4 New High-End Watches Serious Collectors Are Circling Right Now

Welcome to Watch Guy Watches, GQ’s monthly curation of high-end timepieces for the true watch nerds among us. This month, we examine the second design from Fleming, a subtly tweaked Breguet Tradition, a Parmigiani with a lovely rose-colored dial, and one of the coolest Richard Milles we’ve ever laid eyes upon.

Fleming crashed onto the scene in 2024 and immediately found a fan base (and ample clients) for its brand-new $50,000-plus watch. The brand and its debut watch, the Series 1, were the brainchild of American collector Thomas Fleming and James Kong, a watch photographer and ex–corporate attorney. The watch’s compact proportions, attractive lugs, precious metal cases, beautiful dial designs, and compelling double-barrel movement instantly won over watch nerds—no small feat!

Now, Fleming is revisiting the Series one with a “Mark II” version in which much of the watch—from the case geometry to the movement to the dials—has been reconsidered and tweaked. Two options are available: a rose gold model called “Redwood” fitted with a matching rose gold dial, and a tantalum version called “Pacific” with an attractive blue-green dial, both of which are inspired by Northern California. While the classic “sector” dial layout remains, the Mark II features a black-polished outer ring that offers a more contemporary feel, while the main indices are present only at two-hour intervals, giving the design room to breathe. A mix of faceted and black polished hands with brushed and grained dial surfaces offers the type of dynamism that makes timepieces at this price point so attractive to collectors.

The watch case itself has also been subtly altered: While proportions are identical at 38.5mm in diameter and 9mm tall (including the domed crystal), improved finishing and transitions between surfaces—plus upgraded midcase construction and skeletonized lugs—ensure that the nerds among us have something worth training our jeweler’s loupes on. (While the cornes de vache lugs are present in handsome vintage pieces from the likes of Vacheron & Constantin, skeletonization of this component is a distinctly modern touch—especially on the tantalum, which is difficult to sculpt.)

Then there’s the movement itself, which has been sufficiently altered so as to receive a new designation, the FM.02. Developed with independent watchmaker Jean‑François Mojon and the good folks at Chronode, this hand-wound engine promises an impressive seven-day (168-hour) power reserve via twin barrels and measures just 4mm thick. Once again, in deference to those who quibble over such things, it’s been upgraded from the FM.01 present in the original Series I with redesigned bridges, lots of interior angles (189, for those counting), and even bespoke wheels to mirror the watch’s lug design. (Simply speaking: The watch’s internal machinery is now as pretty as its dial.) And while the base movement isn’t strictly new, the custom tweaks and touches betray an attention to detail that collectors forking over this kind of money will no doubt expect.