Another Friday, another list. This week, we look at some of LVMH’s horological highlights of 2025. Next week, LVMH Watch Week will take place in Milan, Italy. During this seventh edition of the event, from January 19th to 21st, 2026, all nine watch brands within the group will present their first new offerings of the year. In the buildup to the event, we’ll recap the top five watches we saw from the different LVMH brands in 2025.
It seems like the calendar of events and releases in the watch world has no breaks. With the Dubai Watch Week as the last big event taking place late November and the LVMH Watch Week kicking off the new year in mid-January, there is just a little over a month for a little breather. It will be interesting to see what the different brands will present during this year’s LVMH Watch Week in Milan. But before we start our coverage of those new releases next Monday, let’s get in the mood by sharing our five LVMH highlights from 2025. The criteria? It’s all about the wow factor.
Zenith Defy Chronograph USM
Zenith celebrated its 160th anniversary in 2025 with a string of notable releases. Some that immediately come to mind are the special G.F.J. model powered by the legendary caliber 135 and the trio of blue ceramic chronographs that debuted during Watches and Wonders. A favorite of mine was the blue-dial version of the Chronomaster Original. While it only introduced a new dial color, it left a lasting impression on me.
But the release that impressed all of us at Fratello was Zenith’s collaborative effort with Swiss furniture brand USM. The four retro-styled chronographs are the perfect example of a collaboration done right. This project forgoes big marketing gimmicks and, instead, presents a nice integration of USM elements for a great collection of four watches. The canvas is a chronograph version of the Zenith Defy Revival that also implements signature El Primero traits. The characteristic 37mm case of the Defy Revival, with its 14-sided bezel, is matched with four signature USM furniture colors. Surprisingly, the dial design follows the classic A386’s look, featuring overlapping sub-dials.
Wonderful design details
Contrasting the silver sub-dials are small hands that match the USM colors on the dials. Additionally, the central chronograph seconds hand features the signature USM Haller ball joint, which contains a small luminous dot. Finishing the look is the iconic Gay Frères-style ladder bracelet, which adds to the retro appeal and makes this watch as playful as it is stylish and comfortable.
If you turn the watch around, you will see the El Primero 400 movement. This high-beat caliber operates at 36,000 vibrations per hour and offers a 50-hour power reserve. It is a wonderfully modern version of the classic 1969 El Primero 3019 PHC and the perfect caliber to power these colorful chronographs. Zenith produced 60 pieces of this watch in each color, all of which came in a special, modular USM Haller case, adding another nice twist that completes this collaboration. This Zenith collab with USM was one of last year’s nicest surprises and rightfully earns the first spot on this week’s list.
Gérald Genta Geneva Minute Repeater
Our next pick was another lovely surprise. The Geneva Minute Repeater from Gérald Genta impressed us all with its appearance and technical brilliance. As a result, it was also one of my highlights of last year. This watch demonstrates that a minute repeater does not always require a large case to accommodate an impressive-sounding chiming mechanism. When developing the watch, Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas of La Fabrique du Temps explored the possibilities of creating a minute repeater that sounds like a musical instrument rather than just any watch that chimes the time, as Lex explained.
In doing so, the watchmakers ensured that each of the black-polished gongs had been manually tuned by ear and hand, resulting in clear chimes at a notably high volume. Furthermore, they designed the case to amplify the sound of the chime, giving it ultra-thin walls that are just 0.6mm thick at their thinnest point. Additionally, the internal architecture was designed to function like a sound studio. Making all the magic happen is the in-house GG-002 caliber. It takes four full weeks to manufacture and assemble this movement. That is partly due to its technical nature, but the beautiful manual finishing also significantly increases the production time.
The minimalist design of the Geneva Minute Repeater
The stunning caliber sits within a beautifully designed watch. Its lugless cushion-shaped case in yellow gold has a 40mm diameter and a mere 9.6mm thickness. Atop the movement sits a minimalist black onyx dial with yellow gold indexes and hands and a white railroad minute track. If you zoom in on the minute track, you will see that the outer shape follows the case’s cushion-like form, while the inner shape is a perfect circle.
At first glance, it might look weird, but it’s a design solution that adds character to the minimalist look. Another detail I adore is the brand logo on the upper half of the dial. It just looks good as the only piece of text. All these elements result in a watch that combines brilliant watchmaking with stunning design. Indeed, the Gérald Genta Geneva Minute Repeater was easily one of LVMH’s best releases of 2025.
Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription
Our next pick is not only one of our favorites but also the winner of the Time Only category at the GPHG 2025. Daniel Roth’s Extra Plat Souscription follows the beautiful Rose Gold Tourbillon model that impressed us in 2024. This new Extra Plat Souscription is a logical follow-up to the two tourbillon models that preceded it. The tourbillon C.187 was also the first model that Daniel Roth released in the late ’80s. Since the second model was the Extra Plat, it made sense to also introduce the new Extra Plat Souscription as the second model of the revived Daniel Roth brand nearly four decades later.
The new Extra Plat Souscription features the same updated case design as the Tourbillon models. This time, however, the yellow gold case has a 35.5mm diameter, a 38.6mm length, and a 7.7mm profile. Inside the super-slim housing, you will find the new DR002 caliber, the brainchild of Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, the master watchmakers and founders of La Fabrique du Temps.
As Robert-Jan explained, the new caliber was built from the ground up and is only 3.1mm thick. Additionally, the manual-winding caliber features the same shape as the double-ellipse case and offers an impressive 70-hour power reserve.
Although the Extra Plat Souscription has an all-yellow-gold case back, the finishing of the movement is exquisite, as the later Extra Plat Rose Gold (above right) displays. It showcases traditional hand-finishing techniques that enhance the watch’s presence beautifully.
A beautiful time-only watch limited to just 20 pieces
The exquisitely detailed dial is more proof of the high level of detail that goes into creating the Extra Plat Souscription. Every last detail oozes class. The gold dial features a Clous de Paris guilloché pattern and circularly brushed hour and minute scales with filet sauté guilloché frames. Additionally, the shape of the heat-blued hour and minute hands adds a nice contemporary touch to the design.
The beautiful beige calfskin leather strap complements the look nicely and ensures the new Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription is a joy to wear. As Robert-Jan explained, the watch sits very well on the wrist and makes for a beautiful follow-up to the Daniel Roth Tourbillons. We are sure that all 20 owners of the Extra Plat Souscription will greatly enjoy wearing this impressive timepiece.
Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence
Our next pick is a watch that made it onto our list of most surprising releases of 2025. It is an understatement to say that Louis Vuitton graced us with several impressive releases last year. While we chose the Tambour Convergence for this Top 5, it could easily have been one of the Tambour Taiko Spin Time variants, the Escale Malachite or Turquoise models, or the stunning LVKV-02 GMR 6 that Louis Vuitton created with Kari Voutilainen. But the watch that left a lasting impression was the Tambour Convergence.
As Thomas explained, the watch is Louis Vuitton’s take on a classic montre à guichet. It’s a layout design that is not for everyone, but we love it. Last year, during Watches and Wonders, Cartier also reintroduced its take on the style with the famous Tank à Guichets. To say watches like these are having a full-fledged revival would be overstating it, but it’s great to see this style appear again. The Tambour Convergence boasts a beautiful 37mm × 8mm rose gold case with some wonderful details. Louis Vuitton also released a platinum version with snow-set diamonds, but that’s a bit over the top for us.
The unique layout of the Tambour Convergence
The idea of a montre à guichet, put simply, is a “window watch” that typically features a design displaying the time digitally, such as the Cartier Tank à Guichets. Louis Vuitton opted for a different layout with the Tambour Convergence. As you can see, the two arched apertures at the top display the hours and minutes. However, reading the time might take some getting used to, as it seems unnatural. As Thomas explained, there are two ways of creating a montre à guichets.
The first is by reversing the caliber inside the case, which causes the time to progress forward. The designers at Louis Vuitton chose the second option, which reverses the hours on the rotating disc but maintains the standard direction. As a result, the lozenge-shaped marker sits behind the hour numeral rather than ahead of it, which makes reading the hours somewhat different. But visually, you will get a little help reading the time because the numerals for the upcoming and past hour are always visible.
The movement making this possible is the newly developed LFT MA01.01, an automatic caliber offering a 45-hour power reserve. Its beautiful finishing adds more visual brilliance to this wonderfully surprising rose gold Tambour Convergence. It truly was one of the best horological surprises that we saw from Louis Vuitton last year.
TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph
One of last year’s headlines was TAG Heuer’s return as the official timekeeper of Formula 1. The two names have a rich racing history together, so for TAG Heuer to hold such a prominent role in the world of F1 feels natural. But the brand did more than return as the sport’s official timekeeper. It also introduced revamped versions of its classic Formula 1 watch. This modern series, based on the popular models introduced in the 1980s, has made many watch fans happy.
The new Formula 1 watches have a 38mm by 45.2mm case made of bead-blasted stainless steel, DLC-coated stainless steel, or bio-polyamide resin, as Mike explained. The bezels are also made of bio-polyamide resin and come in a variety of different colors, just like the cases. TAG Heuer introduced a series of nine versions at Watches and Wonders. Some of them were regular-production models, while others were limited editions to be released during special race weekends.
The Solargraph caliber is the secret sauce
The biggest news, however, is the new solar-powered movements inside the Formula 1 Solargraph models. It is the same TH50-00 (La Joux-Perret base) movement that also powers the brand’s Aquaracer Solargraphs. The practicality of this movement makes the new Formula 1 models great, worry-free daily wearers. The caliber should provide at least 15 years of operation without servicing. Additionally, two minutes of light will provide a full day’s charge, while 40 hours of exposure will keep the watch running for 10 months.
The redesigned case is matched with a series of colorful dials that all feature a contrasting minute ring and applied rhodium-plated hour markers filled with Super-LumiNova. Hovering over the dial is the famous “Mercedes” hour hand, along with the minute and seconds hands, for a more distinct Formula 1 vibe. Finishing the look is either a new stainless steel bracelet or a series of colorful rubber straps, depending on the chosen variant. The revamped TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph watches are a lot of fun to wear, especially if you’re a fan of one of the world’s biggest sports. With the brand as the new official timekeeper of Formula 1 and this series of watches, TAG Heuer generated significant momentum in 2025.
Final thoughts on the five best LVMH releases of 2025
As mentioned, these are just five of last year’s many highlights. We could have easily picked five more from the different LVMH brands. We’re excited to discover what these watchmakers have in store for us next week as LVMH Watch Week kicks off in Milan. As always, we will keep you posted about the new releases on Fratello. For now, though, it’s still about last year’s highlights, and I would love to turn to you. What are some of your favorite watches from LVMH brands that you saw last year? Please let us know in the comments section, and we will see you next week for another list!