2026 Is the Year of the Big Watch Anniversary
Most people enjoy a good birthday party, but with the exception of Leonardo DiCaprio and reigning monarchs, few embrace major anniversaries with the zeal of the world’s top watch brands. While some watchmakers have been known to push the limits on what constitutes a “major” anniversary, 2026 will be the occasion of some true milestones. From the centenary of both the Tudor brand and the Rolex Oyster to the 50th anniversary of several influential watches of the 1970s, there will be plenty to celebrate this year, and — if previous anniversaries are any indication — some highly covetable limited editions to add to your grail list. Here are the ones worth knowing about.
Rolex: 100th Anniversary of the Rolex Oyster
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While the Rolex brand was created in 1915, its first major accomplishment — and the most important block in the foundation of its final form — occurred just over a decade later with the release of the Oyster in 1926. The first waterproof wristwatch in the world, the 1926 Rolex Oyster, is the grand-daddy of every subsequent Rolex watch. Its standout features were a screw-down bezel, case back, and winding crown that hermetically seal its case, thereby offering optimal protection for the movement from water and dust. The fluting of the bezel was used to screw it onto the middle case, and this visual element remains a central piece of Rolex DNA a century later. Rolex doesn’t often go all-in on anniversaries, but if there was a birthday worth celebrating in a big way, it’s this one.
Tudor: 100th Anniversary
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Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf was a busy guy. In 1926, the same year he unveiled the Oyster, he created another brand: Tudor. Among the first markets to receive Tudor watches was — interestingly enough — Australia, and among the first watches sold bearing the Tudor logo was the Catanach’s, which was named for a respected family-owned jeweller in Melbourne. With its two-tone, two-sector cream dial, luminescent Arabic numerals, and baton hands, one can see a glimmer of what was to come in its sporty-elegant looks.
IWC: 50th Anniversary of the Ingenieur
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You could call the Ingenieur a late bloomer. Created by Gérald Genta for IWC in the 1970s, it took the better part of five decades to find its groove. Initially conceived as an antimagnetic tool watch (its name is French for engineer), its avant-garde looks proved too bold for its intended audience, and less than 1,000 were sold before it was discontinued. Fortunately for the many people who appreciate the watch’s unique design, it is now the source material for a growing 21st century collection that includes versions in gold, titanium, and carbon, as well as a perpetual calendar.
Chopard: 30 Year Anniversary of L.U.C
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Thirty years ago, Chopard was a respected name among Swiss watchmakers, but not much of an innovator. With the inauguration of the brand’s L.U.C watchmaking studio in 1996, it began its transformation into a maker of some of the most impressive high-end mechanical timepieces in the world. Named for the maison’s founder, Louis-Ulysse Chopard, the L.U.C collection includes the recently-unveiled L.U.C Grand Strike, a chiming timepiece featuring a grande sonnerie (a complication that automatically chimes the hours and quarter-hours as they pass), a petite sonnerie (a complication that only strikes the hours), and a minute repeater (a complication that chimes the time at the press of a lever). The most complex watch ever created by Chopard, it took 11,000 hours of research and development to bring it to life, and resulted in five watchmaking patents. It’ll be fun to see how they top that.
Patek Philippe: 50th Anniversary of the Nautilus
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Patek Philippe has been among the most respected Swiss watch brands for a long, long time (before its game-changing Calatrava arrived in 1932, Queen Victoria was a fan), so it’s more than a little ironic that its most famous creation was released in 1976. The Gérald Genta-designed Nautilus is nonetheless deserving of its place among the world’s iconic watches, having ushered in the era of the modern luxury watch. Not that the Nautilus needs any more heat around it, but it’s still an occasion worth marking.
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