Each week, EWC will be gathering horological industry news, cultural conversations and moments surrounding our favorite topic: timepieces. Happy Friday; here’s what’s on our watch. 

As the first month of 2026 draws to a close, we’ve already seen a lot of new watches so far this year. This week, there were a handful of additional new releases, a few watch sightings in the wild, and some interesting news in the business of watches. Let’s take a look at what’s happening.

New releases

Blancpain introduced a ladies’ timepiece in advance of Valentine’s Day, the Mini Villeret Saint-Valentin 2026. Continuing the brand’s tradition of celebrating love with its nod to the romantic holiday, the watch features a diamond-set bezel and a heart-shaped diamond on the nacre perlée dial, a delicate and rare type of mother-of-pearl. It’s powered by a tiny automatic movement that comes in at an astonishing 15.70mm in diameter, housed in a 21.5mm white gold case. Blancpain’s commitment to keeping all of its watches mechanical, including its ladies’ collections is a rarity in the industry, and something we’d love to see more of.

Hermès presented the latest in its Slim d’Hermès line with the Squelette Lune in two case metal options: titanium and platinum. Both models feature openworked views into the Slim d’Hermès movement architecture, visible on both the dial side and through the exhibition caseback, where the viewer can enjoy the micro-rotor. Both cases are 39.5mm in diameter and live up to the Slim moniker at 8.8mm thick, and both feature a rotating moonphase display at the 6 o’clock position that is very similar to the moonphase display on the brand’s Arceau L’Heure de La Lune. The colors and metal treatments on each version are very different, however, with the platinum version in a classic and high-contrast combination of blues and grays in a polished case and dark blue strap, and the titanium version in a more subtle combination of greys and soft green with a mix of bead-blasting on the case and a polished bezel with a gray strap. 

Monochrome continued its Montre de Souscription editions with its fifth collaboration, the Angelus Chronographe Tachymètre. The vintage-inspired piece combines classic chronograph design with a modern monopusher chronograph movement, the manually-wound Angelus Calibre A5000, which oscillates at a frequency of 21,600 vph and has a 42 hour power reserve. The movement is finished with multiple graining patterns and Geneva striping, and the gold-finished mainplate and bridges contrasting with the steel chronograph mechanism give a pleasing contrast when gazing at the movement through the exhibition caseback.

Toledano & Chan announced its fourth watch, the b/1.3r in titanium. The asymmetric case and crystal design are aesthetically as interesting as the brand’s previous releases, and they’ve listened to collectors’ requests by shrinking the case slightly from 33.5mm to 32mm. The most striking aspect of this piece is the ripple-effect 18K gold dial, which reminds us of the sand dunes of Tattooine. With a case and bracelet in full Grade 5 titanium and a distinctive, out-of-this-world design, this piece would not be out of place in the Star Wars universe.

A total of 26 special edition watches have been announced for the third annual British Watchmakers’ Day, a celebration of British watchmaking organized by the Alliance of British Watch and Clockmakers, taking place in London on March 7. Highlights include the Fears Brunswick 40 ‘1846 Edition’ in an edition of 25 pieces, commemorating the brand’s 180th anniversary; Paulin’s ‘The Dazzle Clock’ in an edition of 50 pieces with a screenprinted dial designed by Glasgow-based artist Rebecca McCormack; the Schofield Skeptiko in an edition of 50 pieces; the Christopher Ward C1 Loco 7326 in an edition of 10 pieces; Farer’s ‘The Cross’ in an edition of 20 pieces; and the Sidereus Réalta, the brand’s version of a GMT, in an edition of 10 pieces. Roger W. Smith will celebrate 25 years of his eponymous brand at the event while supporting the event as headline sponsor, and Studio Underd0g will provide an exclusive watchmaking experience at the event.

Celebrity sightings

Derrick Rose appeared on Good Morning America speaking about the Bulls retiring his jersey wearing a Vacheron Constantin 222 in steel. 

Highly-ranked Italian tennis player Lorenzo Musetti was named a friend of De Bethune during the Australian Open. Musetti retired from the tournament due to an injury in his quarterfinal match against tennis legend Novak Djokovic, who recently collaborated with Hublot on the Big Bang Unico Novak Djokovic 42mm.

Watch industry news

Rolex signed a partnership deal with professional golf league LIV Golf, in a move the league said would offer its partner opportunities to deliver hospitality in more international territories. The league has seen more than its fair share of controversy in the past, mainly by luring top-tier golfers over from the PGA with lucrative contracts, causing some players to lose sponsorship deals with other brands. Rolex remains a key sponsor in many sports including golf and tennis, but lost its timekeeping sponsorship of Formula 1 after LVMH signed a multi-brand, multi-year deal to sponsor the racing series. The move seems to be a thoughtful one given the loss of hospitality events in key markets that are served by both Formula 1 races and LIV Golf tournaments. Whether the LIV partnership might call into question Rolex’s existing partnerships with other golf organizations such as the PGA Tour remains to be seen.

Swiss watch exports to the United States rose in December after the U.S. made a change to its tariff policy, reducing the tariff on Swiss imports to 15% from 39%. December exports rose 3.3% in value overall, driven by a large uptick in exports to the U.S. of 19.2%, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. Swiss watch exports also continued steady growth to the United Kingdom and Singapore.