Sleeper hits: the Time+Tide Team shares some absolute bangers you might have missed in 2025
Time+TideBetween the biggest editions yet of fairs like Watches & Wonders, Geneva Watch Days or Dubai Watch Week; anniversary releases from Audemars Piguet to Zenith; and more and more microbrands on the march, 2025 delivered more new watches than perhaps any year before it. TAG Heuer’s Formula 1 return brought fresh energy to the brand. Rolex unveiled an entirely new collection. Vacheron Constantin unveiled the most complicated wristwatch in the world. You get the picture. The sheer volume was staggering… It was hard to keep up!
Yet amid the fanfare surrounding GPHG winners and commercial successes, some genuinely compelling watches slipped past without the attention they deserved. We’re all in 2026 mode, but there are just some things you can’t sleep on. The Time+Tide team has been watching closely, though — here are the sleeper hits that caught our eye, the releases that flew under the radar but shouldn’t have.
Tom Austin’s pick: Ember Rocket
I get to see a lot of releases throughout the year, but none quite touched me as much as Ember’s Rocket, which I reviewed back in July. It’s a hugely slept-on watch that truly nails everything the concept of microbrands stands for, not only in its design but also in the brand’s approach. The Rocket started life as a sketch in founder John Glinister’s notebook during the COVID pandemic, and now, after several iterations and careful design consideration, the final product is here.
It’s definitely a sports watch, with a 40mm stainless steel case that takes on a distinctive, angular profile, supported by a tactile, bead-blasted surface finish. Every corner, angle, and facet has been fine-tuned and balanced by John’s own eye, resulting in a compact, cohesive design that works extremely well and wears smaller than its dimensions suggest. The dial options are bright and playful, featuring thoughtful details such as sandwich-style lume plots set beneath the surface and a shallow-angled chapter ring that neatly frames the dial. The Rocket shows such a high level of attention to detail that I’m genuinely struggling to imagine where John takes Ember next, but whatever comes, I’m looking forward to it.
Jamie Weiss’ pick: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Geographic
Truthfully, I think a number of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s releases could be classed as sleeper hits this year, if only because the outpouring of love that enthusiasts gave the admittedly beautiful Reverso Tribute Monoface on that stunning gold Milanese bracelet just outshone everything else. For example, the grey sector dial Master Control Calendar from September is an obvious candidate for a sleeper hit: it was just a new dial for a watch that’s been out for yonks, but it’s a cracking dial, and it ended up being a surprise hit on our social media channels – collecting thousands of likes and hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram. Similarly, I think we all forgot that the Reverso Minute Repeater came out this year at Watches & Wonders, too. That watch would be an easy candidate for best watch of the year in other years, thanks to its exquisite flinqué enamel guilloché dial alone, let alone its high complication!
However, the JLC that really stole my heart this year, and a watch that I think has been massively underrated, is the Reverso Tribute Geographic. Firstly, even without exposing its main complication, you can immediately differentiate this model from other Reversos thanks to its big date complication. Hell, even if this was just a Reverso Tribute with a big date at 12 and small seconds at 6, I’d still think it was an exemplary execution of this famous rotating watch. Unlike most big dates, it displays both numerals on the same plane, rather than stacking the date wheels and having one numeral appear lower than the other. This alone is pretty innovative, but wait, there’s more!
Flip it over, and the ‘Verso’ side is entirely dedicated to a world time disc, but unlike a typical world time disc – which has a city ring that moves around a dial with numerals staying fixed – JLC has done the opposite, with city indications laser-engraved onto the case and a beautifully hand-lacquered depiction of the globe from the North Pole, bisected by a rotating 24-hour disc on display through a sapphire ring. There’s some poetic beauty there about a Reverso flipping the script on how world time displays are typically executed. The knurled slider at the top of the case, used to advance the world time disc hour by hour, is both elegant and practical, too.
So, all in all, you have a Reverso that offers both beauty and practicality on its Verso side; mechanical innovation on both sides, thanks to its new calibre 834; and nevertheless remains both stylish and eminently wearable as a total package. Oh, and you can get it in steel or pink gold. Why aren’t more people talking about it? Okay, it’s slightly on the large size for a Reverso, but come on – this is a pearler of a watch. JLC undoubtedly deserves its laurels in 2025, and I’m mad more people aren’t talking about this Geographic, or the other complicated watches this watchmaker’s watchmaker released last year.
Andrew O’Connor’s pick: Bulgari Bronzo Chronograph
It was my favourite watch from Geneva Watch Days in 2025, and it has remained a favourite of 2025 as 2026 gets started. I’m a sucker for integrated rubber straps, and the Bulgari Bronzo is no different. Swapping the lightweight aluminium case for dense bronze makes for a heftier wearing experience, and the patina that bronze will develop makes, in my mind, for a fun juxtaposition of refined Italian luxury and earned grit.
While it isn’t groundbreaking on any heady horological fronts, the Bulgari Bronzo models released in 2025 indicate to me that Bulgari is having fun, and the world needs more of that. Available in both GMT and chronograph formats, both with automatic movements and 100 meters of water resistance, both models make for fully capable sport watches that are ready to earn some funky patina.
Jason Lee’s pick: Tudor Pelagos Ultra
2025 was a defining year for Tudor, marked less by radical reinvention and more by a careful sharpening of what the brand already does well. Much of the focus went into refining core models, with releases like the Ranger 36 Dune White, Black Bay 58 Burgundy, Black Bay 54 Lagoon Blue, and the Black Bay Pro Opaline reinforcing the depth of the catalogue. Among enthusiasts, the immediate headline was the Black Bay 54 Lagoon Blue on its five-link Jubilee bracelet—a watch that, understandably, captured plenty of wrist time and social media attention. And yes, that new Black Bay 54 is genuinely excellent. But the real sleeper hit of Tudor’s 2025 lineup, at least in my view, is the Pelagos Ultra.
When it debuted at Watches & Wonders 2025, it flew somewhat under the radar, largely because of its 43mm case size. On paper, it sounded like another oversized tool watch destined to be admired more than worn. In practice, that assumption turned out to be wrong. Once the Pelagos Ultra began appearing in boutiques and on wrists, perceptions shifted quickly. Despite the dimensions, it wears far more comfortably than expected—even on a medium-sized wrist like mine. The proportions, balance, and ergonomics all come together in a way that earlier Pelagos models only hinted at. For the first time, it feels like Tudor has fully nailed the professional dive watch brief.
Visually, the watch strikes a confident balance between purpose and restraint. The matte black dial is clean and legible, while the subtle sky-blue accents add just enough contrast. The Pelagos Ultra doesn’t shout for attention, but it rewards time spent with it—and that’s exactly why it stands out as one of Tudor’s most accomplished releases of the year, and a real sleeper hit.
Zach Blass’ pick: Louis Vuitton Tambour Brown Ceramic
Launched last year at LVMH Watch Week 2025, I was very, very impressed with the Tambour Brown Ceramic and felt it did not generate as much buzz as it deserved. I am not typically a fan of the colour brown in watchmaking, but this brown ceramic and rose gold hardware really works in the context of paying homage to the brand’s iconic trunks that led to Louis Vuitton becoming the titan it is today. The brand name, though iconic, has worked against Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking – akin to a brand like Bulgari, known primarily for work outside of watchmaking, that is plagued by ignorant instant dismissal by watch snobs.
Now, the Arnault family (Jean Arnault in particular) is making strong efforts to change the narrative, with Jean and Louis Vuitton in particular becoming champions of independent watchmaking and a haven for high-end independent watchmaking craft to be cultivated and deployed on Louis Vuitton watches. The finish and detailing of the watch, from the dial to the case and bracelet, and even the movement, are just excellent. It was launched prior to all the tariff madness at a price of US$68,000, which perhaps was a bit too steep for those incapable of fathoming Louis Vuitton watchmaking is top-tier, and the Convergence proabably stole a lot of the limelight in peak jumping/wandering hour mania, but, once in hand, it is irrefutable how well this design came together (at least in my opinion).
Andrew McUtchen’s pick: Atelier Wen Inflection
The thing I love about this watch is the finishing of the tantalum and the architecture of the bracelet. It’s borderline jewellery in the style of the bracelet, and the weight of it is just so luxurious. I still love the notion that when you put on an occasion watch—a real dressing-for-purpose watch, and if that purpose is to dress up and go out—your good watch is a weighted watch. This is just the heaviest watch ever.
Atelier Wen made their name through gradient dials, and that’s been the whole platform for the brand. But interestingly, it’s the inkiness and the infinite horizon of the onyx dial that attracts me here. And then the calligraphic Chinese-style gold numerals—you could just imagine someone dipping in. They’re textured, there’s a lot of material in the numerals in the way they’re painted, and you can see little flecks of gold in there. It’s so luxurious and just so lush, this piece with its bottomless black dial and these hand-painted gold elements.
The movement itself was developed with Girard-Perregaux, and they’ve skeletonised the rotor so it looks like the trunk of a bonsai tree—all bent and echoing that organic form. I can’t describe how moved I was by it. It shows their deadly intent to work with Girard-Perregaux on a movement. This is a brand that isn’t just doubling down on the perception of their integrated steel sports watch that looks a bit like a Nautilus, but more angled: this was them saying, “We believe we can make a jump to highly valuable and highly priced luxury watches,” and this is a watch where luxury just emanates from the object. You hold it, and you’re just like, damn.
Everyone I’ve shared this watch with has had that same reaction. It interests me that despite all our words and attempts to articulate and describe, there’s still a certain animal nature to the way an object can affect you. When I was showing this watch around at Dubai Watch Week, everyone made that pretend motion of lifting something heavy. But then they were all just… “yeah”. In awe. If you get a chance to see an Inflection, take that chance.
Borna Bošnjak’s pick: Grand Seiko U.F.A.
I’m sorry, but these should’ve been a much bigger deal than they turned out to be. Not only did Grand Seiko deliver an automatic Spring Drive offering in a more compact case, but the Japanese brand also finally caved in to fan demands and brought a well-designed toolless micro-adjust (which they inexplicably omitted in the steel-cased follow-up), and did it all in the most accurate mechanical watch they ever made. I’ll say it again – how were these not a bigger deal? The very name is meant to speak to those vintage GS fiends who yearn for a V.F.A., but the +/-20 second per year accuracy is simply unmatched for a movement produced in any significant numbers.
Part of me wonders why exactly this watch faded slightly into obscurity as the year went on. Mind you, it did get a couple of nods in “best of 2025” lists across a few publications, and it was Zach’s “marry” in our 2025 Kiss, Marry, Kill, but similarly to it being highlighted by me here, I felt like it deserved so much more. The icing on that particularly unfortunate cake is that it somehow got completely snubbed at the horological Oscars. Look, I genuinely love the Zenith G.F.J., and completely understand the historical significance of the Calibre 135 – here’s an article originally published in 2023 if you don’t believe me – but I think that even No. 1 G.F.J. fan Jamie couldn’t argue that the U.F.A. deserved this year’s Chronometry Prize. (Editor’s note: he’s right.)
To end on a cautiously positive note, the fact that Grand Seiko has already released more U.F.A. variants is promising, but I really hope they take into consideration something they’re already aware of, which is their high-pace release cycle that leaves very little downtime to enjoy what’s already there.
Russell Sheldrake’s pick: Czapek Time Jumper
I’ll be honest, the release completely passed me by when it first came out in mid-November last year. And I only really got the chance to discover it upon reading Borna’s excellent introductory article, and then later in the year, I was able to get my hands on it for the first time at a multi-brand event held here in London. As soon as I put it on my wrist, I couldn’t understand why more noise had not been made about it when it was first released. I will give myself the benefit of the doubt in my initial ignorance, as I was buried in travel and a couple of large-scale projects at that time, which required my full attention. But now that I have given this watch more consideration, it feels like one of the best releases of the year.
2025 was the year of jumping hour watches for me. We were inundated with them pretty consistently during the first half of the year, and then the Czapek Time Jumper finished things off on a high with a truly original design and movement. There are elements of a futuristic Urwerk design combined with classical elements that keep it grounded in our understanding of what a watch should be. The guilloché case/dial covering that radiates out from the central magnifying crystal offers a wonderful effect in both the gold and steel versions, and gives the wearer an incredibly tactile experience when you handle it.
Peering through that central viewing portal grants you a glimpse into the inner workings of the watch, whilst also giving you a clear view of the titular jumping hours. Laser-engraved on two sapphire discs and filled with lume, it curiously spans the full 24-hour range, a rare sight for jumping hour models, given the additional space required for the extra numbers. But I do think the best view of this watch is when you activate the small button at the bottom of the case to open it up.
The polished underside reflects the complex beauty of the fully exposed movement, offering a view of the incredible architecture that Czapek’s movement designers have conjured up. I am a sucker for an exposed and well-constructed movement, and the Calibre 10.01 ticks a lot of boxes for me. And the fact that this movement is set to become a base for the brand moving forward is even more exciting for me.
It is sad that this is only produced in a limited run, and the pricing is relatively high at CHF 42,000 for the steel and CHF 64,000 for the yellow gold, but I’m certain that won’t stop it from selling out. I’m a big fan of this watch, and there are a lot of other elements that I would touch on if I had the time. But I will leave you with this: if you are able to put one of these on your wrist, jump at the chance. (Editor’s note: I see what he did there.)
Pietro Pilla’s pick: Greubel Forsey Hand Made 2
When certain watches are so limited and so expensive, it’s hard to say if they are indeed sleepers or if people just stopped talking about them because they are out of reach for most. However, I think this belongs to the latter: when the GPHG results came out in November, I was surprised to only see the Nano Foudroyante from Greubel Forsey. It ended up winning the Mechanical Exception prize, which I think is more than deserved, but in doing so, it overshadowed its older sibling. The good thing is that they are such different concepts that they are not really in competition.
When the Hand Made 2 was unveiled, I was blown away. It’s always difficult to be the second chapter of something so successful, but this somehow managed to do it. Although (relatively) less complicated than its first edition, the layout of the various wheels appears more balanced and fuller at the same time, a sort of controlled chaos that leaves less empty space on the openworked dial. I loved how they maintained the multi-level construction, really allowing you to get lost in the depth of such carefully crafted elements. And, even though the strong point of this watch is its extreme craftsmanship, the icing on the cake was seeing its more compact dimensions, which make it more suitable for such a sophisticated timepiece.