Time Graphing Today's Watch Universe - February 6, 2026
Yesterday delivered a little bit of everything across the watch universe, starting at the top with Richemont reportedly exploring a management buyout of Jaeger-LeCoultre led by longtime CEO Jérôme Lambert. With JLC valued north of CHF 1 billion but showing clear margin pressure inside Richemont’s Specialist Watchmakers division, the story reads less like drama and more like strategic housekeeping—another sign that the big groups are reassessing what really belongs under their umbrellas.
On the darker side of the luxury world, newly unsealed Epstein records put Panerai, Franck Muller, and Cartier into an uncomfortable headline—not for anything they did, but for how casually Ghislaine Maxwell discussed buying counterfeit watches in bulk from China. It’s an ugly reminder that the fake-watch economy has always operated in plain sight, even among people who assumed they were untouchable. Meanwhile, the legitimate secondary market continues to surge, with pre-owned watch sales hitting $17 billion in 2025 and Rolex alone accounting for $5.7 billion of that total. The numbers confirm what collectors already know: the resale market is no longer a sideshow, and programs like Rolex Certified Pre-Owned are now shaping the industry’s economics rather than reacting to them.
Motorsport also dominated the news cycle as Breitling officially jumped into Formula 1 with a multi-year sponsorship of the Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team. That partnership wasted no time producing metal, with the new Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Formula One Team edition landing in titanium and racing green, limited to 1,959 pieces and priced just north of $11,000. Staying in launch mode, yesterday also brought fresh looks from Christopher Wardwith its C60 Trident Lumière ‘Green Fifteen’ collaboration, Farer expanding its World Timer lineup, IWC teaming up with George Russell on two Top Gun Pilot’s Watches, Parmigiani Fleurier adding an Agave Blue stunner to the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor family, Unimatic refining its minimalist tool-watch playbook, and Niton officially re-entering the conversation with the Prima—a revival that blends jump-hour nostalgia with modern haute horlogerie execution.
On the review front, the DUG Purist Typ 1 and Typ 2 made a strong case for Glashütte-inspired design at accessible prices, while TAG Heuer revisited maritime history with the Carrera Seafarer Chronograph, a quirky but charming revival that actually makes sense in today’s Glassbox era. Comparative coverage also stirred the pot, with Orient Starincreasingly stealing attention from Seiko thanks to confident anniversary releases and thoughtful in-house movements.
If you’re catching up on video content tonight, Formula 1 wristwear was a recurring theme, from debates about whether drivers wear the “wrong” watches to deep dives into pilot watches, water resistance, and the growing appeal of titanium tool divers. And before signing off, keep an eye on tonight’s auction report spotlighting the ultra-rare Czapek & Cie.Quai des Bergues “Blue Aurora,” a 10-piece guilloché unicorn currently sitting at a very approachable $5,555 with the hammer set to fall at 9:56pm—one of those moments where rarity and opportunity briefly overlap.
–Michael Wolf
