In this month’s Men’s Folio Watchlist, our tongue-in-cheek-titled monthly dispatch for the horologically inclined, we round up the latest luxury watch releases worth keeping an eye on from pieces to daydream about now and perhaps add to the watchlist (purchase queue) later. From milestone launches to quiet marvels, this is the list that makes wishful window-shopping a perfectly respectable habit.
This month’s roundup includes Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Ultra Thin Date with a lovely grained dial, the refined Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, Grand Seiko’s spring take, Breitling’s reintroduction to Formula 1, and Rado’s take on Le Corbusier’s polychromy.
Grained Allure
A combination of warm and cool shades breathes new life into the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Date. La Grande Maison reanimates the watch with a grained copper dial, blending its timeless, classic appeal with contemporary allure. Under light, the gently textured dial transitions from a soft, powdery copper shade to a saturated tone that creates a striking contrast with the watch’s cool, polished stainless steel case, elongated hour indices, and faceted dauphine hands. Jaeger-LeCoultre further enhances the watch’s desirability by producing only 800 pieces.
Masterclass in Refinement
The cult favourite Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch undergoes masterful refinement, with the Biel/Bienne manufacture subtly updating the watch with a rich-lacquer dial. Beyond that, the watch is rendered with the much-loved black dial and white chronograph subdials configuration, colloquially known as the reverse panda layout, making this the first-ever regular-production model with this dial configuration. While the general blueprint of the watch is untouched, the other notable change is the black ceramic tachymeter with white enamel and the lore-worthy “Dot over 90” and “Dot diagonal to 70” touches.
Hana Ikada
Grand Seiko welcomes springtime with the Grand Seiko Heritage Collection Automatic Spring Drive 3-Day SBGA413. Framed within the zaratsu-polished High-Intensity Titanium case lies a soft pink dial inspired by hana-ikada, the enchanting sight of cherry blossoms drifting along a river at the height of their bloom, just as the season turns around the Spring equinox. Given Grand Seiko’s poetic relationship with time and Japan’s 24 sekki (microseasons), its Spring Drive Calibre 9R65 is primed to capture the passing of time.
Conquering Seafaring Adventures
Longines’ quest to conquer seafaring adventures in style is epitomised by the extensively redesigned Longines HydroConquest. The uncompromising performance of a 300m dive watch is underscored by a new luminous blue ceramic bezel, anchoring the watch’s elegant design. Instead of the previous, highly visual dial design, Longines opted for a cleaner, sleeker lacquered dial. Available in either 39mm or 42mm diameters, it features other redesign elements including smoother crown guards and a wrist-friendly 11.7mm thickness that ensures the watch slips under a jacket cuff with ease.
Project Polychromy
Rado’s long-running collaboration with Les Couleurs Suisse sees Le Corbusier’s past works reinterpreted in the latest series of the Rado True Round collection. Inspired by the Palace of Assembly in Chandigarh, India, it features the building’s facade laser-engraved on a dial framed within a darker high-tech ceramic monobloc case. The various colours of Ivory Black (4320E), Powerful Orange (4320S), Emerald Green (4320G) and Olive Green (4320F) seen on the watch are based on Le Corbusier’s Polychromie Architecturale colour system.
One of 1959
Breitling’s Navitimer is back in the world of racing after the Swiss watchmaker partnered with Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team this season. Ultralight titanium and carbon fibre, critical F1 car materials, are engineered as components in the 1,959-piece limited edition Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team. Accents of Aston Martin Racing Green and lime, drawn from the Aston Martin Aramco, are paired with a custom PVD-coated Aston Martin Formula One™ Team logo rotor. Other engravings include “One of 1959” and the phrase “Instruments for Drivers.”
Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our April 2026 issue.