Watch News Briefing: from Haute Horlogerie to Tool Watch
Four new releases, four very different aspects of watchmaking: Louis Moinet combines an astronomical display with meteorites; Unimatic brings motorsport colors to a robust tool watch; Reservoir refines its instrumental design language; and Bruno Söhnle reimagines a chronograph from Glashütte.
Louis Moinet Moon Meteor: Moon Phase with Six Meteorites
With the Moon Meteor, Louis Moinet translates the moon’s orbit into a three-dimensional celestial landscape. At the center of the dial, a slightly domed moon disc rotates, accompanied by a small astronaut figure. Six fragments of different meteorites form part of the display and the design.
The Astronaut as a Point of Reference
Unlike in a traditional moon phase display, the Moon does not appear as a semicircular segment. The large, engraved, and hand-painted disc lies exposed at the center of the dial. The astronaut positioned above it remains stationary, while the moon continues to rotate beneath his feet. Two rare lunar meteorites mark the full moon and new moon.
Three additional meteorite fragments represent meteors streaking across the celestial landscape. The encircling altitude ring is made from a sixth meteorite. Luminous material in the engraved recesses, along with a cloud of nebula built up from multiple layers of lacquer and varnish, alter the effect in the dark.
This cosmic scene draws on Louis Moinet’s historic connection to astronomy. The “Compteur de Tierces,” completed in 1816, was designed for astronomical observations and is today considered an early chronograph. Meteorites remain a recurring material in the brand’s current production as well. For more on this, see our article on skeleton watches by Louis Moinet and other independent brands.
As of the initial announcement on September 8, 2026, no official details were available regarding case dimensions, movement, limited edition size, price, or availability.
Unimatic Modello Quattro UT4-TBB: 45 tool watches for the Mottarone
Unimatic is developing the Modello Quattro UT4-TBB in conjunction with the Tutto Bene Mottarone Hill Climb. Limited to 45 individually numbered pieces, the watch features a Cerakote H-362 Patriot Blue coating. Two additional versions in gold and pink champagne were produced exclusively for the drivers of the hill climb on September 9, 2026, and will not be available for general sale.
Blue case, high-contrast hands
The case is made of 316L stainless steel and measures 40 millimeters in diameter, 41.5 millimeters including the bezel, and 49 millimeters from lug to lug. The solid monoblock bezel, drilled lugs, and the 8-millimeter screw-down crown follow the functional architecture of the Modello Quattro. The watch is tested to MIL-STD-810H standards and is water-resistant to 300 meters.
A 2.8-millimeter-thick sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on the inside protects the blue dial. Three-dimensional hour markers with UNILIGHT C1 are paired with a purple hour hand, a pink minute hand, and a yellow reverse lollipop seconds hand.
Quartz Caliber with Sliding Second Hand
Inside, the Seiko VH31A quartz caliber powers the watch. The accuracy is specified as plus or minus 15 seconds per month, and the battery life is approximately two years. The UT4-TBB comes on a two-piece nylon strap in Patriot Blue. Sales began on September 9, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. CEST, exclusively through Unimatic. The price is 625 euros, excluding VAT.
Reservoir Mark II: A Seamless Instrument Design
Reservoir brings together three well-known design lines in the new Mark II series: GT Tour Mark II, Kanister Mark II, and Airfight Jet Mark II. The dials continue to evoke tachometers, fuel gauges, and cockpit instruments. The most notable new feature is the more cohesive look of the case and integrated strap.
The distinctive display principle remains the same: a retrograde minute hand moving along a large arc meets a jumping hour hand and a power reserve indicator. Rather than simply echoing the instrument-style design on the dial, the Mark II generation now extends its lines more prominently across the case, crown, and strap.
The three variants apply the same technical foundation to different themes. GT Tour draws inspiration from auto racing, Kanister from fuel and pressure gauges, and Airfight Jet from aviation. Reservoir unveiled the collection at the Geneva Watch Days 2026; the price for all three models is listed at 7,200 euros.
Bruno Söhnle Turin Chronograph: matte and high-contrast
Bruno Söhnle has redesigned the Turin Chronograph without altering its proportions. The previous sunburst finish has been replaced by a finely textured, matte dial. The newly designed hands and hour markers are coated with luminescent material to improve readability.
The three versions differ primarily in their stop-seconds hand. The stainless steel version with a white dial combines a black accent ring with a silver-colored chronograph hand. On the black stainless steel model, orange provides a contrast, while the fully black ion-plated version features a yellow hand.
They all share a diameter of 39.5 millimeters, sapphire crystal, a large date display, a chronograph function, and water resistance of 10 bar. The models, manufactured in Glashütte, start at 950 euros and are available through specialty retailers as well as directly from Bruno Söhnle.
