The 2025 Geneva Watch Fair witnessed historic debuts from Rolex and Patek Philippe, with both brands introducing entirely new calibers alongside bold designs—a dual innovation unseen in the past decade. From Rolex’s avant-garde Dynapulse escapement to Patek Philippe’s first round-cased eight-day power reserve, these releases redefine horological benchmarks.
Rolex’s Landmaster: A Fusion of Heritage and Cutting-Edge Engineering
Rolex unveiled its Landmaster collection, a modern reinterpretation of the 1970s Oysterquartz with an integrated bracelet and case design. Powered by the new Caliber 7135, this automatic movement features the groundbreaking Dynapulse escapement—a silicon-based system with dual escape wheels and a single pallet fork, a configuration rarely seen in high-end watchmaking (unlike Breguet’s natural escapement, which lacks a pallet fork).
Key Technical Advancements
Dynapulse Escapement: Enhances efficiency by 30% while maintaining Rolex’s signature Chronergy escapement reliability. The 36,000 vph frequency marks Rolex’s first high-beat movement in decades.
Ceramic Balance Staff: Improves anti-magnetism and reduces wear.
Thin Profile: At 9.7mm thick, the 36mm and 40mm cases offer 100m water resistance, positioning the Landmaster as a luxury sports competitor to the Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.
Design nods include a fluted bezel (60 teeth for the 40mm model), luminescent ceramic hour markers, and a “Slim Jubilee” bracelet with sharper edges reminiscent of vintage Oysterquartz models. Launch variants span stainless steel (CNY 124,700), rose gold (CNY 385,300), and platinum (CNY 521,200).
Patek Philippe’s 5328G: Eight Days of Elegance
Patek Philippe’s 5328G introduces the manual-wind Caliber 31-505, delivering an eight-day power reserve—previously exclusive to square-cased models like the 2013 reference 5200. The movement leverages twin barrels and a Pulsomax silicon escapement (from the brand’s Advanced Research line) to optimize accuracy, though the power reserve is capped at eight days to maintain precision.
Design Language
Retro Aesthetics: A grained, gradient dial with syringe hands and Clous de Paris-engraved white gold case mirrors the 2022 5226/5326 series.
Complication Layout: Features a power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock and a subdial combining date, small seconds, and a jumping day display.
Patek Philippe 6196P: A Modern Classic Reborn
Replacing the discontinued 5196, the 6196P debuts the 30-255 manual movement—a larger (31mm), more technically refined upgrade with a 65-hour reserve and exhibition caseback. The 38mm platinum case houses a salmon dial with dauphine hands and applied numerals, offering improved proportions over its predecessor.
