The 12 Coolest New Watches That Dropped in August

August is typically tumbleweeds in the watchmaking industry. Switzerland’s top maisons ostensibly shut down for the annual summer holidays, resulting in very few new releases in the eighth month of the year. The past four weeks haven’t been entirely devoid of horological action, though. Eleven watchmakers dropped fresh timepieces this August, buoying the industry and satiating collectors ahead of Geneva Watch Days in early September.

Omega rolled out not one but seven new 38 mm Speedmasters. IWC unveiled a Pilot’s Watch in honor of both Mercedes-Benz and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team. Blancpain celebrated 70 years of the Bathyscaphe with a limited edition, while Tiffany & Co. unveiled a slightly moodier version of the new Tiffany Timer. Next up, Urwerk introduced a bonkers one-off pocket watch, and Vacheron paid tribute to the animal kingdom with eight métiers d’art watches. Plus, Glashütte Original tipped a hat to chronographs past with two new Senators, Parmigiani Fleurier reimagined the skeletonized Tonda in rose gold and blue, and TAG Heuer dropped a Formula 1 Solargraph to mark the last Dutch Grand Prix. Last but not least, Hublot released another Big Bang in collaboration with the UEFA Champions League.

Below are the best watches released this month.

1. Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom

Vacheron Constantin took a walk on watchmaking’s wild side in August, unveiling six métiers d’art watches inspired by the animal kingdom. The maison invited six artists to showcase their craft on the dial of a distinct 42 mm timepiece, incorporating techniques not typically associated with horology, such as gold embroidery, feather work, wood marquetry, glass sculpting, paper sculpting, and micro-origami. The in-house movement (Calibre 2460 G4) features an unconventional display in which the hours, minutes, days, and date are shown in four apertures at the four extremities of the dial, meaning each face becomes a true work of art. All six are stunning, but the reference with an embroidered tiger at the center is particularly striking. Price upon request.

2. Blancpain Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary Limited Edition

Blancpain is celebrating 70 years of the Bathyscaphe in true diver fashion, releasing a reproduction of a landmark model from 1968. The anniversary piece elegantly balances old with new, combining the original’s vintage aesthetic with more modern touches. The 37.4 mm steel case was developed around the movement, resulting in a remarkable diameter-to-thickness ratio that ensures a nice, comfy fit. Within the steel bezel and glass box lies a gray sunburst dial topped with vintage-color markers. Beneath that sits an in-house automatic movement (Caliber 1150) with a four-day power reserve. The watch is limited to 300 pieces and priced at $18,300.

3. TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph Limited Edition

TAG Heuer marked the final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort by unveiling not one but two bright orange Formula 1 Solargraph watches. Orange is, unquestionably, the national color of the Netherlands, even though the flag is red, white, and blue. The limited editions both feature 38 mm sandblasted steel cases, gray opaline dials, and orange bidirectional bezels, but one is fitted with a three-row steel bracelet (1,000 pieces, priced at $2,250) and the other is equipped with an orange rubber strap (1,500 pieces, priced at $2,150). Both run on a solar-powered quartz movement (Caliber TH50-00) that delivers six to 10 months of power reserve on a full charge.

4. Panerai Luminor Marina

Panerai’s latest Luminor Marina screams quiet luxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary, thanks to a subtle black-and-brown colorway. The reference (PAM01707) builds upon one (PAM02661) that the Officine released in 2022, with the same 44 mm Carbotech case, matte black dial, DLC-coated titanium caseback, and movement (Caliber P.9010 with 72-hour power reserve) as its predecessor. This time around, though, the hands, markers, and strap are brown rather than blue, giving the watch a more refined feel. You can pick one up for $15,600. 

5. Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Timer

The Tiffany Timer only debuted in January, but we have already gained a successor. The latest iteration is slightly bolder in design, eschewing the original’s platinum case and Tiffany Blue dial in favor of a titanium case and a navy blue dial with Tiffany Blue accents. The inner workings remain, however, incorporating a custom El Primero 400 chronograph movement featuring the house’s legendary Bird on a Rock signature. “It was a natural evolution of the Tiffany Timer rather than a response to a particular trend or request,” Nicolas Beau, senior vice president of Tiffany & Co. Horology, tells Robb Report. “Titanium brings a different character to the watch (lighter and more contemporary), while the dark blue dial with touches of Tiffany Blue gives it a very distinctive expression.” Limited to 100 pieces, the new Tiffany Timer retails for $28,000. 

 6. IWC Pilot’s Watch

IWC paid homage to the three-pointed star not once but twice in August. The Swiss watchmaker celebrated 140 years of Mercedes-Benz by releasing a limited-edition Big Pilot’s Watch featuring the famous Perpetual Calendar ProSet. Introduced at Watches and Wonders earlier this year, this ingenious mechanism allows the calendar to be adjusted both forward and backward via the crown, making it super easy to use. It, of course, looks good, too, with a 42 mm steel case framing a black dial with gold accents. The watch is limited to 140 pieces as a nod to the marque’s anniversary and retails for $41,200.

IWC also unveiled a timepiece for its longstanding partner, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, to mark the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph (Ref. IW388121) has a 41 mm titanium case and a deep purple dial that is reminiscent of the Singapore orchid. Pops of the signature Petronas green can also be found on the face. The watch is powered by the IWC-manufactured 69385 caliber, with a vertical subdial layout distinguishing it from other chronos. You can pick one up for $9,200.  

7. Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Skeleton Rose Gold Milano Blue

Parmigiani Fleurier’s latest Tonda is perhaps one of the boldest yet. The limited edition not only showcases the striking skeletonized architecture that the Swiss watchmaker debuted in 2022, but also a punchy new hue dubbed “Milano Blue.” The 40 mm case, the signature knurled bezel, and the integrated bracelet are all crafted from 18-karat rose gold and contrasted by a rich blue open-worked dial that spotlights Parmigiani’s remarkably thin and immaculately finished automatic movement (PF777). The caliber can also be appreciated via the sapphire caseback. Limited to just 30 pieces, the watch retails for $117,100.

8. Hublot Big Bang Reloaded UEFA Champions League Titanium Ceramic

Hublot has teamed up with the UEFA Champions League once again, unveiling a timepiece in honor of the upcoming season. The Big Bang Reloaded, the eighth watch born from this partnership, showcases both the competition’s iconic blue hue and famous logo. The 44 mm titanium case is paired with a titanium and blue ceramic bezel, a matte blue skeleton dial, and a blue ceramic caseback. The in-house chronograph at the center (HUB1280 Unico) combines some 354 components and offers a power reserve of approximately 72 hours. That should get you through a good few matches. “This Big Bang Reloaded embodies eleven years of partnership with the most-watched competition in European football,” Hublot CEO Julien Tornare said in a statement. “The blue of its dial, the star on its strap… every detail is a reminder that, when it comes to football, time is never merely counted—it is lived.” The watch is limited to 100 pieces and costs $25,200.

9. Glashütte Original Senator Chronographs

Glashütte Original gave us a blast from watchmaking past in August, unveiling two new Senators inspired by chronographs of yore. Both references are housed in a 41 mm steel case and equipped with an automatic movement (Calibre 37-24) offering a flyback function that lets the wearer stop, reset, and restart the timepiece with the press of the pusher. In terms of aesthetics, the white-dialed Senator Chronograph takes design cues from the observation watches made in Glashütte during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, while the black-dialed Senator Chronograph Navigator evokes the pilot’s watches of the 1940s. Both feature subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock, mushroom-shaped pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock, and a Panorama Date at 6 o’clock. They each start at $16,100.

10. Omega Speedmaster 38

Omega knows that size matters. That’s why the Swiss watchmaker dropped a collection of smaller Speedmasters this month. The new lineup comprises seven references with 38 mm cases, underscoring the unwavering demand for smaller watches. “This is the most versatile size that we have in terms of clientele, in terms, really, of casual and formalwear,” says Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann. “We see people coming into our boutiques specifically looking for a Speedmaster in those proportions.” The new Speedmaster 38s come in steel-on-steel, two-tone, and diamond-set variations that cater to a wide range of tastes. The standout features a steel lyre-lug case, a five-link bracelet, a black “dot-over-90” tachymeter bezel, a black dial sans date window, and the exclusive Co-Axial Caliber 3332, making it kind of like a mini Moonwatch. The Speedmaster 38 starts at $6,500. 

11. Urwerk UR-1001 Amadeus

Urwerk’s UR-1001 Amadeus is truly epic. The one-of-a-kind pocket watch, the latest addition to the maison’s “Special Projects” collection, counts down the seconds, minutes, hours, days and nights, months, years, centuries, and even millennia in a spectacular fashion. The hand-engraved titanium case, which engraver Florian Güllert spent nearly three months on, houses several extraordinary complications. The front shows satellite hours with retrograde minutes, a satellite annual calendar, a hand-painted day/night disc, and a 39-hour power-reserve indicator, while the back displays an “Oil change” service indicator over five years, a 100-year time indicator, and a linear time indicator covering 1,000 years. “Beyond this new format, the UR-1001 offers an unprecedented vision of time,” Urwerk cofounder Martin Frei said in a statement. “Its millennium indicator, for example, is the antithesis of the seconds hand. Its progress is so slow that the eye can barely grasp it. Does it still indicate time? Certainly! It tells us a great deal about how we perceive the passage of time.” Price upon request.

This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.