I'm a watch expert – these are the three trends I'm predicting for 2026

While the wonderful world of watches is large enough to always offer something new and interesting, it can also find itself as a slave to trends. Some of these fads come and go in mere seconds, while others can stick around for a lot longer.

But there is always something new in each year which seems to capture the imagination of watch designers everywhere. That could be a colour – remember when you couldn't move for green dials a few years ago? – or a complication.

Having analysed the big releases from 2025, I think I've narrowed down three of the biggest trends we're likely to see in 2026.

1. Stone Dials

While stone dials are nothing new, we did see an awful lot of them towards the tail end of 2025. Examples from brands as diverse as Christopher Ward, Biver and Benjamin James Watches show that it's a trend which isn't confined to a single type of manufacturer, either.

For the new year, I'm expecting to see this spread even further. Expect rare stones used for limited edition pieces of all shapes and sizes – and maybe it could go even further with wood or other materials.

2. Jumping Hour complications

Perhaps I'm a little late to be jumping – pun, very much, intended – on this one given the prevalence of them throughout 2025, but I think we're really only at the beginning of this craze. Everyone from Christopher Ward to Cartier had a go at this one – in fact, as I'm writing this, Audemars Piguet has even released a model.

As those movements and parts become more commonplace, I'd wager that more and more manufacturers will opt to unveil something.

3. Pocket Watches

It seems that there's a lot of love for the pocket watch right now, and I can't see that waning anytime soon. From the collaborative effort from Christopher Ward and Studio Underd0g to the limited model created by Parmigiani Fleurier, these watches seem to be getting more and more popular.

Honestly, this is the one of these three where I most hope I'm wrong. While there's an obvious history in the world of pocket watches, they just don't appeal to me in the same way wristwatches do. The industry moved on for a reason, and certain groups who have continued to use them of late do leave an unshakeable stigma attached.