The editorial team of the watch magazine Chronos Japan covered Watches & Wonders 2025, the trade fair for new watch releases. This article, originally published in the magazine under the title "New watches that shone in Geneva: The keywords were 'color' and 'small diameter,'" is now republished on webChronos. This article introduces the outstanding new movements introduced by Rolex, Grand Seiko, Bulgari, and others.
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
Edited by Yuto Hosoda (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
From high complications to compact watches, the new 2025 movement
At first glance, this year's Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025 may seem unspectacular, but a closer look reveals a number of excellent movements. Leading the pack are Rolex's Caliber 7135, equipped with a Dynapulse escapement, and Grand Seiko's Caliber 9RB2, which achieves an annual accuracy of ±20 seconds. Here, we'll take a look at these ambitious new models.
This new movement has a long power reserve of approximately 66 hours and a high vibration rate of 36,000 vph. The design, which enlarges the diameter and thins the movement, is completely different from the 32 series. As a result, it uses the space-consuming but highly efficient Dynapulse escapement and a Syloxi hairspring instead of a winding balance.
Since the 2000s, there has been a surge in innovation in base movements. This year could be considered the culmination of this. Symbolic examples are Rolex's Caliber 7135, equipped with a Dynapulse escapement, and Grand Seiko's Caliber 9RB2, which has an annual accuracy of ±20 seconds. These two movements theoretically possess outstanding accuracy for mass-produced automatic movements. Additionally, both have a long power reserve of around three days. From now on, each manufacturer will no doubt advance their movement development in an effort to catch up with this new standard.
The basic movement has also been upgraded. The Caliber TH31-02 used by TAG Heuer was developed in collaboration with AMT. It boasts a long power reserve of approximately 80 hours and theoretically boasts the same high accuracy as a COSC chronometer. Due to its large size, it is likely that only a limited number of models can be equipped with it, but this movement will undoubtedly enhance TAG Heuer's product appeal. Breitling, which is in the same price range, also uses the newly developed Caliber 31 in its basic Top Time B31. By sharing some of the components with the B19, it achieves high performance while keeping costs down. The combination of a power reserve of approximately 78 hours and a free-sprung balance is quite ambitious.
Vacheron Constantin's Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grande Complication – La Première – features an unprecedented complication. The movement, spread across three plates, has 1521 components, including 41 complications, five astronomical functions, and a Westminster repeater. Vacheron Constantin's refined design philosophy of dividing the functions among the individual plates has finally been realized in a wristwatch-sized masterpiece.
This year, Patek Philippe unveiled the "Complex Desk Clock 27000M" as their main model. It is, of course, powered by a newly developed movement. The regulator and main wheel train are repurposed from an existing pocket watch, and are driven by a 5m-long mainspring housed in three barrels. Its power reserve is approximately 31 days. Combined with a constant-force mechanism, it achieves a nominal daily accuracy of just ±1 second. It also features a perpetual calendar with a week display. This is a masterpiece.
The number of women's automatic watches has also improved. Following Chopard's release of the small-diameter 09 series, Bulgari has introduced its in-house Caliber BVS 100 Lady Solotempo. This robustly designed automatic boasts a power reserve of approximately 50 hours and a noticeably larger balance. The same caliber will reportedly be adopted by other LVMH subsidiaries in the future, meaning the group's women's models are sure to evolve significantly. Louis Vuitton has also announced a small-diameter automatic. While its use is still limited to certain men's models, its size is clearly aimed at women. This watch also boasts a long power reserve and a free-sprung balance.
This is an ambitious piece from Louis Vuitton. Its compact size is clearly aimed at women's watches. It boasts a high-quality finish, a long power reserve of approximately 50 hours for a small-diameter movement, and a free-sprung balance without a regulator. Its subdued rotor noise and smooth hand setting are comparable to those of established luxury watches. This caliber is sure to lead to future leaps.
Two of the most notable examples of complex movements are the Patek Philippe movement for table clocks and the Cal. 3655 used in Vacheron Constantin's Solaria. The skillful combination of classic structure and multi-functions is something only a long-established company with a strong track record in developing complex mechanisms can achieve.
The movement features a flying tourbillon at 6 o'clock. It boasts a shock resistance of at least 1 G/ms thanks to a shock absorber made of BMG glass located on the outer periphery, a jointed crown winding core, and an extremely thick O-ring around the crown. It's a simple, yet well-thought-out mechanism typical of IWC. However, because it takes up a lot of space, it would be difficult to apply it to other applications.
This is a newly developed automatic watch for women by Bulgari. The design began with the requirement of a long power reserve. The thickness of the movement was designed to appear thinner by ingeniously shaping the rotor. The balance wheel, which is large compared to the size, will theoretically give this movement excellent portability.
