While the Saxon manufacture Tutima is better known for its robust sports watches and Flieger chronographs, the brand has also recently started to explore different territories and the concept of in-house movement. For Baselworld 2018, Tutima expands its high-end Patria collection with a practical power reserve indication model. Here is our hands-on with the Tutima Patria Power Reserve.
A good watch doesn’t have to break the bank. As Baselworld 2018 just ended, we have put together a selection of wallet-friendly watches proving that great things can come in affordable packages. Vintage-inspired, sporty, modern, complicated or just nicely designed… We have selected 6 different watches, all with a strong personality and mainly, great value for the money.
One of the coolest bronze dive watches just received a new sibling, perhaps an even cooler bronze diving chronograph. For 2018 Oris introduces a new Limited Edition based on the original Carl Brashear commemorative watch from two years ago, and now adds a chronograph to the mix. We’ve already given you a short rundown of the watch, but now we had time to go hands-on with the Oris Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition Bronze during Baselworld 2018.
In 2017, Zenith relaunched the DEFY collection and impressed with the Defy El Primero 21, a hundredth-of-a-second chronograph with a 50Hz ultra-high-beat escapement dedicated only to the chrono. But that was not all. Later that year came the Defy LAB, with its revolutionary and unprecedented oscillator – a proper innovation. And finally, there was the new design, with integrated case and bracelet, large diameter and bold shapes. For Baselworld 2018, the design is kept but with more simplicity movement-wise – but not that simple either. Meet the Zenith Defy Classic.
Delma is a family-owned company whose origins go as far back as in 1924 when the Gilomen brothers founded their own company in Lengnau, near Biel. In the fifties and sixties, the diving needs, coupled with the growing popularity of Scuba diving, made the importance of robust and trustworthy underwater instruments paramount. This led to the development of the first dive watches. In 1969, Delma introduced the Periscope, its first timepiece with greater water-resistance. A few years later, in 1975, the brand issued its premier professional diver, the Shell Star. For Baselworld 2018, this watch makes a comeback.
Recently, TAG Heuer introduced the Monaco Gulf Edition, a watch that was looking back at the very roots of the model, creating the link with Steve McQueen and the “Le Mans” movie. Quite obviously a vintage take on the iconic square chronograph. Well, for Baselworld 2018, the brand has decided to bring avant-garde to this watch, by teaming up with Bamford Watch Department, which has created a bold, contemporary variant of the TAG Heuer Monaco, this time with carbon and aqua blue accents.
At Baselworld 2018, Schwarz Etienne unveils a limited-edition box set of three watches, which showcase the brand’s watchmaking mastery and expertise in creative artisan crafts. It will be part of a series to celebrate seasons (Ode aux saisons or Ode to seasons). Starting with spring (Ode au Printemps or Ode to spring), the first opus celebrates the awakening of life eloquently pictured with flowers and bees. The choice of the insect is not accidental as the coat of arms of La Chaux-de-Fonds, the city of Schwarz-Etienne, features a gold-coloured hive surrounded by bees. The special edition also aims at raising awareness for their preservation and protection.
Hot on the heels of last year’s Defy El Primero 21, a high-frequency chronograph capable of measuring hundredths of a second, and the Defy Lab, the most accurate watch on our planet with a pioneering oscillator, 2018 sees the launch of Zenith’s Defy Zero G. Equipped with its proprietary ‘Gravity Control’ module, the Defy Zero G fleshes out Zenith’s nascent Defy collection and stages a hypnotic, gravity-busting show on deck.
After the successful inaugural Quai Des Bergues watch, later followed by a complex tourbillon piece, the Place Vendôme, it is time for Czapek to unveil its third complication, this time with a sportier inspiration. As you probably noticed already, the new Czapek “Faubourg de Cracovie” (named after the location of Czapek third boutique) features a chronograph movement – and not the worst of them, as this watch is the first equipped with Vaucher’s brand-new calibre.
We already knew that Baselworld 2018 was about celebration. Indeed, Jaquet Droz celebrates its 280th anniversary this year, which started with a first tribute watch, the Grande Seconde Moon Black Enamel. And while the brand looks at the future with an impressively modern Skeleton Grande Seconde watch, they are also doing what it is known for: elegant, restrained watches, such as this new limited edition, the yellow gold/ivory enamel Jaquet Droz Grande Second Tribute.