From WatchTime Magazine: 7 “Buzz” Watches From Baselworld 2013
July 7, 2013 By WatchTime 2 Comments
Every Baselworld has its “buzz” watches, new models that set fairgoers’ tongues wagging, whether they’re technologically advanced, unexpected from the brand that produced them, or a new twist on an old standby, In the current issue of Watchtime, on sale now, we spotlight seven of them in detail. Here is a glimpse of the timepieces that were the talk of the watch cognoscenti.
Five years ago, Girard-Perregaux unveiled a new invention: a constant-force escapement incorporating a thin blade that flexes back and forth. This year, the brand unveiled a watch containing the device, called the Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement. The watch has a white-gold case, 48 mm in diameter, and a design in which the balance wheel and escapement occupy most of the lower half of the dial, underneath three small bridges with the brand’s distinctive arrow-shaped ends. (The G-P Constant Escapement also found a spot on our Watch Insider’s list of 17 Top Ultra-Technical Watches.)
One of the most talked-about brands at Baselworld this year was Arnold & Son, which introduced several innovative watches. (It was the brand’s first Baselworld since being acquired by Japan’s Citizen Group last year.) Among the new models was the UTTE watch (Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Escapement). The first tourbillon in Arnold & Son’s Instrument collection, the UTTE is also a record-breaker: just 8.34 mm thick, it is, the brand says, the thinnest hand-wound tourbillon watch in the world.
Hublot’s recent license deal with Ferrari has spawned an attention-getting new watch, the record-breaking MP-05 LaFerrari. Inspired by the 950-hp Ferrari supercar of the same name, Hublot’s headliner for 2013 boasts a power reserve of 50 days, which it achieves by the use of 11 barrels, lined up vertically at the center of the watch and visible through the front of the case. This watch also made Watch-Insider’s Top 17.
We’ll begin with this: 242. That’s the number of functional rubies in the movement of Harry Winston’s Opus XIII. It’s a world record. At first glance, one might reasonably ask “How do you read the time on this watch?” For a video presentation that might help provide the answer, click here.
Thirty years ago, when the Swatch brand debuted, it stunned the world with a quartz watch whose electronic movement had just 51 parts. The watch’s assembly was fully automated, no human hands required. This year the mass-market brand that gave the Swatch Group its name has done it again. Exhibiting at Baselworld for the first time ever, Swatch arrived with a bang: a new watch called Sistem 51 with a movement — this time, a mechanical automatic — consisting of just 51 parts. (It is by far the least expensive timepiece on Watch Insider’s Top 17.)
Rolex’s sister brand, Tudor, was one of the hottest topics at Baselworld, especially among Americans. Rolex will relaunch Tudor in the United States in September after a 17-year absence, as part of a significant elevation and repositioning of the brand underway since 2010. Tudor introduced four new products at Baselworld, but the star of the Tudor show was the Heritage Chrono Blue watch, a revamped version of one of the most famous Tudors of all, the Montecarlo chronograph, launched 40 years ago and produced for only a few years.
Even before Baselworld started, watch aficionados, and Rolex freaks in particular, were wondering how Rolex would mark the 50th anniversary of the famed Cosmograph Daytona. The answer was for many a surprise: the first platinum Daytona, in a blue and brown color combination never used on a prior Daytona, and with a price of about $75,000. For more details on the watch, including a video, click here.
July 7, 2013 By WatchTime 2 Comments
Five years ago, Girard-Perregaux unveiled a new invention: a constant-force escapement incorporating a thin blade that flexes back and forth. This year, the brand unveiled a watch containing the device, called the Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement. The watch has a white-gold case, 48 mm in diameter, and a design in which the balance wheel and escapement occupy most of the lower half of the dial, underneath three small bridges with the brand’s distinctive arrow-shaped ends. (The G-P Constant Escapement also found a spot on our Watch Insider’s list of 17 Top Ultra-Technical Watches.)
One of the most talked-about brands at Baselworld this year was Arnold & Son, which introduced several innovative watches. (It was the brand’s first Baselworld since being acquired by Japan’s Citizen Group last year.) Among the new models was the UTTE watch (Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Escapement). The first tourbillon in Arnold & Son’s Instrument collection, the UTTE is also a record-breaker: just 8.34 mm thick, it is, the brand says, the thinnest hand-wound tourbillon watch in the world.
Hublot’s recent license deal with Ferrari has spawned an attention-getting new watch, the record-breaking MP-05 LaFerrari. Inspired by the 950-hp Ferrari supercar of the same name, Hublot’s headliner for 2013 boasts a power reserve of 50 days, which it achieves by the use of 11 barrels, lined up vertically at the center of the watch and visible through the front of the case. This watch also made Watch-Insider’s Top 17.
We’ll begin with this: 242. That’s the number of functional rubies in the movement of Harry Winston’s Opus XIII. It’s a world record. At first glance, one might reasonably ask “How do you read the time on this watch?” For a video presentation that might help provide the answer, click here.
Thirty years ago, when the Swatch brand debuted, it stunned the world with a quartz watch whose electronic movement had just 51 parts. The watch’s assembly was fully automated, no human hands required. This year the mass-market brand that gave the Swatch Group its name has done it again. Exhibiting at Baselworld for the first time ever, Swatch arrived with a bang: a new watch called Sistem 51 with a movement — this time, a mechanical automatic — consisting of just 51 parts. (It is by far the least expensive timepiece on Watch Insider’s Top 17.)
Rolex’s sister brand, Tudor, was one of the hottest topics at Baselworld, especially among Americans. Rolex will relaunch Tudor in the United States in September after a 17-year absence, as part of a significant elevation and repositioning of the brand underway since 2010. Tudor introduced four new products at Baselworld, but the star of the Tudor show was the Heritage Chrono Blue watch, a revamped version of one of the most famous Tudors of all, the Montecarlo chronograph, launched 40 years ago and produced for only a few years.
Even before Baselworld started, watch aficionados, and Rolex freaks in particular, were wondering how Rolex would mark the 50th anniversary of the famed Cosmograph Daytona. The answer was for many a surprise: the first platinum Daytona, in a blue and brown color combination never used on a prior Daytona, and with a price of about $75,000. For more details on the watch, including a video, click here.
