Watch News Briefing: A Tourbillon for the Pool, the Poetry of Nature, a Chronograph, and a Jewelry Watch

The new watch models unveiled in recent days offer a cross-section of the watch industry from a wide variety of perspectives. Sometimes the focus is on technical ceramics and color—combined with haute horlogerie; sometimes on a poetically interpreted dial; sometimes on French chronograph culture; and sometimes on the jewelry-like character of a watch.

Hublot showcases pastel-colored high-tech ceramic this summer. Grand Seiko translates Japanese nature poetry into a 62GS model in yellow gold. Pequignet expands its first in-house chronograph with a new variant. Frederique Constant, meanwhile, emphasizes the connection between watches and jewelry with the Classics Manchette Turquoise.

Four new designs, four very different ways of expressing color, material, and form.

Hublot Big Bang Summer 2026

Hublot is once again turning summer into a stage for colorful ceramics. For 2026, the spotlight is on two Big Bang Summer models that combine mint green, pink, and sky blue into a multicolored ceramic composition. The look is deliberately softer than many of Hublot’s previous experiments with color, yet remains firmly rooted in the brand’s material aesthetic.

^{Hublot: Big Bang Tourbillon Multi-Colored Ceramic & on the right: Big Bang Unico Multi-Colored Ceramic}

The Big Bang Summer Multi-Colored Ceramic is available as a chronograph with a Unico in-house movement and flyback function, as well as a self-winding tourbillon model. The chronograph is limited to 200 pieces, and the tourbillon to ten pieces. Both models come with interchangeable rubber straps in sky blue, mint green, and pink.

Key Technical Specifications: Tourbillon – Big Bang Summer Multi-Colored Ceramic Tourbillon

• 44-millimeter case made of multicolored ceramic
• HUB6035 in-house caliber with automatic winding
• Tourbillon with a visible micro-rotor
• Power reserve: approx. 72 hours
• Limited edition: 10 copies

Key Technical Specifications – Big Bang Summer Multi-Colored Ceramic Chronograph

• Case made of pink, mint green, and sky blue ceramic
• HUB1280 Automatic Unico In-House Caliber
• Flyback chronograph with column wheel
• Frequency: 28,800 half-cycles per hour
• Power reserve: approx. 72 hours
• Water resistance: 100 meters
• Limited edition: 200 copies

In addition, Hublot is presenting three monochrome ceramic models in peach, mint, and petrol blue. Particularly striking: For the first time in the history of the Big Bang, the 33-millimeter model appears without diamonds, thereby placing greater emphasis on the color itself.

^{Hublot: Big Bang 33mm Petrol Blue, Peach & Mint Green Ceramic}

Grand Seiko 62GS Sakura-Wakaba

Grand Seiko is expanding its Heritage Collection with a new 62GS model in 18-karat yellow gold. The “Sakura-Wakaba” model draws inspiration from that brief moment in spring when cherry blossoms and young green leaves appear simultaneously. Grand Seiko captures this mood in a light, shimmering gold-green dial.

^{Grand Seiko: Sakura Wakaba}

The 62GS design dates back to 1967 and was the first automatic Grand Seiko. It is characterized by its clean case architecture, broad surfaces, sharp edges, and bezel-less construction, in which the crystal sits directly on the case. The new version translates this design language into a 38-millimeter case made of 18-karat yellow gold.

Key Technical Specifications – Heritage Collection 62GS Sakura-Wakaba

• Case made of 18-karat yellow gold
• Diameter: 38 millimeters
• Bezel-less 62GS Case Architecture
• Automatic Hi-Beat Caliber 9S85
• Frequency: 36,000 half-oscillations per hour
• Power reserve: approx. 55 hours
• Water resistance: 10 bar

Pequignet Royale Paris Chrono

Pequignet continues its Royale Paris Chrono line. The chronograph, unveiled at Watches & Wonders, is the French brand’s first in-house chronograph and, following the two initial versions with blue and red counters, is now also available with black sub-dials.

^{Pequignet: Royale Paris Chrono Blue & Red}

The new version remains true to the collection’s core concept: a sporty yet elegant chronograph with a French aesthetic, clean case design, and technical sophistication. The silver-colored dial is highlighted by two black, snail-finished sub-dials. It also features a small seconds hand, a 30-minute counter, and a tachymeter scale.

Key Technical Specifications – Pequignet Royale Paris Chrono

• Stainless steel housing
• Diameter: 39.5 millimeters
• Height: 12.7 millimeters
• Domed, anti-reflective sapphire crystal in the "Glassbox" style
• Calibre Initial® Chronograph
• Small seconds at 3 o'clock
• 30-minute chronograph counter at 9 o'clock
• Central chronograph seconds hand
• Water resistance: 5 ATM
• Leather strap or steel strap

The version with black counters will initially be available exclusively at the Pequignet boutiques in Paris and Besançon, as well as online.

Frederique Constant Classics Manchette Turquoise

With the Classics Manchette Turquoise, Frederique Constant focuses on the fusion of watch and jewelry. The centerpiece is a dial made of genuine turquoise. Since the stone is sourced from natural material, each watch has its own unique texture and shade.

The Manchette was originally introduced in 2012 and returned in a new design in 2025. The current Turquoise version retains the line’s distinctive silhouette but now features seven links and gold-colored elements inspired by the Clous de Paris pattern.

The technical aspect takes a back seat here more so than with the other new releases; what matters most are the effect of the materials, the color, and the watch’s visual presence. It is precisely for this reason that the Manchette Turquoise fits into a trend in which jewelry watches are becoming significantly more prominent.