The watch industry loves to celebrate anniversaries with remakes, and there are plenty of anniversaries coming up in 2025. Among others, it’s the 270th anniversary of Vacheron Constantin, the 250th anniversary of Breguet and the 150th anniversary of Audemars Piguet. Smaller brands will also be celebrating anniversaries, including Roger Dubuis (30th) and Czapek & Cie. (10th), as well as a few other well-known watches: the Rolex Datejust (80th), the IWC Ingenieur (70th), the Girard-Perregaux Laureato (50th) and the Hublot Big Bang (20th). We can probably also expect a surprise from Patek Philippe, as 2025 marks exactly 100 years since it introduced the 97975, their first perpetual calendar wristwatch.

An accumulation of anniversaries such as this heralds celebrations with a bang, and for us watch lovers, it means unique timepieces that have the potential to go down in history. Do you remember the Calibre 89 and the Grandmaster Chime unveiled on the 150th and 175th anniversary of Patek Philippe? Or the Tour de I’lle, which was created in 2005 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Vacheron Constantin? The Tour de I’lle was the most complicated wristwatch in the world at the time, and it was also the most expensive wristwatch sold at auction in 2005.

Can we count on something so complicated it will outshine last year’s Les Cabinotiers – The Berkley Grand Complication? Probably not, because this 2,877-piece masterpiece was made to order. But we can certainly expect something special. After all, it is Vacheron Constantin.

And what about Breguet and Audemars Piguet? Both brands have recently welcomed new managers who will probably focus on current events and marketing. But let’s hope their predecessors left them some interesting designs and on the anniversary we will see complex watches created for collectors who not only value historical design, but are also waiting for sophisticated technical innovations. Well, expectations are very high because these three brands and Patek Philippe have a unique status.

As usual at this time of year, the industry media are also speculating about Rolex’s new products. In 2025 it will be 80 years since they introduced the Datejust, one of the classics which is still said to be the perfect watch for everyday wear. The last noticeable modification of this watch was introduced in 2016, so the 80th anniversary may be a good opportunity to present an updated version. We’ll find out in April at Watches and Wonders.

Speculating about what’s new is always a game of fortune-telling, and these many anniversaries are a great excuse to indulge in this pastime. Especially since the most eye-catching anniversary watches are not created in a few months, but over a few years.
And, although rare, they contribute greatly to building brand loyalty. Loyalty is not only about customers liking or promoting a given brand, but about being associated with it, sometimes for generations.

So, we have an exciting few months ahead of us.