Happy Watches & Wonders month, folks! If the annual Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) awards are akin to the Oscars of watchmaking, Watches & Wonders is more like a buffet for the ardent horologist.
Beginning its life as an industry event uniting luxury watch brands, independent watchmakers, media, retailers, and executives in Geneva, Switzerland, Watches & Wonders now also has an open-to-the-public element, bringing one of the most important cogs in the calibre—the customers!—into the mix. Watches & Wonders 2026 marks the sixth year of the watch fair, with this iteration particularly notable as it’s the first time Audemars Piguet will be participating, meaning all members of the holy trinity will be releasing novelties.
While there’s no shortage of new watch releases throughout the year—as evidenced by the slew of launches in each edition of In The Loupe—many major players reserve the bulk of their releases for Watches & Wonders, meaning April is always a blockbuster month in the watch world. Alongside the fair, you can also expect to see non-participating established and indie brands timing their releases to coincide with the madness in Geneva.
Our dedicated Watches & Wonders 2026 housing will have detailed coverage on all the new releases to know about from the likes of Patek Philippe, Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Zenith, Rolex, and Piaget, while In The Loupe will be sharing quick insights into the latest and greatest new releases and other industry tidbits you might have missed.
While every (wo)man and their Datejust knows about Watches & Wonders (which takes place from the 14th to 20th of April, FYI), a fair few less know about Chronopolis, a watch fair that runs concurrently in Geneva from the 14th or 18th of April. Debuting this year, Chronopolis is a free, open-access watch fair founded by Maxime Couturier and Lorenzo Maillard, which puts the spotlight on smaller, independent, design-led brands. Among the exhibiting brands are Atelier Wen, AWAKE, Baltic, Breda, Farer, Furlan Marri, Nivada Grenchen, Serica, YEMA, and SpaceOne. As supporters of independent watchmaking—not to mention longtime fans of several of the aforementioned brands—we’ll naturally be covering the best releases coming out of Chronopolis here, in the April 2026 edition of In The Loupe.
April 2026 watch news
Naturally, we’re back with the April 2026 edition of In The Loupe, keeping you up-to-date with everything you need to know in the watch world, from industry news to new releases.
Indie darling Rexhep Rexhepi unveils a new Flyback Chronograph
- Independent watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi has long been one to watch, with the Kosovo-born, Geneva-based watchmaker releasing his first flyback chronograph, powered by an entirely new in-house calibre that took three years to develop
- The hand-wound movement was developed with thinness in mind and features a flyback chronograph and a jumping minute counter, with the movement architecture developed with both function and form in mind
- The hand-wound calibre RRCHF prioritises symmetry and visual harmony, with the exhibition caseback allowing wearers to admire the horizontal clutch architecture and oversized central bridge
- It’s housed within a 38.8mm case (platinum with a blue enamel dial or rose gold with black enamel dial) and features a symmetrical tricompax subdial layout, with each subdial crafted from smoked sapphire crystal, allowing visibility of the movement beneath
Price: $150,000CHF
Availability: limited production (approx. 50 examples/year)
Model: Chronograph Flyback RRCHF
Case size: 38.8mm
Movement: RRCHF (manually wound)
Water resistance: ATM
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, instantaneous minutes, flyback chronograph
Power reserve: 72 hours
Explore Chronograph Flyback RRCHF via Rexhep Rexhepi.
Fears plates up fine China with for spring with a ‘China Blue’ Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour
- British watch brand Fears has unveiled its spring releases, bestowing its Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour watch with a ‘China Blue’ dial
- The pale blue shade takes over the central sector of the dial in matte lacquer, which is surrounded by a barleycorn pattern
- It’s housed within the brand’s signature 40.5mm cushion case and powered by the Sellita SW200 base movement, modified to include a Christopher Ward JJ01 jumping-hour module
Price: $8100AUD
Model: Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour ‘China Blue’
Case size: 40.5mm
Movement: Sellita SW200 with Module JJ01 (automatic)
Water resistance: 10ATM
Functions: jumping hours, minutes
Power reserve: 38 hours
Explore Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour ‘China Blue’ via Fears.
Rolex’s Pepsi loses its fizz
Rolex has officially discontinued its ‘Pepsi’ GMT-Master II. The soft drink moniker is most commonly used in reference to the steel variant on an Oyster bracelet with a blue lacquer dial paired with a red and blue Bakelite bezel, but there’s also a white gold version on a Jubilee bracelet with the same bezel and a meteorite dial. At the time of discontinuation, the steel Oyster bracelet variant retailed for $11,800USD, however was near impossible to obtain at retail. Expect grey market prices to skyrocket.
Beda’a closes the dial with its new Angles Guichets
- Beda’a launches its first timepiece with a complication, with the Angles Guichets
- Housed within the Qatari watch brand’s 37mm octagonal Angles case (available in untreated or gold-plated stainless steel), the closed dial of the timepiece is decorated with vertical gadroons
- There are two curved guichets (windows) on the upper half of the dial, the first displaying the hours via a 24-hour scale split into a day and night and the bottom one with the minutes
- It’s powered by a calibre Peseux/ETA 7001, a hand-wound movement with a 42-hour power reserve, modified to support the 24-hour indicator
Price: $1800CHF
Model: Angles Guichets
Case size: 37mm
Movement: Peseux/ETA 7001 (manually wound)
Water resistance: 3ATM
Functions: 24-hour indicator, minutes
Power reserve: 42 hours
Explore Angles Guichets via Beda’a.
Bell & Ross proves it can do haute horology with the BR-X3 Micro Rotor
- Bell & Ross shows that its distinct design language can translate to the world of haute horology with the BR-X3 Micro Rotor
- Housed within a 40mm square case with rounded edges, the case and movement plate are a single entity, with the central plate housing the microrotor movement and the semi-skeletonized dial in one form
- It’s powered by the calibre BR-CAL.390, an in-house automatic movement with a power reserve of 48 hours
Price: $34,300AUD
Availability: 99 examples
Model: BR-X3 Micro Rotor (ref. BRX3M-MR-ST/SCA)
Case size: 40mm
Movement: BR-CAL.390 (automatic)
Water resistance: 5ATM
Functions: hours, minutes
Power reserve: 48 hours
Explore BR-X3 Micro Rotor via Bell & Ross.
Kiwame Tokyo draws upon Japanese architecture for MUNE (棟)
- Japanese microbrand Kiwame Tokyo has made a name for itself in a relatively short time thanks to its considered aesthetics and approachable price point
- The new MUNE collection is the brand’s third outing, which draws inspiration from the architectural aesthetics of traditional Japanese design
- The dress watch arrives in a 38mm stainless steel case with a lacquered black or white dial, topped with applied Breguet numerals; save for the index at 12 o’clock which is shaped like the ridge of a traditional Japanese roof (or ‘mune’, in Japanese)
- It’s powered by the Miyota 9039, an automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve
Price: $690USD
Model: MUNE (棟)
Case size: 38mm
Movement: Miyota 9039 (automatic)
Water resistance: 10ATM
Functions: hours, minutes
Power reserve: 42 hours
Explore MUNE (棟) via Kiwame Tokyo.
TAOS presents a duo of métiers d’art marvels
- Métiers d’art independent watch brand TAOS has released a duo of one-of-a-kind timepieces inspired by nature, each taking over 1000 hours to execute by the artisans of the Atelier Olivier Vaucher in Geneva
- Both timepieces are housed within a 38mm white gold case, with the Genèse employing stone marquetry in black jade and blue agate as well as engraved enamel to evoke the minerality of Earth’s rock
- Meanwhile, the Odonata looks to flora and fauna, creating a surrealist Garden of Eden though transluscent paillonné and plique-à-jour enamel in sky blues, mauves, and iridescent white, accompanied by diamond and mother-of-pearl details
- Both timepieces are powered by the calibre VOP318, an automatic movement exclusively made by Télôs for TAOS, with a 72-hour power reserve
Price: $150,000CHF (Genèse); $200,000CHF (Odonata)
Availability: one example each
Model: Genèse; Odonata
Case size: 38mm
Movement: VOP318 (automatic)
Water resistance: 3ATM
Functions: hours, minutes
Power reserve: 72 hours
Explore Genèse and Odonata via TAOS.
Greubel Forsey’s new Balancier 3 is (con)vexingly blue
- Independent watch brand Greubel Forsey has released a new iteration of its Balancier 3, which was first introduced in 2023
- It’s housed in the brand’s 41.5mm Convexe titanium case which sees the movement submerged within the dial
- The light blue movement is surrounded by a darker blue flange which houses the minutes track, with the movement defined by its three prominent bridges; the barrel bridge, the balance bridge, and the large central bridge that supports the hours and minutes display and extends toward the small seconds disc
- The latter bridge is crafted from titanium and hand-finished with a steel brush across its entire curved surface; a first for the model
- It’s powered by the in-house Balancier calibre, a hand-wound movement with the brand’s signature variable-inertia balance wheel system and a 72-hour power reserve
Price: $205,000USD
Availability: 22
Model: Balancier 3
Case size: 41.5mm
Movement: Balancier (automatic)
Water resistance: 5ATM
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve indicator
Power reserve: 72 hours
Explore Balancier 3 via Greubel Forsey.
Swiss watch brand Corum is back (in Swiss hands)
Corum has relaunched under new CEO and chairman Haso Mehmedovic, who has spent his entire career at the La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture. Swiss watch brand Corum was founded in 1955 and is best known for its Admiral and Golden Bridge models. From 2013 to April 2025, Corum was managed by Hong Kong-based Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group, before a management buyout helmed by Mehmedovic, a watchmaker and (at the time) International Sales Manager of Corum. The buyout sees the independent watch brand back under Swiss ownership.
Beginning its new chapter with a bang, Corum has introduced a lineup of novelties. The brand has launched 11 new Admiral references, each debuting a redesigned case, new dials, and a new integrated bracelet, as well as being powered by a new proprietary calibre developed in collaboration with Concepto, an independent manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. These releases are divided into six 39mm references and five 36mm references, and supplant the preexisting Admiral collection.
There are also six new Golden Bridge Sapphire references across three models, each offered with either a gray gold or rose gold movement finish. The sextet boasts a new sapphire case, marking the first time the material has been used on a Golden Bridge model, and subtly nodding to the transparent aesthetic that defined the design’s early days.
Rounding it out are two Heritage pieces; a Coin and a Golden Book. Each will be produced in limited quantities annually.
Penguins get frisky on the caseback of the Nivada Grenchen Antarctic Erotic
No, this is not an April Fool’s Day watch. Equal parts a homage to the longstanding watchmaking tradition of erotic watches as it is to the polar exploration era that shaped the model in the 1950s, The Nivada Gretchen Antarctic Erotic revives one of the brand’s archival models from 1954, albeit with a twist — in the form of a little erotic penguin automation.
- The Nivada Grenchen Antarctic Erotic is housed within the brand’s 38mm Spider case, crafted from stainless steel and finished with alternating polished and brushed surfaces
- It’s available in six dial shades—salmon, eggshell beige, brown, white, tuxedo, and black—each topped with clean stick indices with Arabic numerals at the cardinal numbers
- All dials are free from any complications, with the exception of the tuxedo dial, which has a date window at 3 o’clock
- The newcomers are powered by the Soprod P054, a hand-wound movement with a 42-hour power reserve. The exhibition caseback showcases the movement which is topped with two carved penguins in a rather…compromising position. When the movement is wound, the back penguin springs into action, putting on a private show visible only to the wearer
Price: $1569USD
Model: Antarctic Erotic
Case size: 38mm
Movement: Soprod P054 (manually wound)
Water resistance: 10ATM
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, automation (salmon, eggshell beige, brown, white, black); hours, minutes, seconds, date, automation (tuxedo)
Power reserve: 42 hours
Explore Antarctic Erotic via Nivada Grenchen.
Baltic drops a stone dial worldtimer
- Baltic unites the stone dial watch trend with the popular world time complication in its new Heures du Monde collection
- Marking the first time the French independent watch brand has offered a world time complication, the Heures du Monde collection launches with three references, each encased in a 37mm stainless steel case
- Each timepiece features a central stone dial—in tiger’s eye, sodalite, or labradorite—which is topped with sword-shaped hands and a domed sapphire crystal and surrounded by a unidirectional brushed ceramic bezel bearing the city names
- The timepieces are powered by the Soprod C125 GMT, an automatic world time calibre with a 42-hour power reserve
Price: from €1300AUD
Availability: 200 examples per reference at launch (will transition into permanent collection)
Model: Heures du Monde
Case size: 37mm
Movement: Soprod C125 GMT (automatic)
Water resistance: 10ATM
Functions: hours, minutes, world time, stop seconds
Power reserve: 42 hours
Explore Heures du Monde via Baltic.
Want to know what’s ticking in the watch world? Find all our watch news coverage here, and catch on previous editions of In The Loupe below:
- In The Loupe: The Watch News To Know In January 2026
- In The Loupe: The Watch News To Know In February 2026
- In The Loupe: The Watch News To Know In March 2026
Words by Theo Rosen and Henry Blake
