Reporting live from the world’s most premier luxury watch and jewellery expo, Baselworld 2019 – Along with the SIHH, Basel world’s the place to look for innovations in fine watchmaking, market trends that will define luxury watches and pure aesthetics!
This year was quite a departure from previous years as the event became even more luxe than ever before – with fewer brands exhibiting – yet that amplified the exclusivity to another level altogether.
What’s New?
The Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 Golf Edition
At Tag Heuer, innovation is the name of the game. They launched the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 Golf Edition especially designed for golfers, with an app backing. The smartwatch connects to the Tag Heuer Golf App that enables players to get the most out of their game by tracking distance to greens, 2D and 3D course mapping and stats for upto 4 players. The watch has a black PVD titanium case and black ceramic bezel ring, with numbers written in crisp white, with a choice of strap.
Hublot x Ferrari
Hublot made quite an impression with their collaboration with Ferrari two luxurious beasts, come together as one. The highlight of this collection was the Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari watch. The Scuderia Ferrari is celebrating its 90th year and this watch commemorates the heritage & the style of the racing car beautifully. The watch’s carbon-ceramic-PVD-titanium case uses carbon from an actual Ferrari racecar.
Jacob & Co x Bugatti
Jacob & Co also announced their partnership with Bugatti and launched 2 watches to commemorate this occasion. The sport-inspired watches are crafted from forged carbon and call out to their French heritage by use of its flag colours.
Breitling x Norton
Speaking of collaborations, Breitling teamed up with British motorcycle company Norton to create the vintage-inspired Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Norton Edition. Subtle and classic, this is a great off-duty luxury watch for men.
Hublot x Orlinski
Apart from Ferrari, Hublot has also teamed up with renowned sculptor Richard Orlinksi to create the Hublot Classic Fusion Orlinski. With its stunning architectural dial and case, the statement watch is one to look out for, definitely.
Another record for Bvlgari!
Statement watches ruled the roost as with Bulgari Octo Finissimo GMT Chronograph which is said to be the slimmest watch in the world! The stunning watch has tone-on-tone detailing, something that looks great from day to night.
Alarm Time Travel by Patek Philippe
Moving over to design, vintage-inspired details are very much in the spotlight still. The trend continues at Baselworld 2019, with modern accents making their mark effectively. However, this inspiration is also tempered by minimalism, which makes the luxury watches look super contemporary at the same time. For instance, the Patek Philippe Alarm Time Travel 5520 P features a brand new self-winding grand complication that combines its dual time zone mechanism with a 24-hour alarm mechanism, that is complete with a hammer striking a gong inside the piece! To achieve this, no less than four patents were registered by Patek Philippe – so impressive!
Trend-spotting at Baselworld
When it comes to trends, there have been quite a few that caught our eye. First up is the use of bright materials such as bronze, titanium, carbon and ceramic, along with more futuristic materials such as IWC’s Ceratanium, Panerai’s Carbotech, and Girard-Perregaux’s Carbon Glass.
From materials to details, the focus is on bright at Baselworld. Another big luxury watch trend is the use of interesting colours for the dial. A.Lange & Sohn are the front-runners of this major trend. Moreover, apart from blues and greens, hues such as red and salmon are also making an appearance!
Speaking of contemporary style, innovations in smartwatches style are increasing by leaps and bounds! Like the Tag Heuer’s Golf watch mentioned above, many brands are exploring the luxury tech space.
What watches caught your eye at Baselworld 2019?
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