The Watch Art Grand Exhibition Milano 2026 is a Patek Philippe extravaganza that’s on show until October 18 at CityOval, a restored 1920s sporting complex.

Hundreds of timepieces populate the over-30,000 sq ft space, including 99 from the venerable Patek Philippe Museum. But some watches stand out, for reasons ranging from artisanal beauty to historical significance – here’s five worth paying attention to.

Starting with the present day are a duo from the Rare Handcrafts collection put together specifically for this event. These are proof that beauty is both rare and expensive – each is a one-off and costs about US$800,000.

The first is the Rare Handcrafts Pocket Watch ref. 995/147G-001 “Venetian Cruise” that is literal: the reverse depicts a journey across the waters of Venice from the perspective of a passenger on a runabout, perhaps a Riva. The scene is something of a modern riff on classical painting depicting the entrance to the Grand Canal of Venice.

The wood deck of the boat is actually wood – the dial has over 330 pieces of wood forming the marquetry motif. The lake and buildings, which include the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, are in miniature enamel painting.

The juxtaposition of techniques and intricacy of the work make this a particularly compelling piece.

In contrast, the front of the watch is functional and almost no-frills, yet entirely appropriate. The dial is modelled on the instruments on the dashboard of a boat, explaining the functional appearance and speedometer-like hands. The nautical detail extends to the solid-gold stand for the watch, which has a nautical rope motif on its upper half.

Strikingly different yet equally compelling is the Rare Handcrafts Pocket Watch ref. 995/151G-001 “Dante”. This was done by Anita Porchet, and is arguably her flagship creation for this exhibition (she and her namesake workshop have completed watches for practically every Grand Exhibition to date).

This is a reframing of Botticelli’s famous portrait of the Italian poet and author, who is depicted in profile against the skylight surrounded by miniature sculptures inspired by Botticelli’s drawings of the Divine Comedy.

The decoration is entirely in enamel, cloisonné and miniature painting, in some 20 shades in total. Twenty-five firings were necessary to complete the work.

According to Anita Porchet, whom I spoke to during the exhibition, this was especially challenging to pull off, with one of the most complex aspects being the depth, perspective, and transparency of the depiction.

The dial of the watch echoes the theme with laurel leaves in cloisonné enamel against a blue backdrop sprinkled with stars. The theme continues on the stand, which also incorporates rock crystal.

Another must-see goes back to 1989 when Patek Philippe marked its 150th anniversary. For the occasion it created the Calibre 89, which was the most complicated watch ever made for many years. One prototype has pride of place in the Patek Philippe Museum, and it appropriately has top billing at the Grand Exhibition.

With 33 complications and over 1,700 parts in its movement, the Calibre 89 is the size of a burger and weights over 1 kg. This is a watch that has to be seen in person to understand its mass and importance.

Like all other “super complications”, the Calibre 89 is double sided by necessity since there isn’t enough real estate on one side to accommodate all of the indications.

The key indications on the front are the time, perpetual calendar, and chronograph, while the reverse is primarily about celestial complications, including a sky chart.

The next watch is the opposite of the Calibre 89 – it’s tiny, figurative, and mechanically simple. This is a ref. 1252 “Chameleon” that’s one of just three such watches known.

Designed by Geneva jeweller Gilbert Louis Kervan, this is a bangle watch that takes the form of a chameleon. This one dates from 1947, and the two other known examples have each been sold once at auction in Geneva at Christie’s and Antiquorum respectively.

The final highlight is equally compact but arguably more horological. This is a 1923 wristwatch that was the first-ever split-seconds chronograph wristwatch made by Patek Philippe.

Twice it sold for a record, the second time for almost US$3 million to the Patek Philippe Museum. Both the watch and its movement inspired the ref. 5959, which is almost a contemporary remake. The 33 mm case of this explains the dimensions of the ref. 5959, which is tiny by modern standards.

The Grand Exhibition takes places October 2-18, 2026, at CityOval in Milan. Entry is free but complimentary tickets are required and available via online registration at Watchart2026.patek.com.

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