Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Tag Heuer and the rise of pastel watches
Major brands are adding models in playful tones to their range, with Hublot, Richard Mille, Dior, Gerald Charles and Norqain also following the trend
This year, pastels have made a significant statement at Tag Heuer, which has given its Formula 1 timepiece collection a full makeover. Launched in 1986, the Formula 1 was the first watch to carry the Tag Heuer name and looked very different from the traditional Swiss watches of the time, with bright, eye-catching colours and a sporty design rooted in the brand’s motor racing heritage. Last year, the line gained the brand’s light-powered Solargraph movement, and for 2026 a new 38mm version arrives in a whole sweet shop of shades including pastel pink, blue, beige, green and lavender-blue.
Timepieces have come sugar coated in pastels at Dior too, which has welcomed three new versions of its La D de Dior watch in soft pink, blue and yellow, each with an iridescent mother-of-pearl dial, matching strap and diamonds pavéed across the bezel and crown. Designed in 2003 by the house’s jewellery artistic director Victoire de Castellane, La D de Dior was conceived with the minimalist watch lover in mind, with a beautifully pared-back round case, and these new additions in particular make for gorgeous wrist candy. Even the house’s sportier Chiffre Rouge, known for its flashes of red, has been splashed with a pastel-pink mother-of-pearl dial framed with a rose-gold bezel smothered in diamonds.
The Big Bang, Hublot’s flagship model, is another to have been drenched in pastels. Two models mix a painterly palette of mint green, pink and sky blue across their cases, while a trio of 33mm monochrome versions arrive in peach, mint and petrol blue. There’s also the new 42mm Big Bang Titanium Peach Ceramic chronograph, where that uplifting peach shade pops up across the bezel, skeletonised dial, hands and strap.
