Inside WatchTime’s September-October 2026 Issue

The September-October 2026 issue of WatchTime Magazine looks at what happens when watchmakers return to the ideas that established their identities. Bvlgari revisits the proportions of its most important modern watch, Rolex marks a century since the introduction of the Oyster case, and TAG Heuer returns to Monaco, where its history in motorsport and one of its most recognizable watches come together.

Bvlgari Brings the Octo Finissimo Down to 37mm

Leading the new issue is the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo 37, a more compact interpretation of the ultra-thin watch that has helped redefine Bvlgari’s place in modern watchmaking.

Since its debut in 2014, the Octo Finissimo has served as a platform for record-breaking tourbillons, minute repeaters, chronographs, and other ultra-thin complications. The time-only Octo Finissimo Automatic brought that technical identity into a more accessible and versatile watch, but its angular 40mm case still created a larger presence on the wrist than its dimensions suggested.

The new version reduces the diameter to 37mm while retaining the faceted titanium case and integrated bracelet that define the collection. The change required more than scaling down the existing watch. Bvlgari developed the new automatic Caliber BVF 100, a micro-rotor movement with a 72-hour power reserve, specifically for the smaller case.

Our cover story puts the 37mm and 40mm models side by side and examines how three millimeters change the Octo Finissimo’s proportions, wrist presence, and broader appeal. The result feels less like a smaller version of the same watch than the beginning of a new chapter for Bvlgari’s flagship collection.

Rolex Celebrates 100 Years of the Oyster

The issue also looks back at 100 years of the Rolex Oyster, beginning with the waterproof case introduced in 1926 and continuing through the arrival of Rolex’s self-winding system five years later.

The Oyster addressed one of the fundamental weaknesses of the early wristwatch: the vulnerability of its movement to water, dust, and daily wear. Its construction brought together a tightly sealed case, a securely fitted crystal, and a threaded crown-and-tube system. Rolex then demonstrated the watch’s capabilities publicly, most famously when Mercedes Gleitze wore an Oyster during her 1927 swim across the English Channel.

In 1931, the company added its Perpetual rotor, which could turn through a full 360 degrees to wind the movement through the motion of the wearer’s wrist. Together, the waterproof case and automatic winding system established the formula that would underpin generations of Rolex watches.

Our feature traces the patents, suppliers, engineering, and marketing behind those developments, showing how the Oyster evolved from a technical solution into the foundation of one of watchmaking’s most recognizable identities.

TAG Heuer Returns to Monaco

Elsewhere, WatchTime heads to the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix with TAG Heuer. The feature moves through the race weekend—from the harbor and starting grid to conversations with Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, and TAG Heuer ambassador Patrick Dempsey—while exploring the relationship between the brand, Formula 1, and the principality itself.

The original Heuer Monaco arrived in 1969 as one of the first commercially available automatic chronographs and the first water-resistant square-cased watch. Its appearance on Steve McQueen’s wrist in the 1971 film Le Mans helped turn it into an enduring motorsport design.

At this year’s Grand Prix, TAG Heuer introduced the Monaco Speed 12, a 50-piece limited edition built around a new jumping-hour display. Its 40mm Grade 5 titanium case houses the automatic Caliber TH84-00, with 12 miniature pistons arranged around the dial to display the hours. The mechanism translates the movement of a 12-cylinder engine into a mechanical display made for the wrist, pushing the familiar Monaco case into new technical territory.

More From the Issue: Reviews, Independents, and Automata

The issue’s tests and reviews cover several very different approaches to contemporary watchmaking. The Parmigiani Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux appears to be a restrained three-hand watch until its chronograph is activated. Three previously hidden hands then move into view to measure elapsed seconds, minutes, and hours, allowing Parmigiani to build a full chronograph without conventional subdials.

The Blancpain Villeret Complete Calendar represents a more traditional vision. The review connects the modern watch to Blancpain’s revival in 1983, when the company responded to the rise of inexpensive quartz watches with an unapologetically classical mechanical calendar. The current model combines a complete calendar and moon-phase display with under-lug correctors that allow its indications to be adjusted without interrupting the case’s clean profile.

At the more accessible end of the issue, the Tissot Gentleman 38mm pairs its new proportions with the Powermatic 80 movement and an $850 price. The review considers what the smaller case changes and why the Tissot presents such a strong argument for what a Swiss mechanical watch under $1,000 can offer.

Independent watchmaking also takes a prominent place in this fall issue. The final blue edition of the Urwerk UR-10 SpaceMeter uses three subdials to track the distance traveled through Earth’s daily rotation and its orbit around the sun. Limited to 25 pieces, the release closes one of Urwerk’s most unconventional chapters with a watch that looks relatively conventional at first glance.

The MB&F HM12 The Guardian takes the opposite approach. Its time-only movement contains 646 components and can be worn as a titanium wristwatch or installed inside an articulated robot-shaped stand. The signature result sits somewhere between a watch, a table clock, and a piece of mechanical sculpture.

Additional highlights include a tour of Van Cleef & Arpels’ automaton clocks, from gem-set flowers and butterflies to a mechanical planetarium; a conversation with Arnold & Son and Angelus Managing Director Pascal Béchu; a celebration of 10 years of Isotope; and a look back at the first serially produced automatic wristwatch, developed by John Harwood and brought into production by Fortis in 1926.

From Bvlgari’s reworked proportions and the century-old foundation of the Rolex Oyster to Monaco at full speed, hidden chronographs, and mechanical creations that blur the line between watches and art, the September-October 2026 issue explores how watchmaking’s most enduring ideas continue to evolve.

The September-October 2026 issue of WatchTime is available now at your local newsstand, airport kiosk, or bookstore.

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