LIST: 7 of the best sub-$5000 watches of Basel 2018 – from beyond the glitz of Hall 1
Much of the hype of Baselworld is transfixed on the monolithic Hall 1, where the majority of the media attention is focused on the big industry players from the Swatch Group and LVMH, as well as big indies like Rolex and Patek Philippe. But beyond the glitz, there’s another Baselworld. Hall 2, located across the way under the iconic Baselworld clock, is a building chock-full of smaller watchmakers, who sometimes produce excellent, exciting watches at great prices. I took some time out of my schedule and Hall 1, to find seven of the best. Laco Pilot Watch Leipzig Erbstück Laco have a long history of German watchmaking, dating back to 1925. Based in Pforzheim in the Black Forest, known as the birthplace of the ‘Flieger’ style of watches, the Leipzig Erbstück takes a love of vintage pilot watches to the next level. Each one is aged by hand to give that vintage look, meaning each piece is unique to the owner. There are 42mm, 45mm and 55mm versions, with either hand-wound or automatic movements. 1950€ Anonimo Epurato Automatic Bronze has been in vogue for a while now and the Epurato Automatic is definitely on trend. Housed in a 42mm bronze…
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This year marks 55 years of the Carrera, and TAG Heuer are pulling no punches when it comes to celebrating the occasion. Releasing a sporty selection of models at Baselworld 2018, which includes watches like this one — their modern take on the Carrera but with their latest in-house movement now sporting a GMT function inside. Vital statistics Last year we saw TAG Heuer downsize the skeletonised Carreras to 43mm, but this new GMT beefs things up again with a 45mm steel case. Maintaining a water resistance of 100m as well as the option of a stainless-steel bracelet or black rubber strap. The biggest change is the addition of a GMT complication to the new 75-hour Heuer 02 movement inside. The layout of the hands is a little different than normal as well, with the GMT hand sitting between the hour and minute hands so that it sweeps over the bold hour markers of the skeletonised dial. And for the first time there’s also a dual colour ceramic bezel in black and blue with a 24-hour scale for GMT functionality. On the wrist It’s a lightshow. With light bouncing around the dial, from the polished hands and indices, to the concentrically…
Amidst the pile of big and bold Hublot offerings at Baselworld 2018, it was a pleasant surprise to see a rare level of conservatism land on the table in the form of a more compact Big Bang Unico Chronograph — four references measuring 42mm in diameter, offered in King Gold, King Gold and ceramic, titanium and ceramic, and the titanium and ceramic model seen here. For some, one of the biggest gripes about the Big Bang is its significant presence on the wrist, and after closer examination, this slightly reduced variant puts the chronograph on just enough of a diet. Vital statistics Visually speaking, the new 42mm Big Bang Unico looks like it is simply a scaled-down version of its 45mm sibling, but that isn’t exactly the case. A close examination of its self-winding flyback chronograph calibre reveals at least some slight modification, explaining why though its specs are the same, the new derivative movement is called the HUB1280 rather than the HUB1242 listed on Hublot’s website. We do know that the new calibre is also thinner, allowing Hublot to trim away some excess case thickness in the process. Of the four variants, this titanium version is perhaps the most…
Tudor have added another – smaller – member to the Black Bay family at Baselworld 2018. It’s inspired by the “Big Crown” (reference 7924) Submariner, and named after the year it was released. The Black Bay Fifty-Eight faithfully re-creates the smaller case size of the 7924, complete with oversized crown and introducing a brand-new calibre into the Tudor collection. Vital statistics This is the first time we’ve seen the original Black Bay design downsized. The case of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight measures a very friendly 39mm across. However, the real story is how much slimmer it now is – at just under 12mm, as opposed to almost 15mm for the 41mm model. It’s also now powered by a brand-new Tudor manufacture movement, the calibre MT5402. With its smaller dimensions allowing for the diminished case size, while still maintaining a power reserve of 70 hours, a silicon balance spring, and COSC accuracy. There’s also a familiar gilt dial – sans the date – which matches the unidirectional bezel, with gilded markings and numerals. The crown has been reworked, with the familiar Tudor rose now embossed and the crown tube now satin-brushed in steel. On the wrist It’s not so much the smaller diameter that is…
Omega is a real powerhouse brand, with a product catalogue that’s both broad and deep, and their Basel 2018 catalogue is no exception. This year they showed a fairly diverse mix of watches, from the elegant ladies Trésor, to a range of Olympic commemorative editions and a Speedy or two. The main focus, though, is the Seamaster. There was a lovely duo of heritage-inspired models, but really, the critical and commercial heart of their lineup is the revamped Omega Seamaster Diver 300M, better known as the SMP. It’s a model that found renown on the wrist of Brosnan’s Bond, and won hearts and minds thanks to its distinctive look and rock-solid build quality. This 2018 version boasts a host of small, but significant, changes. There’s a size and movement upgrade (including the first ever clear caseback for the model), ceramic bezels and dials, as well as the return of the classic wave pattern. All this makes the SMP an even more compelling proposition.
Seiko have again released a duo of modern re-interpretations of one of their OG dive watches – the Seiko 6159. Sitting alongside the modern re-creation – the newly released SLA025, which was also just revealed here at Baselworld 2018 – the pair echo the original design of Seiko’s first hi-beat diver but wrap it up in a slightly more contemporary package. Vital statistics Available in two variants, the cases are thinner and hark back to the design of the original, except now they have a screw-in case-back and measure 44mm across and 13.1mm thick. They’re also joined by thinner bezels, with black for the SPB077, and blue for the SPB079. The black dials have highlights of silver – instead of the original’s gold – and slightly redesigned hour markers, as well as a set of modern-day Seiko arrow hands and the Prospex logo printed in the lower half of the dial. Both are water resistant to 200m and feature a Seiko 6R15 movement with a power reserve of 50 hours. And if you’re a fan of steel bracelets you’ll have to opt for the black bezel SPB077, which is the model we’re focusing on here. On the wrist It captures…
There’s been a lot of big colour surfacing at Baselworld 2018, but little that stop traffic in the same fashion as the Hublot Big Bang Red Magic. Though we can’t be surprised that Hublot would deliver something as loud and in-your-face as this new release, certain colours of ceramic have long been known as very challenging to produce, and red in particular has long been avoided for exactly that reason. Being heavily invested in materials innovation, Hublot have forged ahead to deliver the first red ceramic watch on the market and, boy, is it ever red … Vital statistics At its core, the Big Bang Unico Red Magic is identical to the other Big Bang chronographs in the line. The HUB1242 self-winding column wheel flyback chronograph caliber is good for a power reserve of 72 hours, and still features a 30-minute chronograph register alongside its running seconds. A partially skeletonised dial with floating indices is also part of the usual equation. The bold red case has a fairly significant sheen to it, contrasted by matte black composite resin accents, a rubberised crown, black ceramic pushers, and a matching black ceramic clasp for its colour-matched rubber strap. As with all things…
The story of Grand Seiko at Baselworld 2018 is really the story of two movements. The legendary quartz 9F, which turns 25 this year, and the high-end workhorse that is the 9S, which marks its 20th anniversary. Both calibres received special tribute models, which really showcase the movement — literally in the case of the SBGV238. Quartz movements typically don’t receive the sapphire case-back treatment, and I believe this is the first time the 9F ever has. And really, it’s quite amazing to look at, as is the rest of the watch, especially that intricate dial. The 9S tribute models also have typically stunning dials. We didn’t shoot it, but the platinum one is phenomenal, and quite subtle. The two steel versions are strong too, in brown and blue, with a radial mosaic-style pattern. And finally there’s a sporty-looking GMT to round out the family. All told, a calm, considered and confident collection from Grand Seiko.
Meet Daniel. That’s us leaving Basel yesterday below, and that’s Daniel on the right. Daniel loves watches. Daniel has never been to Baselworld. Daniel is now working with us at Time+Tide and when he heard that the convoy was assembling for take-off, he put his hand up. Could he join us? The enthusiasm, the excitement, it was all there; the light was in his eyes. We said sure, and, voila, we had a project manager. The question then, for the rest of us hardened watch fair warriors, was: ‘What would Daniel think of Baselworld? How would it be different to his expectations?’ The question then, for the rest of us hardened watch fair warriors, was: ‘What would Daniel think of Baselworld? How would it be different to his expectations?’ I won’t steal any more of the video’s thunder, but needless to say Daniel has found Baselworld a powerful influencer of opinion and changer of minds. When he said, “I never would have thought I’d …” for the 15th time, we decided there was definitely a video in it. And here it is! 
It very quickly became apparent — after only a few hours on the ground at Basel 2018 — that GMTs were everywhere, and not just the obvious Pepsi-bezelled, Jubilee-braceleted option from the Big Crown. So Andy and I took some time out from our busy schedules to discuss this phenomena, and some prime examples. So, in addition to the Rolex GMT-Master II, we noted that Patek had doubled down on their Calatrava Travel Time. TAG Heuer added a little more complication to their Carrera Heuer 02, adding a blue and black bezelled GMT into the family. And finally Tudor, not to be outdone, announced their own two-timer — a Black Bay that borrows its GMT bezel from both the BB Red and the BB Blue. So there you have it. GMTs in 2018, trend status — confirmed.