Jack Forster, Global Editorial Director for The 1916 Company, checks in from the floor at Watches & Wonders 2026 on day two with his take on the best booths, the most surprising releases, and the general mood of the show.

Booth highlights: the Ulysse Nardin booth features a near 20-foot moving head of Freak creator Ludwig Oeschlin — eyes that follow you around the room. Piaget has a walk-through water tank installation. And Vacheron Constantin is touring their La Quête du Temps automaton clock, previously exhibited at the Louvre.

Watch highlights: Grand Seiko's UFA Spring Drive arriving in a dive watch — ±20 seconds per year accuracy in a 300m diver — caught Jack off guard in the best way. Patek Philippe's Celestial is the other standout: the first-ever wristwatch from the brand to display sunrise and sunset times, paired with the brand's star chart complication. And TAG Heuer's Monaco Evergraph introduces what Jack calls a genuine revolution — an entirely new chronograph control mechanism, the first new system in the history of the chronograph.

General trend: less flash, more classicism. A quiet but clear appreciation for traditional watchmaking values running through the show.