VIDEO: Our top 3 watches of Basel 2019 from $35,000 and up – featuring Patek, De Bethune and Hublot
I don’t know about you, but when the price point of a timepiece starts to creep beyond the realms of the everyday, things like price points start to get a little abstract. And, let’s be real here — for most people (though perhaps not most people reading this), watches with a sticker price north of $35,000 are definitely not an everyday proposition. But Baselworld is something of a fantasy land, so we thought it only right and proper to indulge in some hypothetical high-end watch speculation. Patek Philippe Nautilus 5726/1A In the land of high-end steel sports watches, the Nautilus is king. Baselworld 2019 saw that reign (and corresponding waitlist) grow longer with the release of the complex and symmetrical reference 5726/1A, which added a gradient blue to that famous striped dial. Also, I think Andrew’s a little bit in love. De Bethune DB28 Yellow Tones Speaking of love … It might be a many splendored thing, but in the straight-up splendour stakes, De Bethune’s latest take on their classic, sculptural DB28 has it beat, thanks to a rich yellow gold treatment of the titanium case. Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon And finally, Hublot. One of my metrics for…
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In a watch that was — surprisingly — not shown to media at the brand’s recent townhouse events, Bremont has added to their ‘tested beyond endurance’ tagline with a new strap option for their Supermarine family. Details around the strap are scarce, but the press release describes how, in the event of a marine mishap, a simple pull of a ripcord causes the rubber strap to inflate, like a life cuff, improving your buoyancy, and the chances of the watch surviving the mishap unharmed. No official word on who Bremont worked with in the development of this technology, but given the brand’s close working relationship with a range of aviation partners, I have no doubt they’re well connected in the marine safety sector. However, I suspect that the technology is proprietary to Bremont. Also unclear is whether this innovative strap will be offered on other timepieces, or for purchase separately. For one, I would love to see this offered across their marine releases. 
Editor’s note: One of the things watch people like to bond over is the sighting of something uncommon, stylish or downright cool. But sometimes our laser-like wrist focus goes too far, as Cameron is about to explain … To all the strangers on the streets, in the cafes, and just generally going about your own business … I have no shame in admitting that I am a wrist stalker. If you’re a regular reader, then chances are you’re one, too. We all do it. Some of us are just better than others and can pick a watch from across the room with only the hint of a bezel or a clasp. I’m not one to normally blow my own trumpet, but call me Louis Armstrong, because that’s me. Others, though, tend to get themselves into trouble, going for a peek at the most inopportune times – you know who you are. As a self-confessed (or maybe it’s crowned?) “pro” wrist stalker, I feel compelled to first apologise on behalf of those less-skilled individuals (they really need to read our handy guide on watch spotting). And then to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry to everyone I’ve ever made feel uncomfortable…
I feel that I need to briefly explain when these videos happen, and what’s going on with us at these points in time. They are filmed on our last day at Basel. They are filmed without an autocue (I know, unbelievable!). They are filmed with zero access to any illegal substances. And they ALL contain traces of intense fatigue thanks to the jet lag, the severity of which only Australians in Europe who started working straight off a plane can understand. That said, we’ve come to consider this a magic cocktail. Because, when Marcus says go, we are more ourselves than ever. And in this case, my watch choices are raw and real. Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT There are two brilliant things about the Octo Finissimo Chronograph that should be lauded. One, not only did Bulgari achieve the thinnest chronograph in the world with this watch, they did so with an extra complication and, in my opinion, the most useful – a second time zone. And two, they did so while maintaining the almost impossibly svelte on-wrist feel of the time-only original. Zenith Defy Inventor Aside from all the stuff I say about Zenith impressing everyone by actually getting…
Given the vastly reduced number of brands in Hall 1 at Baselworld 2019 there were vastly fewer choices this year across all price points, but particularly in this one. The Swatch Group excel in sub $10K watches, and their absence was felt when it came time for Felix and I to retreat to our corners and start scratching out our personal favourites. However, after skulking off at somewhere in the process to explore Hall 1.1 and other places, I discovered three cracking options for not just under 10K, but under 5. I thought it was worth giving them their own video. They’re pretty great. Stay tuned for that list coming soon — for now, it’s the three that caught my eye and, boy, did my eye do some unpredictable wandering this year. Bronze, Breitling and big, bad black ceramic. It was an embarrassment of riches. Let’s go. TAG Heuer Autavia in bronze Unexpected doesn’t quite do this drop justice. It was almost unthinkable a year ago that TAG Heuer would wade into such of-the-moment territories as bronze, graduated dials and overall heritage hues. It’s not as if the brand never went there — the Monza and the Autavia were both massive successes — but they…
Usually in this sort of video I try to honour the rules. Because you never know, maybe you actually are in the market for a brand new watch somewhere between 10 and 35K. Odd, but not impossible. And if that’s the case, I don’t want to harsh your vibe by sneaking something in that’s out of the parameters. But you know what? That’s what I did here. The Patek is, asides from being pure unobtanium to mere mortals, well about 35K AUD. But it’s so pretty, I just had to bend the rules. Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic As soon as I saw this watch, I knew I was in love. As soon as I strapped it on (ceramic clasp and all), I was working out what organs I had in my body that weren’t strictly necessary. Possibly my favourite Octo Finissimo thus far. Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5168G I’ve already covered off the bit where I fiddled with the price, but, honestly, do you blame me? One wit in the PP press conference described this as a CEO weekend-wearer. My response: “No, it’s his other weekend-wearer, ’cause they’ve already got it in black.” True fact. Hublot Big Bang Unico Sang Bleu…