Complication watches are preceded by years of research and development, hence against the uncertain backdrop of 2025, one might have expected those brands best versed in these high-flying mechanisms to have pressed pause, returning even stronger in twelve months’ time. Watches and Wonders Geneva refuted this hypothesis, not least in view of the many anniversaries taking place in 2025, which cannot, of course, be put back a year. The first and most striking of these milestones concerns Vacheron Constantin, which is marking 270 years of uninterrupted activity. An exploit indeed and every exploit deserves to be celebrated: in this instance with a model on a par with such exceptional longevity and the expertise behind it. The Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication - La Première is unique in every sense. This double-sided wristwatch is “part of a long tradition of timepieces dedicated to the particularities of the solar system and the fascination that they exert,” writes the brand. With 1,521 components, 41 complications and 13 patent applications, it “breaks new ground, not only in mechanical complexity, innovation and design, but also in the realm of miniaturisation.”

This determination to constantly push the boundaries drives others to always go beyond limits, not least Bulgari whose Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon has earned the brand its tenth “thinnest ever” title, although this is, the brand insists, about more than setting a record: “The Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon exemplifies Bulgari's mastery in radically rethinking watch design, development and engineering. By integrating a skeleton tourbillon into a watch with a total thickness of just 1.85mm, the Roman jeweller’s Swiss watchmaking division showcases its expertise with one of horology’s most emblematic complications.” Another brand, another record, as Ulysse Nardin unveiled the lightest mechanical dive watch ever made. Developed within an innovative ecosystem of start-ups, the Diver [AIR] combines titanium, silicon, CarbonFoil and Nylo®-Foil in a skeleton construction. It tips the scales at just 52g with the strap and weighs less than 46g without the strap. Rated water-resistance to 200 metres, it can withstand an impact of 5,000g. 

Rules are for breaking, limits are for surpassing, at least in the eyes of those brands in constant search of extreme solutions. For Grand Seiko, this means the pursuit of high accuracy. The brand revealed the fruits of its labours in Geneva, where it presented the Spring Drive Caliber 9RB2 which, according to Grand Seiko, takes its “legacy of accuracy in watchmaking to new heights.” This groundbreaking movement has been given the new U.F.A. (Ultra Fine Accuracy) designation: a level of precision defined not in seconds per day, week or month, but per year. This automatic U.F.A. movement boasts an astoundingly accurate annual rate of ±20 seconds. This makes it the most accurate wristwatch movement powered by a mainspring and regulated by a quartz oscillator to date.

Alongside this avalanche of records, there were a number of outstanding propositions in grand complication timepieces, beginning with A. Lange & Söhne and its Minute Repeater Perpetual. Roger Dubuis was another. It is marking its thirtieth anniversary with an exceptional timepiece, described as “a tribute to Mr. Roger Dubuis, who dreamed of crafting timepieces that cannot be found anywhere else. Rewarded by the prestigious Poinçon de Genève, the watch reveals unexpected aesthetics and the combination of a perpetual calendar, a minute repeater and a tourbillon.” In fact perpetual calendars were having something of a moment at Watches and Wonders Geneva, with no fewer than 16 brands exploring a complication that will display day, date, month and leap year without any adjustment until 2100. Notable examples could be found at Frederique Constant, IWC Schaffhausen, Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier and Vacheron Constantin, in addition to Patek Philippe which introduced a perpetual calendar to its Twenty~4 collection.

Also out in force: the tourbillon regulator. Patented more than two centuries ago, it made multiple appearances, including at Arnold & Son, Chopard, H. Moser & Cie. and Hublot. Special mention goes to Czapek which equips its Antarctique Tourbillon with a movement that is designed and manufactured entirely in-house to precise aesthetic criteria, as the brand explains: “The fundamental principle was that that the three key elements – tourbillon, gear train and barrel – should be revealed on the dial side, perfectly aligned on the vertical axis and appearing as airy and light as possible. The openworked flying tourbillon appears to hover between the main plate and the dial.” As brilliant as their predecessors were, the watchmakers at the Geneva fair proved beyond doubt that there is always new ground to break.