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Trend News From The Baselworld Fair; Rolex Named Among “Ugliest” Watches; More April 08, 2015 (0 comments)
Top Trends From Baselworld 2015
By Roberta Naas, ATimelyPerspective.com
Basel, Switzerland—Easily the biggest watch exhibition of the year, BaselWorld is a beast waiting to be tamed. This year we worked eight days straight, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. to cover the show. Over the course of the eight days there, we saw nearly 100 watch brands and dozens of timepieces from each brand. With visions of thousands of watches dancing in our heads, we endeavor to make a little sense of it all and highlight some of the key trends and announcements.
Key Trends. We saw jaw-dropping watches, innovative new technology and — best of all — friends and colleagues. There were some notable trends this year that included refreshingly affordable prices. Yes, there were still the $18- and $40-million dollar watches, but for mainstream America, prices seem to be approachable. Brands such as TAG Heuer (which announced a reduction in prices at retail around the world), Hamilton, Tissot, Bulova, Frederique Constant, and Seiko are offering top quality form and function at respectable prices well below the couple-of-thousand-dollars mark.
As for style trends, blue and beautiful reigns. Practically every watch brand there, from small to big, had a blue dialed watch in its stable. For men and women alike, blue is the new hue. Green was also a prevalent color. Sports watches, especially dive watches and chronographs, continue to be important as well, with more brands delivering unusual chronograph readouts and deeper-dive watches.
Skeleton watches — or watches with mainplates showing — are all the rage in timepieces from a few thousand dollars on up to a million. Skeletonizing a watch is no easy feat. Some do it using machined parts cut as tiny as possible, others at the luxury end do it by hand, finishing and engraving every single visible and non-visible part. In both cases, the result is an intriguing look inside the workings of the watch.
Easily a hot topic at this year’s BaselWorld was the absence of Apple as an exhibitor and the influence of “smart” technology on time. In fact, brands such as Frederique Constant, Alpina, Mondaine and others were unveiling their smart watch technology. (You can read more about this here.) Additionally, brands such as Breitling and Bulgari unveiled their “connected” timepieces (we will be unveiling those in the coming days), and TAG Heuer held a press conference to announce its partnership with Google and Intel designed so the trio can develop the perfect smart watch.
Sports and celebrity announcements were prevalent as one could expect no less at BaselWorld where time and its fast-paced relationships take center stage. Among the announcements: Armin Strom comes forth with sponsorship of the GumBall Rally (and with watches to match, which we will be showing in the coming days), Bremont announced its full partnership with Jaquar, and Ritmo Mundo secretly told us of its soon-to-be-announced celebrity ambassador. Celebs were seen in the halls and after parties at BaselWorld, as well, with singers such as Eric Singer of Kiss and Will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas (wearing a Gucci Smartband) making an appearance.
New Rolex Datejust Slammed As “Ugly;” Apple Not Likely To Hamper Luxury Market, Says Report
Mumbai, India—In its review of the new watch introductions at Baselworld, the Times of India counted a new Datejust Pearlmaster 39 model from Rolex (below right) among the ugliest watches at the fair. Also earning that dubious distinction were the Blancpain L-evolution, the Jacques Droz Bird-Repeater Geneva, an Arnold Schwarzenegger Hero Terminator watch, and the Ulysse Nardin Erotica Hour (below left), which not only tells time but also gives the user a quick peep show at the push of a button.
Separately, the new Apple Watch (conspicuously absent from Baselworld) is not likely to impact the growing interest in fine Swiss timepieces, according to a recent article in Luxury Daily. Digital Luxury Group’s World Watch Report 2015 cites a 10% year-on-year jump in interest in fine Swiss watches between 2013 and 2014. The strongest category are those priced between $6,000 and $8,000.
The report analyzed over 600,000 online searches made daily for 62 brands in 20 markets, such as Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, from January 2014 until December 2014. The data was then compared to information gathered for the previous year, January 2013 to December 2013.
Watchmakers were divided into five categories: Haute Horlogerie, Watch & Jewelry, Couture, Prestige, and High Range. For example, Bovet is categorized under Haute Horlogerie while Bulgari is defined under Watch and Jewelry, Chanel is listed as Couture, Tag Heuer is Prestige, and Baume & Mercier is classified in the High Range category.
New Watches From Frederique Constant And Alpina
Basel, Switzerland—Alpina launched its Alpiner 4 Flyback chronograph with the new Manufacture Calibre AL-760 (shown top of page) during the Baselworld fair. This powerful movement comprises 233 components (96 for the flyback model) with a rotor operating in both directions and a 38-hour power reserve.
As a recognized specialist in pilots' watches, Alpina equipped the Calibre AL-760 with a split-seconds function. Also known by the name of "flyback," this function was invented in the 1930s to make it easier for pilots to use this most essential of instruments. The legible date hand at 6 o'clock avoids the unsightly well through which the date disc must be read on modular chronographs of conventional construction.
The figure "4" symbolizes the watch’s four decisive characteristics at once: antimagnetic, water-resistant "Geneva" case, Incabloc shock protection, and non-rusting stainless steel case. Its case, with ergonomically shaped chronograph push-pieces, screw-down winding and setting crown, and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal measures 45 mm diameter and is water resistant to 10 atmospheres (equivalent to a diving depth of 100 meters.) The screwed steel case back is decorated with the familiar Alpina logo and the watch features either a sporty stainless steel link bracelet or an alligator strap. Dial and hands have Super-LumiNova highlights to see the watch after dark. The AL-760 movement beats at a frequency of 4 Hertz.
Sister brand Frederique Constant offered a new Slimline Moonphase Manufacture women’s watch, offering the same features and functionality as its men’s model, but rendered in a 38 mm case with 60 diamonds. The FC-703 Manufacture automatic caliber has 26 jewels and a 42-hour power reserve in a gleaming three-part stainless and polished rose gold plated steel case.
The automatic movement features hours, minutes, date and moonphase, all adjustable through the single crown. The domed silver dial is adorned with hand-applied nickel indexes and hands; and is protected by a convex sapphire crystal.
The dial itself is silver color with eight hand-applied diamonds (0.02ct) on the hour indexes. A sapphire case back permits observation of the FC-703 movement in action. Watch is water-resistant to three atmospheres and finished with an alligator strap in black or brown.