Editors' Picks: The Most Underrated Releases Of Watches & Wonders 2025

Well, we’ve come to the final edition of our Watches & Wonders 2025 post-show Editors’ Picks and what better way to wrap up our coverage than to share what we thought were some of the most underrated releases from the industry’s biggest trade show. Sure, “underrated” is a pretty objective term, but given how much attention can go to just a couple of watches, this list is likely nowhere near complete. So, without further ado, here are our picks for the most underrated releases from Watches & Wonders 2025.

Mark Bernardo: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar

Maybe “underrated” isn’t exactly the right word for the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar. “Under-the-radar,” perhaps? After all, the ultra-complex Excalibur Grande Complication was arguably sucking up all the media and enthusiast oxygen in the booth where this watch debuted, and the conversation at Watches & Wonders in general is dominated nowadays by more household-name brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Cartier. All in all, it was probably easy to overlook the bold statement that Roger Dubuis has made with this timepiece, made in celebration of the brand’s 30th anniversary.

When Roger Dubuis was founded in 1995 by its eponym, its timepieces were distinguished by their bi-retrograde “jumping” displays, a complication particularly beloved by Dubuis, the man and watchmaker, who patented his own version of it in 1989. After its acquisition by Richemont, Dubuis the brand strayed from this identity, focusing almost exclusively on lofty and (for many) out-of-reach horological flourishes like multiple tourbillons, extreme skeletonization, and miniature gold knights as hour markers (Google it). This new piece, with its 40mm gold case and mother-of-pearl dial, could almost pass for a Roger Dubuis model from the late ‘90s: its two retrograde displays (i.e. “biretrograde”) for the day and date are executed in the familiar semicircular arcs, with a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock balancing out the logo at 12 o’clock for a classical symmetry. Even the rotor of the Geneva Seal-certified movement has been shaped in the style of the first movement the maison ever made in-house. If this timepiece represents a brand-wide “back to the roots” strategy, rather than an anniversary outlier, things could get very interesting at Roger Dubuis in the coming months and years.

Blake Buettner: Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 6196P

I’m generally not all that taken with formal watches, but there have been a number of them released this year that I find quite compelling. The A. Lange & Söhne 34mm 1815 is certainly among them. Another low-key favorite is the Calatrava Ref. 6196P released by Patek Philippe, which brings its salmon rose-gilt opaline dial, with anthracite white gold applied faceted "obus"-style hour markers, to life in a new way. The black accents over this dial offer a unique identity that doesn’t conform to what you’d typically expect in this genre, and that’s what makes it so interesting. It doesn’t feel entirely formal, even though it is. 

I’ll be honest: I also have a soft spot for the Ref. 6119 Calatrava, which I also find to be curiously dynamic for such a simple affair. The 6196 brings a similar level of intrigue set within a 38mm platinum case that measures a mere 9.33mm in thickness thanks to the manually wound 30-255 PS caliber inside. It’s delicate while maintaining a striking presence.  A strap swap to something a little less formal would work wonders with this reference, and I’d suggest it could be stretched into rather versatile territory as a result. As we saw with Lange, a smaller size might go a long way here as well. Either way, in the midst of Patek’s impressive breadth of releases, the 6196P is a bright spot, even without all the frills or hype. 

Erin Wilborn: Chopard Happy Sport

Chopard, in general, deserves a lot more hype than it's getting in the watch world right now. I mean, the dial finishing on the Alpine Eagle collection alone is insane. Given my fondness of small watches, I loved seeing some of the new 33mm Alpine Eagles, but the new additions to the brand’s Happy Sport collection took my heart. 

Typically, when a watch is small and unabashedly feminine, I brace myself for a quartz-powered movement. That’s the tradeoff small-watch lovers usually have to compromise on (I think that the needle might be slowly moving in this category after the new automatic Serpenti movements hit the scene). But the Happy Sport collection is an outlier in this. Not only is it perfectly teeny at 33mm, but brings it in the movement department with the Chopard 09.01-C automatic caliber, which is on display through the caseback. A bunch of diamonds on a watch aren’t typically my thing, but if they’re there, I’d like them to be happy. Watching the diamonds skate around the dial as you move and turn your wrist definitely sparks joy. Given that the price point is a bit (or a lot) out of my budget at the moment, I would be happy to simply see more Happy Sports out in the wild. 

Danny Milton: Patek Philippe Cubitus 40mm

Last year, rumblings hit the watch world that Patek was set to release a brand-new collection. Not just a new watch, but a completely new line. That’s when the Cubitus hit, and shocked us all. But it notably shocked us due to its 45mm case diameter. It was a beast. A beast that looked a lot like a Nautilus but for its square — all right cube-like — shape. So when Watches & Wonders 2025 came and went, and little noise was made by an under-the-radar drop of a 40mm Cubitus, I was surprised. Sure, there was no steel model produced this year, but there was a smaller, 40mm option in the ever-recognizable blue-dial format. Now that the dust has settled, I think this an absolutely fantastic addition to the nascent collection. Do I hope and expect we will get this in steel one day? Sure, but I also think white-gold is very cool.

D.C. Hannay: Angelus Chronographe Télémètre

I feel like this one slipped under the radar of many, but this understated, elegant piece deserves more notice amid the furor surrounding some of the six-figure, ultra-complicated headliners. Part of the La Fabrique lineup from Angelus, the Chronographe Télémètre is a beautiful execution of understatement that whispers rather than shouts. This 37mm monopusher chronograph takes its inspiration from an estimable back catalog of vintage Angelus models, resulting in a quietly stunning watch that never existed, but very well could have. Angelus is a historic name, dating back to 1891, but it spent many years in dormancy until being resurrected by movement manufacture La Joux-Perret in 2011, now part of the Citizen Group. 

The first of the modern-day Angelus models launched in 2015, featuring modernist, technical designs with vintage touches, but in 2023, Angelus launched the La Fabrique collection that paid tribute to its past glories, and the new bicompax Chronographe Télémètre is perhaps its most beautiful offering yet. Angelus first released a monopusher chrono back in 1925, and the new model is a note-perfect callback to those halcyon days. It's available in one yellow-gold and two steel editions, and I’m especially taken with the salmon-dialed version in stainless steel. Inside the perfectly sized and finished case beats the A5000 manual-winding caliber, produced by La Joux-Perret, and visible through a display caseback. The 3-Hertz movement utilizes a classic layout with its column wheel and horizontal clutch, and its finishing is lovely, with palladium accenting the chronograph’s componentry. The entire package is impeccably proportioned, and a contemporary salute to one of watchmaking’s most magnificent eras. 

Jonathan McWhorter: A. Lange & Söhne 1815 34mm

Underrated is not typically an association that one makes with A. Lange & Sohne. The German watchmaker has quite successfully established itself as a top tier manufacturer in the industry. However, I think the introduction of the 1815 in 34mm sizing is an underrated release this year at Watches and Wonders.

Aside from the Little Lange 1, there has not been a single watch offered from the brand inside a 37mm case diameter. The “larger” 1815 is only 38.5mm across, but given the thin bezel, I can see how this might wear larger than some collectors would prefer. Here, one can have the classic 1815 styling in a more discreet package than before, if that was even possible. Further, Lange developed the Caliber L152.1 alongside this new piece with a new free-sprung balance, and even managed to increase power reserve up to 72 hours, along with a host of more subtle improvements. This is also Lange’s 75th new caliber in the 31 years since its resurgence as a manufacturer.This release shows that not only is Lange pushing its own boundaries at the top of the range — with the Odysseus and minute repeater perpetual calendars — but also giving just as much attention to small, thoughtful, three-hand models at the other end of the catalog.

Bilal Khan: Chanel J12 Bleu

When it comes to underrated collections in general, the Chanel J12 has never quite gotten the respect it deserves. Now for the 25th anniversary of the J12, Chanel released a few models done in a beautiful, deep blue ceramic, which is quite a change given how we usually only see it in black or white ceramic. According to Chanel, it took five years of R&D to create the high-resistance, matte Bleu ceramic that is so dark you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for black in a dimly lit room. There are a total of 14 Chanel J12 Bleu watches, ranging from a small 33mm model to a Bleu X-Ray that takes 1,600 hours to produce. But here I am going to say that the 38m model priced at $10,500 is the most universally appealing. It’s a seemingly simple, fresh take on a notoriously underrated watch but the result is something I still can’t get out of my mind.