Oren Hartov

Collecting Rolex watches is an endless journey into the details of variations that stem from what can seem like hectic and random production, especially from a Swiss watch company. But that’s half the fun!

The Royal Oak has defined sports watch elegance since 1972, and in the past few years it has seen a major resurgence among watch collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet seem to attract the famous musicians who collect watches, but hand-made and custom pieces are also popular.

Luminous dials, diving bezels, 24-hour tracks, hacking—even the wristwatch itself came about as a result of armed conflict.

Once tools, these timepieces are now scarce, highly sought after, and expensive to collect.

Here are the highlights from the world’s biggest watch releases of the year.

The Swiss watchmaker’s new Récital 28 Prowess 1 takes on one of horology’s biggest head-scratchers.

From an $18 million Daytona to a $1.2 million DateJust, these are the priciest crowns on the market.

The brand’s latest watch features a unique display based upon the speed of light.

LVMH’s horological brands headed to Miami to introduced the year’s freshest models. Here’s a look at the best.