The most surprising new watch releases and why they are all game changers

In a week that began with Breitling unveiling its new Navitimer collection mid air circling Geneva with CEO Georges Kern dressed in a rather fetching pilot uniform, and ended in the esteemed company of an Oscar winner as Hans Zimmer performed at an intimate IWC concert, it’s fair to say there was a lot happening in the watch world last week.

A couple of big surprises hogged much of the limelight – notably TAG Heuer shocked nearly everyone in the watch fraternity with a Carrera Plasma Tourbillon whose dial is made entirely of lab-grown diamonds, and Patek Philippe’s new Calatrava Ref. 5226G also caused a lot of (extremely positive) gasps.

But there were plenty of other revelations too, some which will have far broader appeal because you might actually be able to get hold of some of them, and others for their sheer audacity in the design and technical stakes. Having fully digested what went down in and around Watches & Wonders so you don’t have to, here are the big moves and new watch releases that are particularly surprising. Here’s why.

Albert Bauer Companies

Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date

Question for the floor: would you rather have a nickname that you don’t necessarily dig, or not have one at all? I ask because within a day of unveiling its brand new (and pretty dreamy) 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date, Montblanc fans were already calling it the ‘Iced Tea’. When Laurent Lecamp (who was recently unveiled as Montblanc’s new managing director of watches) heard the nickname, he was initially a bit peeved but soon realised something: only watches that people care enough about to comment on get nicknames. Montblanc’s ‘Iced Tea’ is perhaps the most unexpected drink on the new watch menu alongside Tudor’s ‘Root Beer’ and Rolex’s two-tone destro ‘Heineken’ (work in progress that one) and there’s a strong case for it being the most exciting. Like Zenith did in 2021, it’s fair to say Montblanc is having a bit of a renaissance moment in 2022. Cool stakes and hype around its watches have been on a steady upward trajectory but this 1858 Iced Tea, sorry Sea function-forward tool watch really adds to the momentum. As well as being an affordable option, it’s the novel story behind the glacier dial that everyone is frothing over most. The frosty effect is a nod to Mont Blanc itself, with the blue, green and black colourways by the shades seen in, you guessed, glaciers.