In this age of digital information, watch companies try to get ahead of the competition by releasing news on new timepieces ahead of the big watch fairs.
This year is no different, and in honor of the upcoming 100th edition of Baselworld, which opens its doors on March 23, 2017, we present you with an overview of some of the new models that have already been revealed – at least online.
And in case you missed it, you may be interested in 1917-2017: A Brief Retrospective Of 100 Years Of Baselworld.
Hermès Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpetuel platinum
At Baselworld 2015, Hermès introduced a new backbone to its rich collection of timepieces: a wristwatch for everyday wear, but one that is by no means ordinary, the enchanting Slim d’Hermès. Now the lovely perpetual calendar from that collection arrives in a precious platinum case with a deep blue dial. Thus far it has only been available in pink gold.
Hermès Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpetuel platinum
And check out that very competitive price of $39,900!
You may also be interested in the big launch from Baselworld 2016: Introducing The Exquisite Slim d’Hermès Email Grand Feu.
Quick Facts Hermès Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpetuel platinum
Case: 39.5 mm, platinum
Movement: automatic Caliber H1950 with Agenhor perpetual calendar module; micro rotor; 3 Hz (21,600 vph) frequency; very fine finishing
Functions: hours, minutes; second time zone with day/night indication; perpetual calendar with date, month, leap year indication, and moon phases
Price: $39,900
Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl
Jaquet Droz dedicates a new tourbillon to the female wrist using its vast experience with fragile natural materials. And the shimmering mother-of-pearl is not only visible on the dial; it also adorns the gold rotor visible through the transparent case back.
Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl
For more information, please visit www.jaquet-droz.com/en/news/jaquet-droz-introduces-the-grande-seconde-tourbillon-mother-pearl-the-new-marvel-feminine.
Quick Facts Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Tourbillon Mother-of-Pearl
Case: 39 x 11.52 mm, red gold set with 350 brilliant-cut diamonds (1.76 ct)
Dial: mother-of-pearl
Movement: automatic Caliber 25JD.Si with silicon balance spring and pallet lever, one-minute tourbillon with sapphire crystal tourbillon bridge, seven-day power reserve, rotor with mother-of-pearl appliqué
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
Limitation: 88 pieces, available only in Tourbillon and Jaquet Droz boutiques
Price: 116,750 Swiss francs
Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Astorite
The minimalist Petite Heure Minute beautifully showcases the unusual astorite stone on its dial, a rare pink gem sparkling with gold and silver flecks.
Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Astorite
And it comes with a bit of history wherein John Astor becomes a part of Jaquet Droz’s own legend: astorite, a stone named in Astor’s honor, comes from the Colorado mine that belonged to the entrepreneur who perished on the Titanic.
For more information, please visit www.jaquet-droz.com/en/watches/petite-heure-minute/petite-heure-minute-astorite.
Quick Facts Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Astorite
Case: 35 x 10.8 mm, red gold set with 232 brilliant-cut diamonds (1.23 ct)
Movement: automatic Jaquet Droz Caliber 2653.P (Blancpain base) with twin spring barrels (68 hours power reserve) and silicon balance spring and pallet lever
Dial: astorite and white mother-of-pearl
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 28
Price: €33,000
Graff MasterGraff Structural Skeleton Automatic
I have to say that Graff’s men’s offerings get better and better with each passing year. The big introduction for 2017 is an amazing exercise in lightness and geometry with a skeletonized automatic flying tourbillon movement seeming to float between the panes of sapphire crystal.
Graff MasterGraff Structural Skeleton Automatic
This timepiece takes more than one month to assemble.
For more information, please visit www.graffdiamonds.com/watches/selector/collection=mastergraff.
Quick Facts Graff MasterGraff Structural Skeleton Automatic
Case: 46 x 13 mm, pink gold or white gold with DLC-coated titanium
Movement: automatic skeletonized movement with one-minute flying tourbillon, 72-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes
Corum Golden Bridge Rectangle
At Baselworld 2016, Corum introduced a new shape for its iconic Golden Bridge: see Get Ready For Amazing: Corum’s Golden Bridge Ronde.
Corum Golden Bridge Rectangle
At Baselworld 2017, yet another new version arrives: a rectangular variation also incorporating a structural decorative element surrounding the unique baguette-shaped movement.
Quick Facts Corum Golden Bridge Rectangle
Case: 29.5 x 42.4 x 9.3 mm, 5N red gold
Movement: manually wound Caliber CO113, baguette-shaped, 40-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes
Price: $36,900
Angelus U10 Tourbillon Calavera
Angelus integrates striking visual art into the unusual U10 Tourbillon the brand introduced in 2015. This variation pays tribute to the tradition of Mexican memento mori: Calaveras are mainly used in the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos), where those who have passed are honored in a celebration of life and its transient nature.
Angelus U10 Tourbillon Calavera
You may also be interested in Historic Swiss Brand Angelus Is Back And Presents The U10 Tourbillon Lumière as well as Photo Essay: The Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumière.
For more information, please visit www.angelus-watches.com/en-us/urban-collection/u10-tourbillon-calavera.
Quick Facts Angelus U10 Tourbillon Calavera
Case: 62.75 x 38 x 15 mm, stainless steel, seven sapphire crystals
Movement: manually wound Caliber A100 with one-minute flying tourbillon separated from the movement and 90-hour power reserve (twin serially operating spring barrels)
Functions: hours, minutes, dead beat seconds; power reserve indicator on case side
Limitation: one unique piece
Price: €122,000
Arnold & Son Dial Side True Beat (DSTB)
The “popularized” dead beat seconds function in the DSTB line – which the boutique brand calls “true beat” – pays homage to the reasonably priced marine chronometers John Arnold and his son made back in the day. At Baselworld 2017, Arnold & Son brings this popular model in a stainless steel case with a deep blue dial.
Arnold & Son Dial Side True Beat (DSTB)
You may also be interested in Anchors Ahoy! The Arnold & Son Dial Side True Beat (DSTB).
For more information, please visit www.arnoldandson.com/home/instrument-collection/dstb.
Quick Facts Arnold & Son Dial Side True Beat (DSTB)
Case: 43.5 mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic Caliber A&S6003 with true beat
Functions: hours, minutes, and dead beat seconds
Price: 27,900 Swiss francs
Artya Son of Sea Tourbillon
The quirky micro brand run by former Romain Jerome CEO Yvan Arpa and his artist wife Dominique Cirpka-Arpa produces some great one-off and unique timepieces. If you like the chunky case style and the outgoing themes that these two produce, you are bound to love these artistic and at times very complicated watches.
Artya Son of Sea Tourbillon
One of the more controversial materials Arpa-Cirpka uses in her artwork is butterfly wing (no butterflies are harmed to attain the material), which lends some of the dials their shimmering, ethereal looks. The Son of Sea Capri Collection depicts treasures of the sea using a variety of materials including said butterfly wings and even fish scales.
For more information, please visit www.artya.com/artya-complication.
Quick Facts Artya Son of Sea Tourbillon
Case: 44 mm, stainless steel
Dial: made using natural pigments, gold leaf, butterfly wings, and fish scales
Movement: manually wound unspecified tourbillon caliber with 100-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds (on tourbillon cage)
Limitation: one unique piece
Vincent Calabrese Kronos
Vincent Calabrese, co-founder of the A.H.C.I., offers his first serial watch in quite a long time, and it’s dedicated to his Japanese following: the dial created in cooperation with Japanese artist Shinji Himeno depicts the Greek god of time Kronos, a popular theme among independent artists at work in the horological field.
Vincent Calabrese Kronos
For more information, please visit www.vincent-calabrese.com/kronos-watch.
Quick Facts Vincent Calabrese Kronos
Case: 40 mm, stainless steel
Dial: painted by Japanese artist Shinji Himeno
Movement: automatic ETA 2892-A2 base, modified to accommodate Calabrese’s own “wandering hours”
Functions: jump hours, minutes shown by position of wandering window
Limitation: 100 pieces
Price: 8,800 Swiss francs
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe
Blancpain now extends the vintage-inspired Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe line, first presented in 2013, with a 38 mm stainless steel edition in a beautiful deep blue that recalls the hues found in the depths of the ocean. The manageable case size makes it quite attractive for the wrists of both sexes.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe
For more information, please see www.blancpain.com/en/watch/5000-1230-naba and/or Blancpain Takes To The Ocean With The Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph.
Quick Facts Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe
Case: 38 x 10.77 mm, stainless steel with blue ceramic bezel/Liquidmetal markers, transparent case back; water-resistant to 30 bar
Movement: automatic Blancpain Caliber 1150 with 100-hour power reserve, silicon balance spring
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date
Limitation: 99 pieces
Price: 8,900 Swiss francs
Breguet Tradition Dame Reference 7038
The Tradition model harks back to a suggestion from horological historian Jean-Claude Sabrier, who once advised Swatch Group progenitor Nicolas G. Hayek as regards the history of Breguet. Sabrier’s suggestion became metal reality in 2005, and the line has since bloomed to encompass a large variety of models, most recently including a smaller, feminized version for the female wrist.
Breguet Tradition Dame Reference 7038
For more information, please visit www.breguet.com/en/timepieces/new-models-tradition/7038.
Quick Facts Breguet Tradition Dame Reference 7038
Case: 37 mm, pink gold, bezel set with 68 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.895 ct)
Movement: automatic Caliber 505SR with silicon balance spring and pallets, 50-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, retrograde seconds
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton
Bulgari continues to add to its funky Octo line – which finds its design roots in the takeover of Gérald Genta’s eponymous brand – by introducing this complicated haute horlogerie timepiece as well as new variations in the Octo Ultranero and Octo Roma collections.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton
The new Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton is a skeletonized version of the world record-holder as the thinnest tourbillon of all time, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon introduced at Baselworld 2014; its movement measures a mere 1.95 mm in height.
For more information, please visit www.bulgari.com/en-us/products.
Quick Facts Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton
Case: 40 x 5 mm, platinum
Movement: manually wound Caliber BVL 268 with one-minute flying tourbillon, sapphire crystal base plate, 62-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes
Price: €140,000
Chanel Première Camellia Skeleton
Chanel introduces its second manufacture movement, and the first to appear within a watch dedicated to women. Simultaneously, Chanel celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of its first watch, aptly called Première. This watch is available in varying degrees of diamond setting.
Chanel Premíère Camellia Skeleton Set
For more information, please see Chanel Introduces Chanel Première Camellia Skeleton With Manufacture Movement.
Quick Facts Chanel Premíère Camellia Skeleton
Case: 28.5 x 37 mm, white gold set with 47 baguette-cut diamonds; bezel set with 42 baguette-cut diamonds and 52 brilliant-cut diamonds; white gold crown set with 16 baguette-cut diamonds and 11 brilliant-cut diamonds
Movement: manually wound Caliber 2 with 48-hour power reserve and skeletonized bridges shaped like a flower, 107 components; 28,800 vph, variable inertia balance; set with 246 brilliant-cut diamonds
Functions: hours, minutes
Strap: black satin, double folding clasp set with 30 brilliant-cut diamonds
Total diamond weight: 7.85 ct
Price: €190,000
Chopard L.U.C Twist QF Fairmined
As part of Chopard’s very positive and industry-leading turn toward sustainable luxury, the brand unveils the latest installment of its “Fairmined” collection: the L.U.C Twist QF Fairmined.
Chopard L.U.C Twist QF Fairmined
In addition to featuring a case crafted using ethically sourced pink gold – in whose honor which the brand has added a second gold smelting line to its Geneva factory – this limited edition piece also has been certified by the Fleurier Qualité Foundation, one of the most demanding certification processes in Switzerland, which tests caliber, reliability, durability, and quality of finish.
For more information, please see L.U.C XPS And Tourbillon QF In Fairmined Gold: Making A Sustainable Difference.
Quick Facts Chopard L.U.C Twist QF Fairmined
Movement: automatic Caliber L.U.C 96.09L with micro rotor, C.O.S.C. and FQF certification
Case: 40 x 7.2 mm, pink Fairmined gold
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds
Limitation: 250 pieces
Price: $18,480
Glashütte Original Sixties Square Chrono
Following the introduction of colorful new Sixties Iconic models in late 2015 (see Sixties Iconic: Glashütte Original’s Richly Multicolored Homage To Vintage East German Style), the Glashütte-based brand now introduces five richly hued new timepieces outfitted with chronograph movements: Sixties Iconic Forest (green), Sixties Iconic Ocean (blue), Sixties Iconic Graphite (dark grey), Sixties Iconic Tangerine (orange), and Sixties Iconic Fire (red).
Glashütte Original Sixties Square Chrono ‘Ocean’ and ‘Fire’
For more information, please visit http://www.glashuette-original.com/collection/the-4-pillars/detail/sixties-square-chronograph.
Quick Facts Glashütte Original Sixties Square Chrono
Case: 41.35 x 41.35 x 12.6 mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic manufacture Caliber 39-34 with Glashütte three-quarter plate and very fine finishing, 40 hours of power reserve
Dial: available in red, gold, blue, brown, and grey with dégradé effect and stamping from vintage stamp tool
Functions: hours, minutes; chronograph
Limitation: 25 pieces of each color
Distribution: sold only through Glashütte Original boutiques and select retail shops
Price: $9,700
Geo.Graham Orrery Tourbillon
While Graham is best known for its oversized chronographs and sports watches, it does occasionally bring out a piece of haute horlogerie – such as this year’s re-edition of 2013’s Orrery Tourbillon with a movement made by Christophe Claret.
Geo.Graham Orrery Tourbillon
This timepiece’s dial is an allegorical model of the immediate universe with the central tourbillon and its brilliant diamond cabochon posing as the sun and three heavenly bodies (the earth, the moon, and Mars) rotating around it.
For more information, please visit http://graham1695.com/watches/geo-graham/tourbillon.
Quick Facts Geo.Graham Orrery Tourbillon
Case: 48 x 17.6 mm, pink gold
Movement: manually wound Christophe Claret Caliber G1800 with one minute tourbillon, twin spring barrels, 72-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes; mechanical model of the earth, moon, and Mars, 300-year calendar, year counter on back
Limitation: 8 pieces
Price: $330,000
Moritz Grossmann Atum Enamel
Moritz Grossmann is the new kid on the block in Glashütte, even though the boutique brand’s name speaks to the beginnings of the city’s watch industry when Herr Grossmann established the German School of Watchmaking in 1878.
Moritz Grossmann Atum Enamel
Differentiating itself from its neighbors has not proved difficult, though: Moritz Grossmann is a specialist in the art of pure and simple as the Atum line illustrates. Now the Atum model arrives with a high-fire enamel dial.
Quick Facts Moritz Grossmann Atum Enamel
Case: 41 x 11.35 mm, pink gold or white gold
Movement: manually wound Caliber 100.1, 42-hour power reserve, two-thirds plate
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitation: 25 pieces in each case metal
Price: €34,200 (pink gold), €35,300 (white gold)
Seiko Presage Enamel
At Baselworld 2016, Seiko presented a limited edition automatic chronograph with an enamel dial. It was successful, and thus Seiko announces the launch of a new unlimited Presage collection with enamel dials embodied in four wristwatches.
Seiko Presage Automatic Chronograph
These new watches draw design inspiration from the 1913 Laurel, Japan’s first wristwatch (which, by the by, had an enamel dial), while the Roman numeral hour markers are inspired by Seiko’s 1895 pocket watch, the Time Keeper.
For more information, please visit www.seiko-presage.com/60thlimited.
Quick Facts Seiko Presage Automatic Chronograph
Case: 42 x 14.9 mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic Caliber 8R48, 45-hour power reserve, column wheel and vertical clutch
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; chronograph
Price: €2,650
Seiko Presage Multihand Automatic
Quick Facts Seiko Presage Multihand Automatic
Case: 40.5 x 12.8 mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic Caliber 6R27, 45-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; power reserve indication
Price: €1,300
Seiko Presage Automatic
Quick Facts Seiko Presage Automatic
Case: 40.5 x 12.4 mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic Caliber 6R15, 50-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date
Price: €1,100
Seiko Presage Automatic
Quick Facts Seiko Presage Automatic
Case: 46 x 35.9 x 12.5 mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic Caliber 6R15, 50-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date
Price: €1,300
