in 1926, and we certainly expect to see some exciting releases that celebrate a full century of Tudor. Not long after I stated in a Top 5 article that 2025 was a relatively quiet year for the brand, we saw the release of the new Ranger models, which caught a lot of traction.

But it is fair to state that it didn’t make the year especially eventful for Tudor. The Pelagos Ultra was probably the best release, and most Tudor fans loved it. The opaline-dial Black Bay Pro was also a nice addition to the lineup, while the larger Black Bay 68, the burgundy Black Bay 58, and the various Black Bay Chrono models extended the brand’s collection without much fuss.

In addition to the Watches and Wonders releases, there was also the. Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25.” This was probably the most surprising watch from Tudor last year, though that was definitely an acquired taste. Another surprise was the Tudor 1926 Luna. However, it must be said that it wasn’t a big hit among watch fans.

With the Black Bay 54 “Lagoon Blue,” the brand introduced a summer version of the smallest Black Bay diver. Lastly, during Dubai Watch Week, Tudor unveiled the 36mm Ranger along with a new beige dial color for it and its 39mm brother.

So, as you can see, there was no shortage of Tudor releases last year. Calling it a year full of exciting new models, though, would be an overstatement. With the centennial in 2026, we hope to see Tudor return to proper form with some nice surprises!

Brands to keep an eye on: Gérald Genta

The Gérald Genta Geneva Minute Repeater was a collective Fratello favorite from 2025. It wasn’t the first release from the revived Gérald Genta brand, but it was a great showcase of watchmaking brilliance. As Lex explained, the watch is the brainchild of master watchmakers Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.

With this watch, the duo demonstrated that a large case size is not always necessary to produce a minute repeater that sounds exceptional. The magic lies in playing with the thickness of the case’s walls. This maximizes the sound while resulting in a very wearable and beautiful minute repeater.

It has an immaculate and very detailed design. The element I love the most is the railroad minute track with its cushion-shaped border and circular inner edge. It may seem unusual at first, but you’ll soon see that it makes perfect sense.

The level of detail is simply stunning

While the Geneva Minute Repeater was the standout of the brand’s releases, we also saw the new 36mm Gentissima Oursin Black Onyx and Burgundy added to the lineup.

While these extravagant models are more aimed at ladies, they do display brilliant creativity, great levels of detail, and immaculate craftsmanship. That was not all, though, because, in November, we saw two new 41mm models with the signature bead-studded case and meteorite dials.

These larger models feature a distinct look thanks to their titanium cases and meteorite dials. All of these timepieces are excellent proof of the exciting developments happening for the Gérald Genta brand. However, it’s the Geneva Minute Repeater that we see as the beginning of something beautiful, and we hope to see a follow-up in 2026.

Brands to keep an eye on: Parmigiani Fleurier

The second notable brand anniversary this year is the 30th anniversary of Parmigiani Fleurier. It’s hard to imagine that the brand is still this young, especially considering its great reputation within the industry for creating outstanding timepieces.

Both in design and in technical ingenuity, Parmigiani’s current creations stand out. The Toric and the Tonda collections are perfect proof of that. I had the chance to go hands-on with the new Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante Arctic Rose not too long ago, and it once again reminded me of the design brilliance of the Tonda PF, which, in this case, is combined with a fun and ingenious countdown timer.

The brand’s Toric line is slightly more classical while maintaining its minimalist design approach and brilliant use of colors. The Toric lineup was expanded in 2025 with the introduction of the brilliant Toric Quantième Perpétuel.

The new models demonstrated once more that minimalism is not just a design philosophy but also at the forefront of its technical innovations. The dial layout of this perpetual calendar shows that perfectly. However, the watches introduced in 2025 that excited me the most and got me looking forward to this anniversary year are the two L’Armoriale Répétition Minute Mystérieuse models.

These two pièces uniques are in the brand’s Objet D’art series and display brilliant creativity and watchmaking ingenuity. Additionally, the execution of these two watches is stunning. If this anniversary year brings us more of these stunning releases, Parmigiani Fleurier will be one of the brands to watch in 2026.

Brands to keep an eye on: Rolex

The last brand we picked is Rolex. Yes, we understand that eyes are always on Rolex. However, this year, we are particularly interested because the brand has two significant anniversaries that could lead to some exciting releases. The first is the 70th anniversary of the Day-Date. First introduced in 1956, the Rolex Day-Date quickly grew into something more than just a gold watch or the brand’s flagship model. As you will know, the Day-Date became known as the President’s watch, a worldwide symbol of luxury watchmaking.

In 2025, we saw a new 36mm Everose Day-Date featuring a beautiful olive-green dial. I had a chance to check it out, and it’s a lovely version in the classic 36mm size. But we secretly hope for something more exciting during Watches and Wonders this year. What will that be? Who knows? The brand is famous for sometimes taking unexpected turns, so we will be in the front seat, waiting to be surprised.

Will the Rolex Milgauss return?

But that’s not all. It’s also the 70th anniversary of the Rolex Milgauss. It’s been a few years since the Genevan brand discontinued this engineer’s watch. Did we miss it from the Rolex lineup? Whenever I see one, I do! This quirky tool watch is excellent for those who want a watch that strays from the beaten path of obvious Rolex options.

Lex wrote a eulogy for the Milgauss, and both Robert-Jan and I have expressed our love for the last generation of Milgauss, featuring a green sapphire crystal and an orange lightning-bolt-shaped seconds hand. Will 2026 finally be the year that the Milgauss returns? You already know that we would love to see this eccentric option back in the Rolex collection.

Final thoughts on the brands to keep an eye on in 2026

There you have it — five brands to keep an eye on in 2026 based on previous exciting releases and/or upcoming anniversaries. Of course, there are many more brands we hope to see release exciting new watches. However, I’d like to turn the question over to you. What are the brands that you expect or hope to see stunning new releases from in 2026? Please let us know in the comments section, and we will see you next week for a new list!