Frequently Asked Questions

The Oracle Time Watch Awards are the only industry watch awards decided entirely by regular watch collectors and enthusiasts. There are no specialist juries and no entry fees for brands - every winner is chosen by public vote, from the nominations that build each category's shortlist through to the final results.

Ten awards are up for grabs each year, from accessible watches under £1,000 to haute horology, plus the completely open Readers' Choice Award: our de facto Watch of the Year.

There are three stages.

Anyone. Voting is free and open to all - you don't need to be a subscriber or a member. We just need a valid email address to count your ballot.

Any watch released in the 12 months before nominations close. For the 2026 awards, that means watches released between 19 September 2025 and 18 September 2026.

When nominating, include the brand and model name along with the reference number where available, so we can identify the exact watch. Nominations like "Rolex" or "Tudor Black Bay" don't provide enough information to be counted accurately. A nominated watch also needs to fit the category you nominate it in.

• Dive Watch - designed for use underwater, with at least 200m water resistance and a bezel with an appropriate nautical scale.
• Chronograph - a watch with a pusher-activated stopwatch function; all styles qualify, from monopusher to rattrapante.
• Accessible - a watch priced at £1,000 or less.
• Dress Watch - a watch for formal occasions, with an emphasis on elegance and luxury.
• Travel Watch - a dedicated travel complication such as a GMT, worldtimer or dual time zone.
• Field/Pilot's Watch - watches prioritising quick legibility and practicality, in the cockpit or in the field.
• Microbrand - watches from small independent brands, typically sold direct to consumer.
• High Complication - mechanically complex watchmaking: tourbillons, perpetual calendars, minute repeaters, split-seconds chronographs and beyond.
• Integrated Bracelet Watch - a watch with an integrated bracelet and geometric motifs, often (but not exclusively) inspired by 1980s designs.
• Readers' Choice Award - the grand prize. Completely open: any watch released in the past 12 months, including one you've already voted for in another category.

The tenth category and the grand prize - our Watch of the Year, as decided by you. It skips the nominations stage entirely: during voting you can name any eligible watch. The winner takes pride of place on the front cover of the December issue of Oracle Time.

Yes. Both nominations and final votes can be updated at any point until each stage closes - your latest submission is the one that counts. You can also skip any category you don't have a view on.

Purely by volume of nominations: the eight watches with the most valid nominations per category make the shortlist. Our editorial team checks entries for eligibility and category fit, and manually reviews ambiguously written nominations to make sure every vote counts toward the right watch.

Yes. Everyone who takes part in the nominations and voting stages is automatically entered into the Watch Awards Prize Draw. Previous prizes have included watches from Ollech & Wajs, RZE and ProTek. This year's prizes will be announced when nominations open.

No. There are no entry fees, and no way for a brand to buy its way onto a shortlist or into the results. Winners are decided by vote count alone.

The awards launched in 2022, making 2026 the fifth annual edition. You can browse every previous year's winners and nominees from the Watch Awards page.

Winners are revealed first in the December issue of Oracle Time magazine, with the Readers' Choice winner on the cover, then published in full on the Watch Awards page and across our channels on 1st December.