A whirlwind weekend in Geneva of auction sales, Only Watch and the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève has confirmed the rise and rise of independent watchmakers.

With the economy back in business and exports on the rise again, brands are newly inclined to show off their capacity for innovation and imagination. Here are some of the watches from the stream of recent releases.

As the effects of climate change become more and more “tangible”, luxury’s leading names are responding to the need for urgent action to stem environmental destruction and loss of biodiversity.

Easing of travel restrictions brings hope of plunging into the ocean this summer. Any of these twelve dive watches would make the ideal companion.

With Swiss watch exports to the United States rising 20% over the first five months of the year compared with 2019, the US has a lot to offer. Despite being a “difficult” market for Swiss brands to work in, it represents a welcome complement to China.

Who would have thought that an anti-establishment musical manifesto would inspire diamond-smothered watches and unorthodox marketing strategies? Incandescent, unpredictable, forty years after its official demise, punk is as powerful as ever.

Dials sporting Pac-Man characters or in marshmallow pink… on watches priced considerably higher than an arcade game or a packet of candy. Fine crafting meets pop imagery: a paradox that echoes changes to our era and to our relationship with luxury.

For women or for men, a watch is still a watch. As consumers reject traditional gender divides, more brands are emphasising why their watches can be worn by both sexes.