Watches truly age like wine.
Skim through watch magazine archive from the last decade, and one thing’s instantly clear: the luxury watch industry lives for nostalgia and anniversaries. With a heritage spanning nearly four (arguably five) centuries, watchmakers face no shortage of emotional milestones and historic icons to celebrate.
Turns out, 2025 is an absolute fiesta of horlogerie jubilees, and watchmakers have put up quite a ‘birthday bash’ for their most famous models and themselves. So, without further ado, here’s a quick list of the watch world’s biggest anniversaries being celebrated in 2025.
TAG Heuer’s 165th anniversary
Established by Edouard Heuer, the ‘First Heuer’, in 1860, TAG Heuer was built upon two foundations: family leadership and avant-garde innovation. Starting as a humble silver pocket watch shop at his family farm in Saint-Imier, the maison soon moved to Brugg, followed by their first patent of a keyless, crown-operated pocket watch in 1869. Striving to perfect the chronograph during the late 1800s, this technical tool became a staple in Olympic sport timing by the 1920s, and in racing and adventure by the 1960s — TAG Heuer found its mission, timing life’s greatest moments with precision. Celebrating 165 years, TAG Heuer’s Watches & Wonders 2025 catalogue reimagined icons like the Monaco, Carrera, and Formula 1 with a heavy dose of motorsport adrenaline, vibrancy and their spirit of technical innovation.
Panerai’s 165th anniversary
Born in Florence in 1860, Giovanni Panerai created Officine Panerai as a modest watchmaking workshop and the city’s first watchmaking school — one that would go on to craft precision instruments for the Royal Italian Navy. With its breakthrough Radiomir patent in 1916 and the development of oversized, luminescent dive watches in the 1930s and ’40s, Panerai cemented its reputation below sea level long before it ever reached boutique windows. After transitioning to civilian wrists in the 1990s and joining the Richemont Group in 1997, the brand redefined military minimalism for the modern collector. Now celebrating their 165th anniversary, Panerai stands as a beacon of sustainability and ocean conservation, with proprietary material innovations like eSteel™, recycled PET straps, and ‘Panerai Ecologico’ framework.
Hublot Big Bang’s 20th Anniversary
For half of Hublot’s tenure in the luxury watch landscape, the Big Bang has served as the perfect embodiment of the maison’s relentless spirit of technical experimentalism. Unveiled in 2005 under the bold vision of Jean-Claude Biver, the Hublot Big Bang shattered conventions with its pioneering “Art of Fusion”, blending steel, gold, titanium, ceramic, carbon fibre, Kevlar, and rubber. Now, entering its 20th year in 2025, Hublot unveiled a five-piece limited edition 20th anniversary capsule at Watches & Wonders 2025, with each recasting the original 2005 “Art of Fusion” DNA in various facets.
Breguet’s 250th Anniversary & Tourbillon Patent’s 224th Anniversary
Founded in Paris in 1775 by Abraham-Louis Breguet, the maison marks its 250th anniversary in 2025 — an extraordinary milestone for the watchmaker that laid the very foundations of modern horology with inventions like the self-winding watch, pare-chute shock protection, the Breguet overcoil, and the revolutionary tourbillon. At the heart of the celebration is the 224th anniversary of Breguet’s most legendary invention: the tourbillon, patented in 1801. To honour this dual milestone, Breguet unveiled the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 — an aventurine-dialled, flying tourbillon masterpiece limited to just 50 pieces.
Vacheron Constantin’s 270th Anniversary
Vacheron Constantin is a living chronicle of horological history. Since Jean-Marc Vacheron opened his Geneva workshop in 1755, the maison has pushed the boundaries of craftsmanship and innovation without missing a beat for 270 years. To commemorate this milestone, Vacheron debuted the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, limited to 127 pieces. It featured a new calibre 2162 QP/270, just 6.55 mm thick and based on the existing Calibre 2160. Visible from the open caseback, this calibre features a côte unique finish, inspired by the Maltese cross, Vacheron’s emblem since 1880. This hand-guilloché treatment is testament to the maison’s perpetual quest for precision and excellence. Alongside this, Vacheron Constantin also celebrated their 270th anniversary with a W&W25-special Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication — the world’s most complicated watch.
OMEGA’S 30th Anniversary as the Official James Bond Watch
In 1995’s GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan strapped on a Seamaster Professional 300M, marking a cinematic pivot and firmly establishing OMEGA as the new 007 superwatch. Oscar-winning costume designer, Lindy Hemming wanted a watch that reflected Bond’s naval background — something that felt authentically military, yet sleek enough to sit comfortably beneath a dinner jacket. “I was convinced that Commander Bond, a naval man, a diver, and a discreet gentleman of the world would wear the Seamaster,” she explained in later interviews. This single decision sparked a partnership that has endured three decades and counting. Since we’re on the verge of seeing a new 007 actor, could we see a new OMEGA too?
Audemars Piguet 150th anniversary
Founded in 1875 by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet in the watchmaking cradle of Le Brassus, the maison earned its name by crafting chiming complications and ultra-thin calibres. But it wasn’t until 1972, with the Royal Oak, that Audemars Piguet truly disrupted watchmaking — launching a steel sports watch at gold-watch prices (designed by the late Gerald Genta). Now, in 2025, the maison is celebrating its sesquicentennial with a fleet of Royal Oaks, new calibre 7138, and much more. The showstopper was Audemars Piguet’s new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked ‘150th Anniversary’ edition, limited to 150 pieces. Cased in 41 millimetres of titanium with a BMG bezel, its skeletonized dial showcases the inner workings of the calibre 5135.
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