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Josiah Ng

It’s been a whirlwind of a summer so far for watches. Celebrities were spotted in high horology at sporting events around the world: Spike Lee at the NBA Finals, Brad Pitt and a host of players at the Fifa World Cup, and Henry Cavill at the Royal Ascot.
Meanwhile, Breitling, Gallet and Universal Genève announced that they will be joining next year’s edition of Watches and Wonders, strapmaker Delugs opened its second boutique and MB&F released a robot, while Breguet celebrated the tourbillon and Patek Philippe announced the passing of a titan.
Here are the most important moments in June for high horology.
House of Brands joins Watches and Wonders 2027

Even though it’s been just over two months since this year’s fair, Watches and Wonders is already building anticipation for next year’s, taking place from April 5 to 11. The roster of major brands at the fair is expanding – Audemars Piguet and Credor came on board this year, while House of Brands – comprising Breitling, Gallet and Universal Genève – is the latest addition.

Breitling has a long-established history as a single brand with seminal pieces like the Navitimer, the Top Time and more. House of Brands acquired Gallet and Universal Genève over the last few years, successfully reviving the latter in April with not just a refurbished Polerouter – famous for being designed by a young Gérald Genta to commemorate a flight from either New York or Los Angeles to Europe via the North Pole – but an entire range of pieces that also includes precious stones and high jewellery watches.
Given how expansive both Breitling and Universal Genève are – and with Gallet, known for a wide, historic range of chronograph tool watches, still in the wings – it will be exciting to see what the conglomerate has in store for next year’s fair.
Celebrity watches at the NBA Finals, Fifa World Cup and Royal Ascot

It’s been an eventful month of sports and watches in North America as the NBA Playoffs and Finals concluded just before the group stages of the World Cup began in Canada, Mexico and the US.
For the former, the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 to win their first NBA Championship in 53 years. Both players and high-flying fans boasted a wide array of Rolexes, Cartiers, Audemars Piguets and more, but none summed up the series better than Spike Lee – who has been paying for his own courtside tickets for decades – rocking an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m, customised in Knicks blue and orange.

The Fifa World Cup 2026 kicked off shortly after and fans of high horology quickly spotted pieces like Lionel Messi’s wide array of Rolex Datejusts, countless Audemars Piguet Royal Oak references, and ambassadors doing their utmost – like Kylian Mbappé rocking multiple Hublot Big Bangs and Norwegian star Erling Haaland sporting his limited edition Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 Erling Haaland with a meteorite dial. Among celebs, Brad Pitt was spotted wearing a not-often-seen Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Speed Beat GT.

In the UK, one of the country’s most prestigious horse racing festivals, The Royal Ascot, took place in June. Henry Cavill represented Longines – official time partner and official watch of the event – as its Ambassador of Elegance, sporting a vintage Longines Monopusher Chronograph that the brand dates back to 1926.
Delugs opens its first overseas boutique in Hong Kong

Part of the joy of watch collecting is finding just the right type of strap or bracelet to go with a treasured timepiece. Singapore-based Delugs, founded by husband-and-wife duo Kenneth Kuan and Chia Pei Qi in 2018, takes this to another level of customisation and has long been a fan-favourite stop for custom leather, rubber, fabric straps and more.

The duo has now brought the custom strap experience to Central Building in Hong Kong with their second boutique outlet, following the April 2025 opening of their Singapore flagship at the Raffles Hotel. Both serve as one-stop, personalised shops for advice on pairings as well as bespoke strap-making, installation, refitting and more.
New releases from Breguet, MB&F and more

Brands have been more active than ever as summer kicks off. Piaget and Wristcheck hit the ground running with an Altiplano Ultimate Automatic decked out in the platform’s signature colours and measuring just 4.3mm thick. Zenith has also joined hands with Japanese independent watchmaker Naoya Hida on a pared-back version of the GFJ.

Meanwhile, Breguet celebrates 225 years of the complication most synonymous with the brand – the tourbillon, invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet and patented in 1801. The brand released a range of hypercomplicated pieces, from the Classique Tourbillon 7357 in platinum and gold, to the Marine Tourbillon Equation Marchante 5887 celebrating the Parisian sky, to the Expérimentale featuring a constant-force magnetic escapement tourbillon and a 10Hz frequency.

Elaborate designs seemed to be de rigueur last month as Tag Heuer, MB&F and Parmigiani Fleurier all presented elaborate interpretations. Tag Heuer released a chronograph and a digital watch, but it’s the Monaco Speed 12 that stands out with 12 engine pistons that jump to reveal the current hour. Parmigiani Fleurier released the Carillon Tourbillon, which not only includes the complication visible through the caseback, but a serpentine chiming mechanism that surrounds a hammered dial.

MB&F have once again gone above and beyond by not only designing a watch – the HM12 – with bidirectional jumping hour and trailing minutes displays, a tourbillon and double-sided micro-rotor, but also a massive robot to go with it. Totalling 1,500 components, the robot largely serves as a stand that indicates the temperature, and includes a loupe “shield” on the right arm and a light for lume on the left. Naturally, the pieces are limited to 12 each of blue, green and purple, and are already sold out at the time of writing.
The end of an era at Patek Philippe

We end June’s watch wrap on a sombre note. Patek Philippe announced the death of Philippe Stern at the age of 88 on June 14. Stern served as president of Patek Philippe from 1993 to 2009 and was succeeded by his son Thierry. The elder Stern had been with the brand since the 1960s, starting as a distributor before stepping into key management roles at a pivotal time for the brand.
He worked with his father in the 1970s to launch the seminal Nautilus in 1976, before becoming general director in 1977 as the brand navigated challenges to traditional watchmaking from quartz timepieces. Stern then oversaw the creation of the then-most complicated movement, the Calibre 89, in the 1980s, before becoming president in 1993. He spent that decade vertically integrating all aspects of watch production for the brand resulting in the Plan-les-Ouates manufacture, which was opened in 1996. He passed his presidency on to Thierry in 2009, the same year both Sterns formalised the Patek Philippe Seal.


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Timepieces

5 biggest watch moments in June, from World Cup celebrity timepieces to a titan’s death

Henry Cavill sports a vintage Longines Monopusher Chronograph at the Royal Ascot 2026; MB&F release the HM12, a watch that includes a robot stand; and Delugs opens its boutique in Hong Kong. Photos: Handout

Watches and Wonders 2027 will get a number of new faces. Photo: Handout

The Universal Genève Polerouter was originally designed by Gérald Genta. Photo: Handout

Spike Lee attends the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, on June 10. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

Brad Pitt attends the Fifa World Cup 2026 match between Turkey and the US at Los Angeles Stadium on June 25, in Inglewood, California. Photo: Getty Images

Henry Cavill sports a vintage Longines Monopusher Chronograph at the Royal Ascot 2026. Photo: Handout

Delugs specialises in the right kind of strap. Photo: Handout

Delugs’ Hong Kong boutique in Central. Photo: Handout

The Piaget x Wristcheck Altiplano. Photo: Handout

Zenith partnered with Naoya Hida for the GFJ. Photo: Handout

Tag Heuer’s Monaco Speed 12 features pistons on the display. Photo: Handout

MB&F HM12’s 1,500-component companion robot stand. Photo: Handout

Patek Philippe announced the passing of its former president Philippe Stern, aged 88. Photo: Handout

8 stand-out women’s timepieces that took over Watches and Wonders, from Rolex and Cartier to Piaget

Piaget’s Sixtie watch is a prime example of this year’s smaller models, which make an impact with their elegance or else their ornate finishes. Photo: Handout

Piaget Sixtie. Photo: Handout

Cartier Baignoire. Photo: Handout

Chanel Premiere Coco Game. Photo: Handout

Jaeger-LeCoultre La Vallée des Merveilles Reverso One Hibiscus Rosa. Photo: Handout

Chopard L’Heure du Diamant. Photo: Handout

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 28. Photo: Handout

Bulgari Serpenti Aeterna. Photo: Handout

Audemars Piguet Établisseurs Galets. Photo: Handout

Formula One’s Charles Leclerc and his rare watch collection, from Richard Mille and Patek Philippe to Hublot

Ferrari Formula One driver Charles Leclerc, wearing one of his prized watches. Photo: @charles_leclerc/Instagram

The newlyweds: Formula One driver Charles Leclerc and Alexandra Saint Mleux in a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa. Photo: @charles_leclerc/Instagram

Ferrari’s Monégasque driver Charles Leclerc salutes the crowd after qualifying in pole position for the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix. Photo: Xinhua

Richard Mille RM 67-02 Charles Leclerc. Photo: Handout

Watch it go! Charles Leclerc’s ultra-streamlined Richard Mille UP-01 Ferrari. Photo: @richardmille/Instagram

Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time. Photo: Handout

Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 Black Magic. Photo: Handout

Why you should wear a white ceramic watch – and how to do so, not just in summer

The white ceramic case of IWC Schaffhausen’s Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet Le Petit Prince forms a striking contrast to the watch’s blue dial. Photo: Handout

The blue dial of IWC Schaffhausen’s Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet Le Petit Prince evokes the night sky. Photo: Handout

There’s a reason for the all-white theme of the IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume. Photo: Handout

IWC Schaffhausen’s Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume is designed to glow in the dark. Photo: Handout

The first white ceramic watch, IWC Schaffhausen’s Da Vinci Ref. 3755, was launched 40 years ago. Photo: Handout

Chanel rolled out a smaller, white version of its signature J12 this year. Photo: Handout

The Omega Milano Cortina 2026 Seamaster. Photo: Handout

Omega’s White Side of the Moon Speedmaster. Photo: Handout

The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Milano Cortina 2026 honours the Milan Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Photo: Handout

The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Milano Cortina 2026 has a white ceramic case. Photo: Handout

The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Milano Cortina 2026 uses a titanium caseback. Photo: Handout

White ceramic, as on this Chanel J12, isn’t easy to finish. Photo: Handout

Torque jewellery refined, from Cartier to Hong Kong’s Chantel Shafie

Chantel Shafie Ravello Torque with emerald-cut diamond. Photo: Handout

T by Tiffany collection from Tiffany & Co. Photo: Handout

Valentina Fine Jewellery emerald torque. Photo: Handout

Valentina Fine Jewellery pink sapphire torque. Photo: Handout

Chantel Shafie Ravello ring. Photo: Handout

How this jeweller is reimagining traditional Chinese filigree in modern pieces

Chinese jeweller Huimin Zhang with her collection of antique jewellery. Photo: Handout

Huimin Zhang’s series of Mammary Gland brooches. Photo: Handout

Huimin Zhang’s Gold Mammary brooches were inspired by a close friend’s experience with breast cancer. Photo: Handout

Huimin Zhang’s intricate brooches can take up to a month to create. Photo: Handout

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Brad Pitt, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland rocked their timepieces at the Fifa World Cup, while Breitling joins Watches and Wonders 2027


Brad Pitt, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland rocked their timepieces at the Fifa World Cup, while Breitling joins Watches and Wonders 2027.


5 biggest watch moments in June, from World Cup celebrity timepieces to a titan’s death

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.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}House of Brands joins Watches and Wonders 2027

Brad Pitt, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland rocked their timepieces at the Fifa World Cup, while Breitling joins Watches and Wonders 2027

House of Brands joins Watches and Wonders 2027