As our collective holiday hangovers begin to finally wear off, we look ahead to a 2026 that, like any year, could bring any number of surprises. We thought it would be fun to check in with our Slack community, Worn & Wound+, to see what members were hoping to see from brands, the industry, and the community in 2026. 

Their responses ranged from the predictable (yes, we all want micro-adjust clasps on our bracelets) to the pointed (there is some very specific heat thrown at some very specific targets). As always, the responses reflect the broad interests of our community. The responses below have been lightly edited for clarity, and attributed to the username handles used on Slack.

Let us know in the comments what you would like to see in 2026 across the watch industry. Whether it’s a specific watch, a piece of content from Worn & Wound, or something more business or industry related, we’d love to hear about it. 

KILO

I’d like to see innovation in movement design. Specifically for off-the-shelf movements that wind their way into micros, indies, and even in legacy ‘big-watch’ manufacture. Example: the Miyota 9075 was a game-changer for the democratization of GMT watch design and manufacture. It’s time for more offerings for chronos (especially now that the ST19 is so hard for most manufacturers to source), small seconds, etc.

IAN EHRENWALD

I don’t know about market viability, but I’d absolutely love to see Tudor give the North Flag another chance. 

I’d like to see: a 40mm titanium case, less than 50mm lug to lug, less than 13mm thickness, a titanium integrated bracelet, and a quick adjust clasp would be nice.

Movement options with date and no-date, and at least COSC but METAS would be great. Color and accent combos such as black/yellow, black/orange, black/green, black/blue, and some wildcard(s) as well. Power reserve stays on the dial, it’s part of what makes the watch the quirky thing it is. Though without a date to counter-balance it, the symmetry is off (but that could also add to its uniqueness). Display caseback could go either way, I’d take a solid one to shave off some thickness. NOT a limited edition, otherwise prices and competition to get one becomes too much to deal with.

DAVID M

More micro-adjust bracelets as standard for any watch over $1000.

The new increased power reserve SW-200-1

Grand Seiko finally understanding that lume is useful and can actually be put on more than three watches in their catalog.

JON DE SIQUEIRA

I’d love to see a new Omega ‘base’ calibre. I often feel their watches are held back by how thick they are and the popular opinion is that it has something to do with the thickness of the co-axial movements. Slimmer watches might allow for a reduction in their diameter too. Stick it in a new 12mm-thick Seamaster in a 40mm case and avoid the temptation to raise the price by thirty percent!

BRETT S

I’d love a big year for omega. Last year was underwhelming. The general response for the ATs and Railmaster was middling and the new Planet Ocean got a lot of positive industry press but enthusiasts of the brand felt like it was perhaps too large a departure from the spirit of the line. 

I’d love to see a really big universal splash. Something to compete with the Land-Dweller on technical chops or maybe a brand new line altogether. The industry is better when Omega is strong as a seller and innovator. Nobody does watch storytelling like Omega.

ANDREW

I want all of the brands to release nothing of personal interest to me so that I can be net negative on pieces in my collection at the end of the year.

APK

I want the next company to issue a derivative Genta knock-off integrated bracelet sports watch to be locked in a stockade in the town square so we can throw tomatoes at it…

SHELLY

I would like to see Swatch group heads take an extended holiday and let their legacy brands innovate at will.  Bring back the golden era of watch creativity. 

I would also like to see Hamilton lean into their heritage dress watch models. They’ve done the field watch for a while. That’s going pretty good. Get back to those vintage models and pull some of them out of the vault and redo them.

STEVE FAIELLO

I have a list of many things from the watch industry, but what I’d like to see the most is this – more mid range and luxury quartz watches. High accuracy and solar is desirable, but I’d love to see the return of perpetual calendars and jumping local hour hands too. The Japanese do it better than anyone these days, but they stick to niches – high end dressy watches or fancy wonder watches like Citizen Attesa and Casio Oceanus. I’d love to see a The Citizen dive watch with an A060 in it or a Seiko Astron field watch, but finished at Rolex Explorer levels. And I’d love to see what microbrands at the $1k+ price point could do with quartz movements that mainstream brands can’t or won’t. Quartz is super practical and allows for thinner and lighter watches and interesting complications without spending crazy money, so there’s lots of possibilities there. It’s nice to see TAG and Cartier come out with solar models, but they’re relatively crude compared to what the Japanese do (and did – just look at the Seiko Age of Discover that Tommy just wrote up). 

While I’m making requests, I’d love to see the following from the market in general:

Central minutes chronographs, quartz and mechanical chronographs with enough lume to read every function in the dark, not just the hour and minute hand. Most chronos are kind of hard to read in good lighting. Give me some lume so I have a chance of reading it in low light. Well finished titanium. Another thing Citizen, Casio, and Seiko do vastly better than the Swiss except at very high price points. Chronographs that count past 30 or 60 minutes. If I’m tracking only 60 minutes, I’d rather use a dive bezel. I’m ok with adding a 12 hour bezel assuming the movement will keep running past 60 minutes (I’m looking at you, Seiko and Miyota movements). Chronograph movements without silly 24 hour subdials (I’m still looking at you Seiko and Miyota).

SEAN MARTIN 

What I hope to see in 2026 is more watches with unique dials and overall aesthetics that do not just remind us of other, more expensive watches. A few releases using more unique materials, such as tantalum and Timascus, but not limited to just those examples and hopefully used in a thoughtful manner. 

I want to see a continued rethinking of what a field watch should be, stepping a little bit away from their military roots. Exciting takes on dress watches, ala the echo/neutra Rivanera, will be just what the doctor ordered. My other big hope is we will see a Swiss travel GMT movement available to small independent brands. The Miyota 9075 has been great, but sometimes we want a bit more refinement. Proving I too have mortal desires, I hope Tudor finally gives us that blue Pelagos 39 many of us have been pining for the last 3 years. Tudor’s 100th anniversary and fans finally getting a Ranger 36 gives me a glimmer of hope. That is what keeps me going.