Major Watch Anniversaries in 2026

Watch companies, both renowned and niche, proudly celebrate major milestones as significant landmarks in their history. The affection for these commemorative dates stems not only from respect for their heritage but also from market dynamics. Watches, being emotionally charged products, leverage nostalgia as a highly effective tool in influencing consumer sentiment. In the past year, 2025, we witnessed a series of stunning releases from Audemars Piguet, Breguet, and Vacheron Constantin - giants of the Swiss watch industry celebrating their 150th, 250th, and 270th anniversaries, respectively.

This year also promises notable anniversaries. In this article, we discuss which brands and collections might release interesting novelties in honor of these memorable dates.

A hundred years ago, Rolex created the Oyster watch - the first wristwatch with a waterproof and dustproof case. If not the first, then certainly one of the earliest and most publicized. Remember the story of stenographer Mercedes Gleitze who swam across the English Channel with these watches. Despite some interesting nuances in this story, Rolex maximized its impact, building a massive advertising campaign on it.

Understandably, the Oyster is primarily about the case construction. This name still appears on the dials of most watches produced by Rolex. Nevertheless, 100 years is too significant a milestone to ignore, so we can expect something interesting from Rolex this year.

This year we also mark 100 years since Hans Wilsdorf's idea to create a 'Rolex for the poor' came to life. And while the anniversary of Tudor in this context might sound somewhat disparaging, the brand is indeed worthy and has recently been emerging from the shadow of its famous counterpart. Tudor started asserting its autonomy about 10 years ago when it released its first in-house movements. What to expect from the company this year: a new movement, new models, or even a new line in honor of the anniversary, time will tell.

In fact, prototypes of the Rolex Milgauss models were sent for testing in CERN laboratories as early as 1954. However, mass production of the watches began in 1956 with the release of the Ref. 6541 model. This is the date that Rolex itself cites as the starting point in the history of the Rolex Milgauss collection, so we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the watch with the lightning bolt second hand in 2026. Although the production of Rolex Milgauss was recently discontinued, who knows... Maybe the anniversary will be an occasion to relaunch this most underrated Rolex line?

The Rolex Day-Date is one of the most important and long-lasting collections in the Rolex lineup. Among collectors, these watches are known as 'presidents' watches'. I think the reason for this is self-explanatory. The main feature of the Day-Date collection was the full-format display of the day of the week (in a window at the '12 o'clock' mark). Another important feature of the watch was and remains the iconic President bracelet.

The last major update to this line occurred in 2015. That year, Rolex released the Day-Date 40 model, which marked the beginning of the production of the 32xx series calibers. Should we expect an interesting addition to the Day-Date collection this year? We'll see.

The history of Patek Philippe's flagship collection began with the Ref. 3700 model. As is often the case, the brand's new creation, launched during the quartz crisis, took several years to gain popularity. The model in the steel case with date indication (Ref. 5711) became especially popular in the Nautilus collection. Almost 5 years ago, it was discontinued and replaced with a white gold model (Ref. 5811G).

In 2016, for the 40th anniversary of the legendary line, Patek Philippe released an entire anniversary collection. Half a century on the watch Olympus is an even more serious date, so it can be said with confidence: there will definitely be interesting novelties in the Nautilus line.

The Heuer Monza model was first released in 1976 to celebrate Ferrari's first Constructors' Cup victory in Formula 1 since 1964. Since then, these watches have been reissued multiple times. Just remember the elegant Monza Calibre 36 chronograph with the El Primero movement, released in 2016 for the 40th anniversary of the Monza model. Or the recently released Monza Flyback Chronometer in a forged carbon case. The latest release could certainly serve as the basis for an anniversary model for the 50th anniversary of Heuer Monza.

The Vacheron Constantin Overseas collection, launched 30 years ago, is considered a direct descendant of the Vacheron Constantin 222 model. These are the watches from the Holy Trinity of sports models with an integrated bracelet (also including the Royal Oak and Nautilus), released during the birth of luxury sports watches. After the success of the first version and considering the growing popularity of the model, the second Overseas model with a more modern design was released in 2004.

The Overseas collection was last updated in 2016 when Vacheron Constantin introduced the 3rd generation within this line. Will we see the 4th generation of Overseas models this year? Unlikely. But special editions for the 30th anniversary of the collection can and should be expected.

Michel Parmigiani also marks a modest anniversary this year, having launched his own brand 30 years ago. The master presented a collection of 52 models that reflected the aesthetics and signature style of this watch house. The release of the first watches was preceded by the appearance of the Calibre PF110 - the first in-house movement of the new brand. At that time, this movement was a real sensation, as it had a then-rare 8-day power reserve.

Today, under the leadership of Guido Terreni, the company maintains its elegant style and continues to produce small mechanical masterpieces. Should we expect a couple of such masterpieces this year? Possibly.