BaselWorld2018: Trending and Testing Times

Baselworld, the world’s premier watch and jewellery show, held in Basel, Switzerland has now established itself as the annual pilgrim point for watch enthusiasts; not to forget, a meeting place for Brands, Retailers and Media to pick up on the latest trends in the Swiss watch industry. This year Baselworld celebrated its 101st edition, albeit with a difference. This edition was on for six days instead of eight, due to declining sales in the Swiss watch industry which is currently going through a challenging phase. Shorter and more concentrated, this year’s edition featured some of the powerful cornerstones of the watch industry.

Some 2018 novelties took one’s breath away, whether it was Harry Winston’s ocean-inspired collection, or Bvlgari’s gemset pieces, to Rolex Daytona model or Omega’s Speedmaster, ‘Dark Side of the Moon’. All brands had decided to out dazzle each other, making it more difficult for visitors to decide which one to finally settle on.

Every year has a predominant colour. This year it was blue and green. Shapes were contained to square and rectangular, making rounds expendable. We present the best of timepieces from Baselworld 2018.

Unique Eye catching pieces

Some of the most unique and eye-catching pieces that caught our attention.

ROLEX: OYSTER PERPETUAL COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA

Rolex has introduced a scintillating gem-set version of the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona. Created in first 1963, the watch has an extraordinary track record in the world of motor sport, rising to the rank of an icon. This 18 ct Everose gold version, in lieu of the emblematic tachymetric scale has the bezel set with a gradation of sapphires in rainbow hues. The case is adorned with 56 brilliant-cut diamonds set into the lugs and crown guard, and the dial features 11 baguette-cut sapphire hour markers, each of which matches the colour of the corresponding point on the bezel. The chronograph counters are in pink Gold Crystals, created during the crystallization of a pink gold alloy by means of a special process developed by Rolex.

OMEGA: SPEEDMASTER DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

50 years after the Apollo 8 mission, the first to orbit around the moon, Omega presented the newest Dark Side of the Moon timepiece. This watch houses a specially decorated version of the Moonwatch movement which can be seen through the sapphire crystal case back and through the skeletonised dial. The dial-side is a light shade to represent our view of the moon’s surface from Earth, while the back of the watch delves into the dark side that only astronauts get to see. The entire watch is made in black zirconium oxide ceramic and contrasted with a yellow colour coding. The chronograph hands are varnished yellow, while the watch’s tachymeter scale and crown are filled with Super-LumiNova. The black and yellow theme extends to the leather strap, which contains a section of yellow rubber through the middle.

JAQUET DROZ: GRANDE SECONDE MOON BLACK ENAMEL

This fine crafted timepiece gleaming with romance pays homage to the moon. It tells a story that precedes the dawn of time, harking back to when the Moon was Man’s sole measure of the passing months. The black enamel dial is enhanced with a moon phase complication and pays homage to the mysterious and complex choreography that links Earth to Sun and Moon to Earth. The watch is a reflection of the Grande Seconde collection and the signature Jaquet Droz figure 8. The double-level dial in black Grand Feu enamel and satin-finish ring, 18-carat red gold star appliques, and 22-carat gold moon crowning a black onyx moon disk. The watch has an 18-carat red gold case and black rolled-edge alligator strap. A hand indicates the date, and the astronomical moon phases at 6 o’clock can be set using the corrector at 8 o’clock.

BVLGARI: SERPENTI TUBOGAS

Bvlgari has introduced a Tubogas version combining the three classic gold colours: white, rose and yellow. This watch was a keenly anticipated comeback for an interpretation offering a contemporary take on the tricolour creations introduced in the 1960s by Bvlgari. The snake has become the cult theme of Bvlgari, with Tubogas as the House signature; Both blending to bring this exquisite piece to life. The watch, shaped like a snake head, is in rose gold and is accentuated by a setting of 38 diamonds and its winding crown is adorned with a cabochon-cut pink rubellite. The dial is elegantly attired with a black opaline base graced with a subtle guilloché motif and enhanced by rose gold hour-markers.

DE GRISOGONO: ALLEGRA

De Grisogono Allegra watch is now iconic to the brand and has earned a place among the greatest feminine timepieces. This timepiece forms an infinite circle, a woven gold ribbon graced with delicately interlacing circles elegantly created as a seamlessly flowing The watch has 29 polished or diamond-set rings entwined around the dial at 3 and 9 o’clock. The offset mother-of-pearl or diamond-pavé dial is the shimmering face of this jewellery timepiece combining the radiance of gold with 4.30 carats of snow-set and bezel-set gems. The watch binds to the wrist with De Grisogono’s signature galuchat strap.

Anything but Round

2018 is a year of going back to basics square and rectangle watches — are the in thing.

HARRY WINSTON: AVENUE CLASSIC AURORA

The Avenue Classic Aurora watch pays a tribute to the Art Deco style. The watch is adorned with 12 baguette-cut blue sapphires and has an 18-karat white gold case. The case has 50 brilliant-cut diamonds. The dial is in white mother-of-pearl dial and is printed with black Arabic numerals. The watch comes on an alligator leather strap that echoes the colour of the diamonds and sapphires.

CORUM: THE GOLDEN BRIDGE RECTANGLE DIAMONDS

The Golden Bridge Rectangle watch enriches Corum’s unique and emblematic This avatar is enhanced with a engraved movement. The finely crafted geometry is visible in the 18-karat gold structures representing six Roman numerals surround the visible hand-wound calibre. The 18kt white gold, sapphire case middle, double antireflective sapphire, sapphire case back has 69 baguette-cut diamonds, and 118 full-cut diamonds and comes with a Black Alligator strap.

TAG HEUER: MONACO BAMFORD WATCH

TAG Heuer unveil this new interpretation of its iconic Monaco — with a collaboration with Bamford Watch Department. The 39 mm watch case is crafted from the incredibly lightweight and highly resistant solid carbon, a full black dial and aqua blue chronograph counters which are highlighted with luminous marks on the indices and the date window, The dial and the case-back are engraved with “Monaco Bamford”. The watch is held perfectly on the wrist with an exquisite black alligator leather strap.

NOMOS: THE PETIT PEARL WATCH

Nomos Square watch comes in four beautiful colours and share the name with the classic French pastry and make a delicious impression. These watches are powered by caliber Alpha, renowned for its reliability and accuracy traditionally hand crafted The hand-wound calibre with a power reserve of 43 hours can be viewed at work through a sapphire crystal glass back. This Pink Tetra Pearl watch comes with a velour leather grey strap.

Green is the colour of Nature

Of Envy. Of the Evergreen. Inspired by these perceptions, brands introduced the colour to their dials.

CHOPARD: MILLE MIGLIA RACING COLOURS

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Chopard and Mille Miglia — a new collection comprising of five Mille Miglia Racing Colours watches were introduced. Each watch is allocated a colour to the nation competing in motor racing. The Green Dial is attributed to British Racing. The slim cursive font on the dial is inspired by the dashboards of the 1920s. The 42 mm chronograph is limited to 300-pieces. The Calfskin leather strap with rubber lining is inspired by 1960s Dunlop tyre tread.

RADO: THE RADO TRUE THINLINE NATURE

The Rado True Thinline is a beautiful fusion of nature and innovation. Inspired by verdant green of leaves it is set in high-tech ceramic in which Rado has expertise. The watch involves a unique dial treatment with a leaf structure, and green mother-of-pearl dial which shimmers. The bracelet has 3-row polished green high-tech ceramic with a titanium 3-fold clasp The case in polished green high-tech ceramic is water-resistant to 30m.

ORIS: BIG CROWN POINTER DATE WATCH

Oris Big Crown pointer date watch has a bronze version for people with a unique sense of style. The watch has a naturally ageing round bronze case and tapered lugs, coin-edged bezel, oversized crown and central pointer hand indicating the date. The Big Crown Pointer Date watch with a green dial is powered by a Swiss Made automatic movement. The watch is completed with a naturally tanned light brown leather strap.

Blue the evergreen colour

The Colour Blue lends itself to serenity, strength and eternity as the Sky above our heads. Brands have always had an affinity to this hue, as was evident this year as well.

BREGUET: MARINE ALARME MUSICALE 5547

This Marine Alarme Musicale watch has a tita-nium case with fluted case band. The dial is a Sunburst blue dial white gold. The watch is wa-ter-resistant to 50 m,and numbered and signed by Breguet. The hours chapter are in Roman nu-merals and luminescent dots. An alarm is posi-tioned at the sub-dial at 3 o’clock and time-zone display at 9 o’clock. The self-winding movement has a 45-hour power reserve. The watch has an Alligator leather strap with folding clasp and is also available with a rubber strap.

FAVRE-LEUBA: RAIDER SEA KING

The Raider Sea King watch by Favre Leuba showcases versatility in form and functionality making it an indispensable tools for today’s explorers with new age performance innovation and bold retro-futuristic design. The design DNA is evident with the signature tetradecagon bezel, rectangular indices featured in the vintage Deep Blue watch. The dial is a deep royal oceanic blue. The 100m water resistant watch is held onto the wrist due to its comfortable lug drop. The watch comes with a soft antelope leather strap.

GRAND SEIKO: BLUE CERAMIC HI-BEAT GMT “SPECIAL” LIMITED EDITION

This watch in ceramic Hi-Beat limited edition blends both the past and the future. The inner case and outer bracelet links are crafted from titanium while the outer case and the centre links of the bracelet are made of blue zirconium ceramic making the watch virtually impervious to scratches. The dial pattern is unique with the indices and tempered steel GMT hand also in blue. The “SPECIAL” mark on the dial and the 18k rose gold Grand Seiko lion on the oscillating weight bear witness to high precision achievement and is limited to 350 pieces only.

FREDERIQUE CONSTANT: HYBRID MANUFACTURE

The hybrid watch is powered by a movement which has been designed in keeping with classical watch-making principles, updated with innovative 21st century techniques, thereby combining Swiss Made fine Mechanical watch-making with smart-watch functionality. It has a polished stainless steel 2-parts case with convex sapphire crystal and see-through case back. The beautiful navy blue dial is decorated with guilloché pattern and black printed indexes. The watch has the date counter at 6 o’clock and connected counter at 12 o’clock and comes with a blue alligator strap. The connected functions include Activity tracking, Sleep Tracking, Dynamic coach, World-timer (2nd time zone + local 24h time), Analytics (Measure mechanical movement: Rate, Amplitude, Beat Error), Pusher settings (24h display, World-timer, Activity/Sleep, Workouts, Stopwatch, Nap, Battery indicator).

Watches for Women

Here’s a bouquet for the multi-faceted graceful and stylish women of today.

OMEGA: SEAMASTER AQUA TERRA WATCH

The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra watch features a symmetrical 38 mm case crafted from 18K Sedna™ gold and includes a diamond-paved bezel. The dial has 12 marquise-cut red rubies as hour markers and has three different styles of horizontal waves symbolising the undulating rhythm of the ocean. The silvery guilloché waves are interspersed with waves in 18K Sedna™ gold as well as 18K Sedna™ gold waves which are paved with a total of 191 diamonds. The Seaaster is comes with a glossy red leather strap.

RADO: TRADITION 1965 M AUTO

With this new watch, Rado re-imagines a bold 1960s classic blending the 60s design with contemporary materials. This thoroughly modern timepiece with a vintage feel is Inspired by the Manhattan skyline, incorporating elements such as rectangular hour and minute markers, a squared day-date complication window and the iconic Rado red anchor at 9 o’clock. This version with a stainless steel case and lacquered polished white dial encrusted with 302 diamonds is limited to just 65 pieces. This watch has a 38-hour power reserve and is water-resistant to 50m. The white strap is made of genuine crocodile leather.

ROLEX: OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST 31MM IN YELLOW GOLD

This classic iconic watch has redesigned case sides and lugs. This piece for ladies in 18 ct yellow gold is equipped with calibre 2236 which give a power reserve of 55 hours. This timepiece features a malachite dial with a Roman VI and IX in 18 ct yellow gold set with 24 diamonds. The bezel in 18 ct yellow gold comes set with 46 brilliant-cut diamonds.The Cyclops lens over the date with double anti-reflective coating makes the date clearly legible. The President Bracelet comes with three-piece solid links in 18 ct yellow gold, polished centre links with ceramic inserts.

BREGUET: REINE DE NAPLES 8908

This new interpretation of the timeless classic, the Reine de Naples 8908 has a rose gold case which is set in 128 diamonds with the dial partly made from Tahitian mother-of-pearl and silvered gold. It has a moon phase and comes with a power-reserve indicator at 12 o’clock with a 45-hour power reserve and a beautiful Black satin strap with diamond-set folding clasp. The watch is also available with a rose gold bracelet.

JAQUET DROZ: LADY 8 PETITE MOTHER-OF PEARL

This 25 mm watch case comes in steel adorned with 41 diamonds. The interlaced curves form the number 8 – which is the signature figure of Jaquet Droz. The dial in mother-of-pearl is in the upper mobile loop. The case back is protected by sapphire glass, revealing part of the calibre JD 615, an automatic movement that brings the hour and minute hands to life on the dial and supplies a power reserve of 38 hours. The white mother-of-pearl dial has a circular grain motif and the Akoya pearl at 12 o’clock.

GRAND SEIKO: THE NEW AUTOMATIC GRAND SEIKO CALIBER FOR WOMEN

The new automatic Grand Seiko caliber for women comes in a limited edition of 50 pieces with 37 diamonds on the bezel. The new caliber is designed to offer a slim profile and a high performance level with a 50 hour power reserve. The watch has a sapphire case back to view the beauty of the new calibre. The strap of this watch is made of crocodile leather. The silver snow white dial is striking and subtle and the elegances is completed with silver lame. The case is in 18k rose gold case while the crocodile strap with three-fold clasp with push button release is in 18k rose gold.

(A marketing initiative by Open Avenues)

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