We Love Watches 2026: the watchmaking world gathers in Paris on October 9 and 10.
The We Love Watches show is gearing up for its fourth edition. Moving on from La Samaritaine, the Parisian watch event is changing venues and will take place on October 9 and 10, 2026, at the Maison de la Mutualité in Paris’s 5th arrondissement. The event aims to continue bringing brands closer to collectors and enthusiasts, featuring both established houses and emerging independent players. For readers of *Montre Plongée Militaire*, the gathering will also offer the chance to meet—in person—several brands previously featured in our pages and to experience their latest releases firsthand on the wrist.
We Love Watches scales up for 2026
The main highlight of this fourth edition is its change of venue. We Love Watches is leaving the Samaritaine’s glass-roofed hall—which hosted the previous edition—to take up residence at the Maison de la Mutualité, located at 24 Rue Saint-Victor in Paris. This new location offers a larger space, allowing the show to accommodate more new releases and activities. Another significant change is that the event will now span two days: Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10, 2026. The organizers have also announced a new commercial feature: visitors will now be able to purchase certain watches directly on-site. This shift in format reflects the steady growth of an event based on a simple premise: enabling enthusiasts to meet the key players in contemporary watchmaking face-to-face.
From established manufacturers to independent brands
We Love Watches intentionally champions a broad lineup. The show does not aim to focus on a specific price point, country, or type of watchmaking. Instead, it brings together brands with vastly different profiles, ranging from historic houses to much newer independent players. While the final list of 2026 exhibitors is still being unveiled, the organizers have already announced several names, including Abordage, Akrone, Alpina, Apose, Arcange, Atelier Wen, Auricoste, BA111OD, and Baltic. This diversity is one of the format's key attractions. It allows visitors to move—in just a few steps—from a historic brand to a micro-brand, from a dress watch to a "tool watch," or from Swiss production to a contemporary French creation.
Several brands well-known to “Montre Plongée Militaire“ readers
For readers of *Montre Plongée Militaire*, the appeal of We Love Watches also lies in the presence of brands we follow regularly. Among the first brands confirmed for 2026 are Akrone, Ralf Tech, ZRC, Yema, and Auricoste—to name just a few—all names well-known within the MPM community. As further exhibitors are announced, other brands followed by MPM may join this lineup. The official website now features a dedicated page for the brands participating in the 2026 edition.
A watch is an object that needs to be handled
The growth of online watch retail has fundamentally changed how enthusiasts discover new releases. High-definition photos, videos, 3D views, and detailed reviews now allow you to examine a watch without leaving home. Yet, part of the experience still eludes the screen. A 40mm watch might look substantial in a photograph but appear quite compact when worn. Even with identical diameters, two models can feel completely different in terms of balance, depending on their thickness, dial opening, or lug-to-lug length. This is particularly relevant for dive watches, field watches, and military timepieces, where legibility, ergonomics, and ease of handling are integral to the design specifications. Operating a bezel, manipulating the crown, observing how light plays across the dial, or simply checking the comfort of a strap provides insights that no spec sheet can fully convey.
Preliminary list of participating brands
Meeting the people who make and develop the watches
Another highlight of the show is the opportunity to meet the brands themselves. For its 2026 edition, We Love Watches is explicitly emphasizing dialogue with experts and the chance to meet key industry players. This level of accessibility is particularly appealing when it comes to independent watchmakers. Some teams are relatively small, meaning the people staffing the booths may have played a direct role in developing the watches. Conversations allow for topics rarely covered in product specifications to be explored: Why was this movement chosen? Why this specific water-resistance rating? What was the project's origin? How did a professional collaboration influence the design brief? For a media outlet like *Montre Plongée Militaire*—which is just as interested in a watch’s history and function as its appearance—these exchanges offer a unique way to understand the models on display.
A show aiming to make watchmaking more accessible
We Love Watches also positions itself as an alternative to the major trade shows of the watch industry. The organizers’ stated goal is to make the world of watch manufactures and independent creators accessible to everyone—from seasoned collectors to those just beginning to take an interest in watches. This approach explains the presence of brands with vastly different identities and price points. There is no need to arrive with a specific purchase in mind; comparing watchmaking philosophies, discovering an up-and-coming brand, or simply chatting with the teams on site is all part of the event’s ethos.
A new feature for 2026: watches available for purchase on-site
The 2026 edition will, however, introduce a significant change: direct sales will now be possible during the show. Until now, We Love Watches focused primarily on discovery and personal interaction. This new option brings the event closer to a consumer-facing watch fair, where discovering, trying on, and purchasing a watch can all happen in one place. For independent brands, this development could also prove significant. It allows a meeting or a successful trial to be instantly converted into a purchase, without necessarily requiring a subsequent visit to a boutique or an online order.
New releases and exclusive reveals announced
The organizers have also promised exclusive items never before unveiled for this fourth edition. Not all details have been revealed yet, which should generate ongoing buzz for the event as October 9 and 10 approach. It will be worth keeping an eye on announcements from the various participating brands. Indeed, events of this kind offer a prime opportunity to unveil new models, dial colors, collaborations, or limited editions directly to enthusiasts.
We Love Watches 2026: practical information
The fourth edition of We Love Watches will take place on October 9 and 10, 2026, at the Maison de la Mutualité (24 rue Saint-Victor, 75005 Paris). The venue is accessible via the Maubert-Mutualité station (Line 10), Jussieu or Place Monge (Line 7), and Saint-Michel Notre-Dame (RER lines B and C). Tickets are already available on the event's official website.
From “Military Diving Watch“ to the Maison de la Mutualité
For readers of *Montre Plongée Militaire*, We Love Watches 2026 offers something that the digital world cannot fully replicate: the chance to meet the brands and handle the watches we regularly feature on MPM. Akrone and Auricoste are among the brands already announced, with the lineup set to take further shape as the event approaches. The appeal lies as much in discovering new releases as in comparing the impressions formed by photographs and technical specifications with the reality of wearing the watches on the wrist. On October 9 and 10, 2026, the event will move from the glass-roofed setting of La Samaritaine to the heart of the Latin Quarter at the Maison de la Mutualité. It will be two days where timepieces usually viewed on a screen can—for a change—be tried on, handled, and discussed with the people who create them.
More…
BOLDR Odyssey Regatta: when the regatta chronograph becomes a 500-meter dive watch.
Military paracord bracelet: from parachute suspension line to soldiers' wrists
Discover the Bremont Altitude MB Meteor Stealth Grey, a titanium pilot's watch inspired by military aviation.
Promaster JP2000-08E: the re-release of the watch worn by Jean Reno in The Big Blue
Get ready for the next dive! Receive our latest news and inspiration dedicated to military and dive watches.
Subscribe
Editor: Éric Barse
Journalist, entrepreneur, and founder of the websites www.cafe-racer-only.com and www.scooter-3-roues.com, Eric Barse divides his time between his passions: motorcycles, travel, and watches. A graduate of the Saint-Cyr military academy and the 2nd RPIMA (Parachute Regiment) before pursuing a career in communications and digital media, he has a true passion for authentic watches that have accompanied his two-wheeled adventures for many years, from the Indian Ocean to Africa and Latin America!
