Fratello’s five standout LVMH watch releases of 2025 span a colorful chronograph, a minute repeater, a slim dress watch, a window-display watch and a solar-powered sports watch. The list is Jorg Weppelink’s editorial selection for “wow factor,” published January 16, 2026—not an objective ranking or a complete catalogue of the group’s releases.
Weppelink also notes other candidates, including Zenith’s G.F.J. and blue ceramic chronographs, additional Louis Vuitton Tambour and Escale models, and the LVKV-02 GMR 6. Here are the five watches he chose and the details that make each distinctive.
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At a glance: Fratello’s five picks
| Watch | Defining feature | Key reported detail |
|---|---|---|
| Zenith Defy Chronograph USM | Retro chronograph with colors and design cues drawn from USM furniture | 37mm case; 60 pieces per color, according to Fratello |
| Gérald Genta Geneva Minute Repeater | Compact chiming watch designed around its sound | 40mm diameter, 9.6mm thick; 0.6mm minimum case-wall thickness, according to Fratello |
| Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription | Thin, hand-wound dress watch with a guilloché dial | 7.7mm case thickness; 20 pieces, according to Fratello |
| Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence | Hours and minutes displayed through two apertures | Rose-gold version: 37mm by 8mm |
| TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph | Colorful Formula 1 sports watch with solar-powered movement | 38mm by 45.2mm; charging and runtime figures below are Fratello’s reported claims |
1. Zenith Defy Chronograph USM
Zenith’s collaboration with Swiss furniture maker USM applies the partner’s instantly recognizable palette and modular design language to a retro chronograph. Fratello highlights the restraint of the execution: the watches borrow color and visual details without losing the Defy’s own identity.
Colorful details on a familiar Defy foundation
The four versions pair a 37mm case and 14-sided bezel with colors associated with USM furniture. Their overlapping sub-dials recall the Zenith A386, while small hands and the central chronograph-seconds hand pick up the chosen colors and the USM ball-joint motif. A ladder-style bracelet reinforces the vintage look.
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Movement and reported production
Fratello identifies the movement as the El Primero 400, running at 36,000 vibrations per hour with a 50-hour power reserve. It reports production of 60 watches in each color, supplied in a modular USM Haller case. Those production and specification figures are as reported in Weppelink’s article.
2. Gérald Genta Geneva Minute Repeater
This is the most acoustically ambitious watch in Fratello’s selection. Rather than treating the minute repeater as a complication to be hidden behind a familiar case, the design gives sound a central role. Watchmakers Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas of La Fabrique du Temps are credited with developing its sound; the black-polished gongs were tuned by hand and ear, according to the article.
A case designed around the chime
The yellow-gold case is cushion-shaped, has no lugs, and measures 40mm across by 9.6mm thick. Fratello reports that its walls narrow to just 0.6mm at their thinnest point, and describes an internal structure intended to function like a sound studio. The movement is the GG-002; the article says its manufacture and assembly take four full weeks.
Restrained dial
A black onyx dial, gold hands and indexes, and a white railroad minute track keep the display sober against the unusual case and chiming mechanism. The result is a watch whose technical character is not expressed through a crowded dial.
3. Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription
Following the revived Daniel Roth brand’s tourbillon models, the Extra Plat Souscription returns to a simpler dress-watch format. Fratello places it in the historical sequence of the original Daniel Roth brand and singles out its thin profile, compact proportions and finely worked dial.
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Case and hand-wound caliber
The yellow-gold case measures 35.5mm in diameter, 38.6mm from end to end, and 7.7mm thick. Inside is the hand-wound DR002 caliber, which the article describes as 3.1mm thick and capable of a 70-hour power reserve. Its design is attributed to Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini of La Fabrique du Temps.
Dial work and limited edition
The dial combines Clous de Paris guilloché with circular brushing and guilloché frames. Fratello reports that the Souscription was limited to 20 pieces and won the Time Only category at GPHG 2025.
4. Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence
The Tambour Convergence reworks the montre à guichet, or window-watch, display. Instead of conventional hands sweeping across a full dial, two arched apertures reveal the hours and minutes. Its distinctive reading method is also its main trade-off: the placement of the markers can take time to understand.
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Louis Vuitton keeps the movement’s usual direction of operation and reverses the hours on the rotating disc rather than reversing the caliber. The design produces the unconventional marker placement visible through the apertures. Fratello favors the rose-gold version, whose case measures 37mm by 8mm, and identifies its automatic movement as the LFT MA01.01, with a 45-hour power reserve.
A platinum version set with snow-set diamonds is also mentioned in the article, but the rose-gold model is the one selected for the list.
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5. TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph
The revamped Formula 1 line marks TAG Heuer’s renewed role as Formula 1’s official timekeeper. Fratello says the collection debuted in nine versions at Watches and Wonders, mixing regular-production watches with limited editions for particular race weekends. It stands apart from the other picks as a colorful, practical sports watch rather than a high-complication or small-production dress piece.
Materials and variants
The reported case dimensions are 38mm by 45.2mm. Depending on the version, the case is bead-blasted stainless steel, DLC-coated stainless steel or bio-polyamide resin, with matching color options. The watches have colorful dials and applied luminous markers; some are paired with a new steel bracelet and others with rubber straps.
Solar charging claims
Fratello names the solar movement TH50-00 and describes it as based on a La Joux-Perret caliber. The article reports that two minutes of light provides a day’s charge, while 40 hours of light provides 10 months of operation. It also says the movement should run for at least 15 years without servicing. These charging, runtime and service-life figures are claims reported by Fratello, not independently verified here.
What the five picks reveal about LVMH’s 2025 watch releases
The selection is deliberately varied rather than a ranking on a single measure. The Zenith brings a design collaboration to a familiar chronograph; the Gérald Genta makes acoustics its focus; the Daniel Roth emphasizes thinness and dial craft; the Louis Vuitton explores a less conventional way to display time; and the TAG Heuer offers solar power in a sports-watch format. Fratello provides no comparable prices, so the list does not support a price-based ranking.
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