Watches of Switzerland started with humble beginnings in 1924, when an entrepreneurial Maurice Lane began selling watches by mail order. Over the past century, it has morphed into one of the world’s leading luxury watch retailers, with boutiques across the UK. Over the decades it has built relationships with many of the world’s greatest watch brands, some of which it has teamed up with to design a range of special releases that mark the anniversary.

These include a sleek take on the Zenith Chronomaster Sport (£10,800), limited to 100 pieces. It features the watchmaker’s signature tricolour counters in shades of grey, while the ceramic bezel, with markings allowing accurate reading to 1/10th of a second, nods to the Watches of Switzerland Group’s signature navy blue. Its extended power reserve of 60 hours is powered by the high-performance El Primero chronograph calibre, which when it was originally released in 1969 represented the world’s first high-frequency, fully integrated chronograph movement. A sapphire-crystal display back shows off its impressive architecture, which includes an open rotor framed by Zenith’s emblematic five-pointed star.

Roman jeweller Bulgari, meanwhile, has launched two bespoke watches limited to 30 pieces each. First up is the Serpenti Seduttori (£9,300), whose dial of lapis lazuli can hold a gaze like a starlit sky, all the more so as it’s surrounded by 38 sparkling diamonds and a cabochon-cut gemstone crown. Then there’s the Octo Roma Automatic (£8,900), whose Super-LumiNova-coated indexes pop on a monochromatic dark blue background. It speaks to Bulgari’s relationships with Italian artistry, not least through an octagonal black bezel inspired by designs found in the Pantheon.

In partnership with Cartier, Watches of Switzerland has also released a Tank Louis watch (£12,700) limited to 100 pieces. This features a brushed gold dial contrasting stylishly with a navy alligator strap, blue steel hands and a sapphire cabochon in the crown. Designed in 1917 by Louis Cartier, grandson of the Maison’s founder, the iconic Tank watch has long epitomised timeless elegance. With a rectangular dial framed by softer, rounder lugs, it was an early contribution to the Art Deco movement, particularly loved within avant-garde circles.

Speaking of movements, the Manufacture GP01800 calibre of Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato 42mm (£15,300) boasts over two days’ power reserve, its intricate engineering visible through a sapphire-crystal caseback. Limited to 50 pieces, the stainless-steel case contrasts boldly against the rose-gold dial with eye-catching Clous de Paris pattern, a classic combination that adorned the inaugural Laureato in 1975.

Finally, Watches of Switzerland has partnered with Doxa to launch the Sub 200T Centenary Edition Seafoam (£1,590): water-resistant to 200m and striking at first glance for its green sunray dial with polished golden hands and indexes. Below the surface, it features innovations like a unidirectional bezel with a double indication for calculating dive time in relation to depth, granting a safe ascent without decompression stops. The feature has earned Doxa a patent and was based on a no-decompression dive table devised by the US Navy. Inspired by the iconic Sub 300 of the late 1960s, the Sub 200T has a more elegant diameter of 39mm and wearable thickness of 10.7mm, the same dedication to craftsmanship and innovation as may be found in Watches of Switzerland’s 222 showrooms throughout the UK, US, and Europe.

To find out more about the launches, visit watches-of-switzerland.co.uk