Geneva won’t want to hear me say this, but it’s starting to feel like Milan is becoming the unofficial capital of watches lately. Firstly, Rolex chose the city to announce the wildly unexpected Perpetual Padellone in September of this year. Patek Philippe also just concluded the next installment of their two-week-long Watch Art Grand Exhibition held in Palazzo delle Scintille, and Hublot selected Milan to host the launch of their latest release and slight re-issue, Classic Fusion Tributo. Amid all these activations, the city saw even more watch-obsessed people descend for what may be the most buzzy happening of all: Milan Watch Week.
Now, let me clear something up before I proceed: there are a lot of domestic watch weeks around the world lately. Off the top of my head, we have New York, London, Dubai, Geneva (some people have started to call the week of Watches & Wonders this), Milan, India, and, more recently, Istanbul. And while the increased presence of shows like these may signal something else happening in our industry, the picture it doesn’t fully paint is how different each of these weeks is. Let’s take Dubai and Milan. Dubai Watch Week, the first and original Watch Week, is a retail-backed organization run by the Seddiq family and takes two years of planning by a huge team with major brand involvement.
Milan Watch Week 2026, held in Palazzo Mezzanotte.
Milan Watch Week (MWW) was created by the team behind Italian Watch Spotter, an Italian-based online media company. You’ve almost certainly seen their work on Instagram, as they share wrist spots, industry news, and happenings to their half a million followers. But for the past three years, they’ve hosted Milan Watch Week, every year the scale has increased, and this year, well, the show was a giant leap forward. Compared with Dubai Watch Week, the Milan team has just twenty people, including a production team.
For the 2026 edition, the show welcomed over 14,000 visitors from more than 50 countries, with 57 brands participating. The premise for MWW is relatively straightforward. The show is hosted in a large location (Palazzo Mezzanotte), where watch brands set up stands to display watches, and visitors come to explore and discover. But where this show and the team behind it differ is in their experience of watch shows across the world. The people who made this happen are the same ones who join us on press trips and brand invitations. They create written and social content on the latest watch news. They interview CEOs. They handle the newest and upcoming watches before anyone else. What I mean here is that they know exactly what does and doesn’t work in our industry when it comes to events. Combined with their dynamic, intelligent, and all-around wonderful team, suddenly you find things such as screened live walks around the show showing all brands, evening events highlighting Italian culture, appointment-free brand visits, espressos on tap, and very real encouragement to take a long lunch, ideally over a pizza.
The Milan Watch Week x Dubai Watch Week ‘Off Grid’ Event.
Milan Watch Week also demonstrated its true international reach during the show, hosting an event officially in collaboration with Dubai Watch Week, a show the founders behind Milan Watch Week publicly shared was a huge inspiration for their Italian edition. This event brought together everyone in the watch industry, from Rexhep Rexhepi to Max Bernandini (more on him later), and was used to announce the dates for Dubai Watch Week in 2027: November 17th-21th.
An evening hosted with Rubinacci saw watches combined with the perfect suit.
I won’t spoil everything just yet, as many images await, including some of the most diverse and impressive wrist spottings I’ve seen at an event like this. Most of all, Milan Watch Week was just as much about the city, the watch scene in it, and the people that shape it, from brand owners, collectors, media representatives, and its retailers. From my experience attending many shows like this, truly only Dubai Watch Week can match this feeling. And with that in mind, you’ve just got enough time to make yourself a negroni and start experiencing how Milan does watches.
A hint at the sort of wrist spotting you can expect, two good friends with the incredibly special FP Journe FFC and the Vagabonde III.
There are very few blue dials as vivid as the DB25 Digitale from De Bethune.
Inside Palazzo Mezzanotte, Milan Watch Week hosted all types, sizes, and styles of brands.
In true Italian fashion, Zagato even displayed this Porsche 356 Zagato Coupe.
The HYT S1 Beadblasted Titanium Blue – in hand this is pretty special.
Ressence was always a popular stand.
An example of a long lunch whereby Emmanual Gueit, designer of the Audemars Piguet Offshore, Dennison, and this, the Tiffany Timer, took off his watch to reveal ‘E.Gueit’ engraved on the caseback at the bottom.
Watch journalist Miguel Seabra perfectly paired his outfit with the Neo Digiteur Sky from Chronoswiss.
Over at MAD Editions, the team there had special clasps made exclusively for Milan Watch Week with ‘MIL’ on to celebrate the city.
The reversible De Bethune DB Kind of Two Jumping GMT was a personal highlight.
As the evening rolled in, the watch spotting didn’t disappoint, including this amazing vintage Oris ladybird necklace which opens.
And a Greubel Forsey Balancier QM.
Followed by a personal favourite from the smaller independents, the Arsène Lippens Artigiano “Sashiko Denim.”
And the Hermés Cape Cod Automatique, with diamonds.
On my wrist I rocked a head turner, the Gerald Genta Oursin 36 Black in Titanium.
And yes, touching the spiky case is as satisfying as it looks.
In Milan, every wrist has something interesting on, such as this black jade stone jump hour from Andersen Genève.
The next day and back at the show, it was time to head upstairs to their ‘After Time’ part of the exhibition: this is where lots of the smaller independent brands were, and it was always a busy section.
Dennison understood the Italian brief by getting into the spirit of things with the ALD Mini.
The Oris Big Crown Diamond in 34 looks amazing styled on every wrist.
Always a fan favourite, especially here in Italy, the Squale 1521 “Watch Your Hand” collaboration with seconde/seconde is a rare spotting (especially when the time has the shark perfectly taking a bite out of the hour hand).
L.Leroy came with something incredible recently: their Vox Temporis with a Flying Tourbillon and rotating dial.
Oh, it’s also a minute repeater with a hunter caseback.
Over at Ferdinand Bethoud the Chronomètre FB 2TV.1 was blowing minds (this also is up there as another watch of the show for me).
MB&F’s newly launched SP One Pavée.
Upstairs in the lounge espresso’s were flowing, and Dillon Bhatt pulls me aside to show me the three watches he has with him for the show – surely this is close to impossible to pick a favourite?
Girard Perregaux had its Laureato Chronograph Azzurro Edition, produced to celebrate a 50 year relationship between GP and Italy, announced during Milan Watch Week.
Konstantin Chaykin’s Master of Days cufflinks, these are mechanical cufflinks that actually function as a manual weekly calendar.
Fan favorite Ming’s 56.00 Starfield is the brands first ever integrated bracelet watch.
Trilobe’s Chateau Trente-Deux in burgundy with a bottle of French Grand Cru presented to the first 100 pieces of the watch sold.
The next evening event was at the Italian clothing house of Rubinacci, where a series of independent watches were paired with the perfect fabrics for a tailored suit.
For the Urwerk UR-101 T-Rex, it was all about complementary shades such as the burgundy as well as subtle texture to pick up on the case finish.
We’ve already seem some very special Journe, but here things get wild: a platinum cased brass movement era Octa Reserve de Marche from 2001. When it comes to hyped Journe, this is true rarity.
Only a few minutes later (the time on the dial proves it) this Élégante ‘Gino’s Dream’ enters the room.
Before a vintage mini Squale diver, paired perfectly here with a pin-striped suit – see what I mean about diverse wrist spotting in Milan?
There was even time for some loafer shopping.
The Urwerk UR-102 Reloaded spotted on wrist in attendance.
Limited to just 100 pieces, the Gagà Laboratorio Labormatic ‘Superleggero’ worn by the founder, Ruben Tomella.
The next day I took an hour in the morning before the show to head to the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition – here are some personal highlights.
The 3412 and the 3413, both prototype creations designed by, of course, Gilbert Albert.
The first Patek wristwatch, ever.
The Rare Handcrafts “Burano” pocket watch depicted Venice made for the exhibition.
The exhibition had a lot on display, but live wood marquetry was a highlight.
As was the ultimate desk clock for any Milanese office: the ‘City of Milan’ enamel clock.
Two more pieces made for the exhibition with cloisonné enamel dials.
Back at Milan Watch Week, and Czapek had a great selection available for all to handle.
Julia Carrier-Angel (@wristmarvels on Instagram) wore her Hermes Kelly watch her own way.
A Krayon on wrist is already a moment, but this baguette set sapphires and tourmalines edition of the Anywhere ‘Astraea’ was next level.
Outside the show, Quang (@mr_q_t on Instagram) had his 5270G on wrist.
And the next watch I saw was another Patek, this time a Golden Ellipse 3930 from the 1900s featuring a Gubelin retailer signature.
One of the last evenings of the show was the big one: Milan Watch Week x Dubai Watch Week ‘Off Grid.’
Whereby the show had brought together some of the biggest names in watchmaking for a ‘speed dating’ session – five minutes to talk to each of the special guests in the room about anything you’d like.
Rexhep Rexhepi was in attendance.
As was Richard Benc from Studio Underd0g.
We don’t talk enough about how amazing the black lacquer Cartier Santos Dumont is.
Outside of speed dating, the DJ was starting.
And kept going all night.
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for Dubai Watch Week, Hind Seddiqi, joins Milan Watch Week and Italian Watch Spotter co-founders Edoardo Armentano, Alessandro Bucchi, and Fabrizio Bonvicino.
Hind takes the time to show me the watch on her wrist, a West End Watch Co. piece which was produced in memory of her late uncle.
With his signature included on the back.
Pietro Pilla from Time & Tide perfectly paring the strap on his Cartier Tank Europe Exclusive in platinum with his suit.
Hassan from @arabwatchguide with a special edition of the C by Romain Gauthier.
For the occasion, Milan Watch Week produced custom pocket squares themed around Milan and watch brands attending.
A part of the crew behind Milan Watch Week and Italian Watch Spotter than made this amazing week possible.
On the otherside of town, Alessandro Fanciulli (mr.a on Instagram) hosted a very special evening featuring his colourful watch boxes, and incredible vintage watches to match each colour and theme.
A well loved Rolex Midas on the wrist of vintage watch dealer Arthur Pfister (arthuroduro).
You’ll want to zoom in on these watches, especially that Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar.
And the same can be said for this incredible Jaeger LeCoultre.
An amazing stack sees a yellow gold Cartier Santos Octagon paired with a Van Cleef Classique Sport 2.
Time to zoom again.
And on Alessandro’s wrist? Something he’s not quite ready to show the world.
After the fun of Milan Watch Week, I had just enough time left in Milan to head over to see Max Bernardini who had, naturally, prepared some real gems to share with you.
Starting strong with: a steel 1463, a 533 with tear drop lugs, a two tone 130 with rose dial and a Gay Frères bracelet, and another 130, this time in yellow on yellow.
This 533 doesn’t just have teardrop lugs, but they’re confirmed on the extract by Patek.
Dating from 1939, its one of the most elegant executions of a chronograph, possibly ever.
This 1950s Cartier Y “Ronde Scalier” was simply wonderful with its large blued hands and stepped case.
How about this amazing engraving on the back of this 1016.
There was also this, a 2597 Travel Time in 18ct pink gold.
The condition of this watch is second to none.
The steel 1463 on bracelet.
For added context, this is one of only seven known two tone 130 chronographs, a wildly underappreciated reference in today’s market.
Inside Max’s office, we began assembling this top class tray of pocket watches. This is one worth zooming in on with two examples being my personal favorites: the Vacheron with sector dial and huge hands in the middle at the top of the tray (Max said this is one of the best dials he owns), and the huge 24-hour dial Jaeger LeCoultre just below it.
An exceptionally mint 6036 Triple Calendar Chronograph “Dato-Compax.”
Peak vintage Rolex sports watch with this 6538 Submariner on its stretch bracelet.
And with that, a huge thank you and congratulations to Milan Watch Week. You’ve created something extremely special. See you next year?
