Here it is… The big moment of the year for watch brands, watch journalists and watch collectors. Tomorrow, at precisely 12:00, Baselworld 2017 will open its doors to journalists, meaning that most of the new watches will be launched at this exact time. Today, we are on the road to Baselworld 2017: 5 journalists, over 100 meetings, many articles already scheduled for the entire week… Here’s all you need to know.
It would be hard to think of a modern watchmaker who is pushing watchmaking and finishing to its limits in a more concerted way than Romain Gauthier. He doesn’t make minute repeaters or perpetual calendar chronographs, but rather time-only watches of extremely high precision and finish. There’s no way for me to do them justice in words – you just have to go seek them out for yourself. Today Romain Gauthier introduces a new watch with a new caliber to the relatively small collection, the Insight Micro-Rotor.
Back in 2015, Apple and Hermès made serious waves by announcing a major partnership to create special Hermès straps for Apple Watches and to retail them in select Hermès boutiques. Well, it looks like the special edition Watches are a hit and Hermès and Apple are continuing the partnership with yet another collection of seasonal offerings. We’ve got the first live photos of the four new straps that you’ll find anywhere, along with all the details.
Here to spice things up ahead of Baselworld is the Baccarat and L’Epée Sun Clock, a new wall clock based on a vintage design. The first sun clock was designed by Georges Chevalier in 1948 for Baccarat and was re-introduced in 2014 for the 250th anniversary. Famously, one resided in the home of Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe in the late 1950s. This year the sun clock is back with 20k gold beams and it’s powered by the L’Epée 1839 movement.
It might be the watches made of cheese and the playful jabs at modern electronics makers that get all the attention for H. Moser, but what the brand does best is simplicity. The new Endeavour Centre Seconds is a great example of that simplicity and how striking it can be when executed at this level.
February was meant to give us some recovery time from the madness of SIHH, before talk of Baselworld began. But it didn’t really happen like that. The month flew by in a blur of scheduling (well done Elise, queen of ‘hell Tetris’ and spotting. In fact, I’m currently writing this dispatch from the airport lounge, en route to London first – where I have a couple of big marks to hit for some A-Grade watch hunting – and then to Basel, when I’ll meet up with the guys and get my key to the T+T frat palace around the corner from Baselworld. It’s going to be my first Basel. The excitement levels are atomic. Obviously the next Spotted! will be big. But before then, let’s get February sorted… Early on in the month, Sydney-based watch-collecting-couple Hal (@WatchULove) and Nilly (@Nilly_A) came south to the far superior city that we call Melbourne. Hal was sporting the seldom seen F. P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu, which was a pretty important and highly anticipated purchase, while his wife and fellow watch lover Nilly just happened to be wearing a green Submariner to match my own. Unfortunately, I was too caught up with the FPJ to…
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Sci-fi tourbillons have kind of become De Bethune’s thing. Yeah, I wrote “sci-fi tourbillons” with zero irony and I’m sticking to it. The latest of these creations is the DB28 Kind Of Blue Tourbillon Meteorite, which uses a piece of an actual meteorite to complement the monochromatic creation. This isn’t one for the faint of heart.
As the Horological Society of New York embarks on its 151st year, it has decided to reestablish an important tradition – the Annual Gala. Beginning in 1933, HSNY’s Annual Gala’s were attended by members and guests representing all parts of the watch and clock making industry in New York City. Carrying on the success of 2016’s 150th Anniversary Gala, the 2017 Gala & Charity Auction will be held on April 3. And you’re invited.
I’m calling it now. 2017 will be the year of the smartwatch. I expect we’ll see a lot of smartwatches later this week when Baselworld kicks off, though it may be a few years still before traditional watch brands introduce smartwatches broad enough in appeal to challenge Apple, Samsung, and the like – if they ever do.
LIV watches does things differently, with an unconventional watch offered at stunning value for money. Bold design, bright colors, unusual shape… Still with what we love here, a mechanical heart. Introducing the LIV Watches Rebel Automatic & Automatic Chronograph, now on Kickstarter.