As the epicenter of emerging trends in timekeeping for the year, Baselworld 2015 offers strong arguments for fine watchmaking aimed at moving consumers.
The Swiss franc may be on the rise, but that hasn’t dampened interest in one of the country’s largest annual events – the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair. A record number of international press members visited Basel for eight days in March, accounting for more than 4,300 of the total 150,000 visitors.
We invested as much hands-on time as we could to view the new crop of timepieces, booth by booth, and we were struck by an underlying message. No, it’s not smartwatches that are the next big thing – more on that shortly.
Hostesses at the opening ceremony of the world watch and jewellery show 'Baselworld' in Basel, Switzerland.
Instead, we took away this: despite reported sluggishness in the Swiss watch industry, it’s still a good time for consumers. Rather than announcing extremely complicated, expensive watches that make headlines, many brands are focusing on bang-for-your-buck offerings, including strengthening offerings in the lower range.
Rolex, for example, creates plenty of excitement, not only with stellar additions to its top Day-Date models but also with a new 39mm version of its entry-level Oyster Perpetual models – with retail prices starting from a wallet-friendly 5,400 Swiss francs (S$7,500).
Good news, then, for those who love watchmaking – unless you are one of those who fervently hope that smartwatches cross your path at every turn. Sure, the key players in the high-end watch industry want to respond to the growing general interest in smartwatches: Tag Heuer announced its upcoming collaboration with Intel and Google, and brands such as Bulgari and Breitling touted watches filled with their own technology concepts. But it’s still early days. And more importantly, as our selection of Baselworld novelties on the following pages shows, mechanical watches offer plenty to fall in love with – no batteries required.
BLANCPAIN
One of Blancpain’s new offerings may come as a surprise to their loyalists. While the brand has its sporty models – the most obvious being the Fifty Fathoms dive watches – the L-evolution Tourbillon Carrousel has a robust, almost aggressive look, unusual for the manufacturer. The watch in a platinum case is powered by an updated version of the Blancpain Dual-Regulator movement, combining a tourbillon and a carrousel with a resolute angular style.
Another release will certainly please purists. The generously legible Villeret Grande Date debuts a large date in the heritage-inspired Villeret family, with beautifully crafted date windows complementing the classic Roman numerals and skeletonized leaf hands.
BREGUET
Breguet may have named the series “Tradition,” but there’s nothing outdated in the latest additions to this timepiece family. At the top of the pyramid is the Tradition Repetition Minutes Tourbillon 7087, a minute repeater designed from the start to produce two notes that researchers found particularly pleasing.
Achieving this required rethinking elements such as the gongs, which are unusually shaped and differently sized here. The gongs are also attached to the cover rather than the case side, allegedly improving sound transmission. There is no doubt – this is a Breguet, rounded off with a tourbillon.
BREMONT
Partnerships with iconic British brands Jaguar and Boeing mark this year’s Bremont highlights. Last year, the British watchmaker announced a collaboration with Jaguar to create six unique watches for the owners of six new Lightweight E-Type vehicles. In response to demand from those not owning one of the iconic Jaguars, Bremont offers two more accessible editions of these watches.
Sporty, but without overly busy dials, both the MKI and MKII take aesthetic cues from the E-Type instruments. The MKI is powered by Bremont’s BWC/01 automatic movement, with a dial inspired by the Lightweight’s odometer, down to the red quadrants between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. We’re fairly certain these pieces will sell quickly.
BVLGARI
Forty years ago, you couldn’t simply walk into a store and buy a Bulgari Roma watch. That’s because the timepiece, with its now-famous engraved bezel, was originally made as a gift for 100 of the brand’s most important clients. This year, the Italian company pays homage to this history with the Bulgari Roma Finissimo – the yellow-gold version is limited to 100 pieces. There will also be pink-gold and steel versions of the ultra-thin manual watch.
