Editors' Picks: The Fantasy Watches We Want To See In 2025

If you can’t tell, I’ve got a thing for Chopard. The L.U.C Sport 2000 is one of the most underrated neo-vintage sport watches out there, with that silver guilloché dial; perfectly sized, 40mm wide and 10mm thick case with 100 meters of water resistance; and a COSC-certified micro-rotor movement. This watch was discontinued years ago but a contemporary take on it would almost certainly find itself on my wrist (and do gangbusters in general, IMHO). So, my fantasy watch is a fresh take on the original that opts for a titanium case, has no date window, and features a sleeker new case style and crown. What makes the watch great stays the same, and it actually cleans up quite nicely on a leather strap as opposed to a rubber strap or metal bracelet.

I’ve always considered the Sport 2000 to be an Explorer-killer, but take that package and bring it into 2025 with a slick titanium case and symmetrical dial? For me, that’s not just a fantasy watch but a perfect everyday watch.

Teddy Baldassarre: Tudor Pelagos 39 Blue

For nearly a decade, the lion's share of internal recognition from Rolex-owned Tudor has been committed to one dive-watch family, the Black Bay. This might be an obvious result, given the commercial success and the upholding of the distant yet constantly mentioned lineage of the Tudor Submariner.  I am the last person who will be jumping on the "the Black Bay is played out" train, as the collection now seems to finally be reaching its mature stride with updated looks, on-the-fly adjustment, and Master Chronometer certifications as part of the newfound standard.  

Despite its recent success, if 1960s and 1970s Tudor had the capabilities of today, the watch it would likely create that also doubles as my choice would be the Tudor Pelagos at 39mm in blue.  When you share history with the Crown of Switzerland, there are inherent benefits that come with it. On the other hand, some challenges come with having an intersecting history with the industry's most ubiquitous dive watch design. What Tudor can always claim compared to its corporate sibling is an early use of blue and a hint of playful nonchalance in its interpretation of tool watches of the period.  These mild peculiarities to the philosophy were what caused me to become a lover of vintage Tudor Submariners.

So, what exactly is the watch I am yearning for? It would simply be a modified M25407 with a blue dial in titanium and a Master Chronometer certification. The last part of the equation is likely why this exact model has not been created yet. As of this moment, there are no three-hand divers from Tudor at 39mm that are Master Chronometer certified. The possibility of its arrival seems increasingly plausible following the release of the 58 GMT this past year.  I am not going to leave you all in astonishment at the creativity of my pick; however, that was not a prerequisite of validity for my choice, nor do I value being a contrarian over expressing my authentic taste. Nevertheless, whenever this day comes, I will be there with my wallet and an empty wrist, ready for a new piece to accompany it. 

Jonathan McWhorter: Rolex Daytona Titanium

To be fair, this is my answer to this same question every single year. While I do think our dear Daytona has suffered more than its share of Instagram hype, this is still the racing chronograph to end all racing chronographs. That is a hill I am prepared to defend; the hype is justified. The proportions are fantastic, the build quality is (obviously) exceptional, and Rolex has the watchmaking chops to back it all up: an in-house automatic chronograph that’s inside 12mm thick is, objectively, an impressive feat.

What hasn’t yet happened, and what I ask for every year, is a titanium version of the watch. In my opinion, the ceramic bezel is fine on the steel models, but I think the metal-bezeled references are the superior specification of the Daytona — the 116520 being the last of its kind — yet the precious metals still maintain this form factor. All of this aside, for the Daytona to truly go full-race, we need to see a reference in titanium. Sure, it seems as if Ti is the case-material du jour as of late, but this is an application that only makes sense in my mind for a racing chronograph. Couple it with a matching metal bezel and we’re really cooking with gas now. 

However, for this to be more than just a simple “material change,” Rolex would surely take this one step further, at least in my imagined scenario. And my request here is that the Crown make a serious statement by modifying the Caliber 4130 so that this hypothetical titanium Tony could feature a flyback chronograph in the same package. In spite of what many internet commenters may want you to believe, Rolex watches are serious pieces with serious pedigree; even if the peanut gallery has largely reduced them to status symbols. And I believe that a move like this can and would remind everyone of what Rolex is actually capable of. I patiently await my allocation.

Erin Wilborn: The Smart Casio

I have recently splurged on a gym membership for myself, and for the first time, I’m suddenly interested in tracking everything, as if conscious knowledge of my stats will make my workouts more effective. Honestly, I’m not even at the point of my gym lifestyle where I would know how to implement most of what the data would tell me. It’s more of a comfort thing than anything. 

That being said, I still can’t believe that there aren’t any more discreet options for smartwatches on the market today. I have enough screens in my life, I don’t need one on my wrist. And though Casio has released some G-Shocks recently that are marketed for activity tracking, they’re still huge. In the smartwatch of my fantasies, Casio would release a take on one of its iconic vintage models with the necessary sensors on the back. It would be small and stealthy and have a graphic display with pixel art indicating different workout and health modes. Is this too much to ask for?!

D.C. Hannay: TAG Heuer S/el Matte Black Ceramic

When this assignment pinged my radar, I took it as either a call to reissue a dearly discontinued watch, or update an existing one, so in this case, there’s a bit of both going on. I’m renowned for my questionable taste in nearly, well, everything, but watches especially, and this one’s a doozy. TAG Heuer, bring back the first watch designed under your aegis, the distinctive (and highly divisive) S/el. Oh, and make it in black ceramic.

The S/el name first appeared in 1987, and boy, was this a watch made for its time. It was the height of the go-go Eighties, and design was, shall we say, bold. Asymmetrical, angular, neon-soaked, and avant-garde were the aesthetics of the day, and after the Heuer era sunsetted into the TAG epoch, the brand went full-force with the release of the colored fiberglass Formula 1, a project that began before TAG’s takeover, and a highly successful one after its launch. It was a shot in the arm for the Swiss watch industry, as audacious as what Swatch had already unleashed, but in a more substantial timepiece. TAG’s encore was the S/el (Sports/Elegance), a more grown-up presentation, perhaps, but one with an even more out-there appearance. 

With the S/el, it was all about undoing the designs of the past. Gone were the crisp case angles and conservative dials. In their place came organic forms, with an integrated case showing no sharp angles, flowing into a bracelet that looked like the spine of an alien creature born from the imagination of Swiss artist H.R. Giger, the mastermind behind the entire look of the Alien franchise. The S/el’s designer, Eddy Schöpfer, really went for it, and his design, a huge hit at the time, is alternately beloved and reviled today, because let’s face it: the S/el is definitely a product of the ‘80s. And as another product of that time, I love it.

Alas, just like video arcades, hair metal, and the Pontiac Fiero (and Pontiac itself), once-hot trends litter the dustbin of history, and the S/el evolved into a more refined, and yes, more conservative shape in 1999, with the introduction of the TAG Heuer Link series, part of the catalog to this day. Call it my early imprinting, but there’s something about the OG S/el, whether it's the radical form factor, its connection to racing greats of the day like the late Ayrton Senna, or just my own personal will to be weird, but I would love to see a reboot of this watch.