VIDEO: 3 of the best new watches from Bulgari, including that one you’re secretly into…
We knew it, as soon as we tried it on. You guys knew it too, judging by the comments, which have usually gone something like, “I’d never been that interested in Bulgari before, but….” And naturally Bulgari knew it, which is why their booth at Baselworld dedicated its grandest display space to tell the story: the Octo Finissimo Automatic in titanium is the most refined mens piece ever for the brand in the ‘accessible’ category. By ‘accessible’ – around $18k – we’re not talking entry level, but it certainly is a newly affordable price point for a barely there piece that holds the record for the thinnest automatic watch on the market. In addition there’s a fully murdered out Octo, with all black errrrrrrthang. And the softly cased new Octo Roma, which heartens with its warm tones and gentler curves.
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It’s Longines’ 185th anniversary this year, as you might have seen so it’s no surprise that the key heritage pieces were very strong at Baselworld. As we’d hoped, the new Lindbergh Hour Angle model – which I developed strong feelings for after a visit to the Longines headquarters in Saint Imier earlier this year – did drop early, ahead of the 90th Anniversary of the pioneering aviator’s famous New York to Paris crossing. If the watch was somewhat expected, the style was not; it has has a surprisingly contemporary feel. Hello there black PVD bezel, for example. And the Longines Heritage 1945, well that gave us a serious case of de ja vu back to 2015, when the supremely talented artist Sunflowerman painted an almost identical model for the Longines Watercolour Watch Project. The king move, though, was Longines launching their first range to be fully COSC-certified, the Record collection. It’s an extremely accessible range in terms of price that may answer prayers for those wanting a time and date chronometer without the usual cost, but it may also serve to raise questions about why rival brands charge such a premium for a certification when Longines has managed to have prices from…
The dust is settling on Baselworld 2017, and we’re finally able to step back from the excitement and drama to have a bit more of an objective look at the fair as a whole. And it appears that, overwhelmingly, brands have been playing it calm and cautious. Fewer complications than usual were presented, but smartly priced steel watches were the order of the day. It doesn’t look like Hublot got that memo. One of the brands at the heart of the LVMH watch empire had a big, unashamedly bold line up of releases that made for a refreshing change of pace. You might be able to tell by my tone of voice. I was (and still am) excited. The headline release was the completely new, technical Techframe Ferrari, but they also had some pretty confident line extensions, like the King Gold Sang Bleu and Meca-10 models, as well as a bevy of outrageous new sapphire numbers. There is absolutely no doubt that these aren’t safe, conservative choices designed to appeal to as many wrists as possible. And I think that Hublot deserves some kudos for walking their own path.
In the months, weeks and days leading up to Baselworld the speculation around what novelties Rolex would release reached a near fever pitch. Pundits made predictions about what the new Sea-Dweller would look like, and if we’d see extensions added to the Daytona and Yacht-Master family. But no one predicted an updated Sky-Dweller… Originally released in 2012 the Sky-Dweller has always been something of a niche proposition. Highly complex and only offered in precious metals, the dressy Rolex lacked the instant cachet of the Professional series. Well, with the addition of competitively priced Rolesor models (the steel and yellow gold has a Swiss RRP of 16,300 CHF and steel with a white gold bezel is 13,700 CHF) we expect the Sky-Dweller will rocket to the top of a lot of people’s interest lists. It’s not just the fact that Rolex has democratised the Sky-Dweller somewhat that has people interested, they’ve also given it a facelift, lengthening the hands, replacing numerals with indices and blending the 24-hour disc into the dial. All this adds up to a Sky-Dweller that looks and wears differently to the original, and we’re pretty sure Rolex has another hit on their hands.
One of the brands we’re always excited to see at Basel is Tudor. They’ve built a reputation for consistently delivering solid, and occasionally surprising watches, and 2017 is no different. We take a look at four new versions of their flagship Black Bay. There’s the simple but upscaled BB41, the blingy BB S&G, the rugged new BB Steel and the complex BB Chrono. If there’s one thing that struck us about the collection as a whole, it’s just how versatile (and enduringly popular) the Black Bay design is.
Omega’s box set celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Railmaster, Seamaster and Speedmaster has been one of the talking points of Baselworld 2017, and not just because of the watches. The box itself is a work of craftsmanship in itself. It isn’t just like an Omega box from the 50s, it has been made to be exactly the same, with corduroy and gold foil lettering and all. We have the pricing, the live images and the (included) travel pouch all in this two-minute video.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of three of Omega’s most important models: the Speedmaster, Seamaster and Railmaster. The brand is celebrating by releasing a frankly epic trio of limited edition reissues, available individually, or in this ‘1957 Trilogy’ box set. No word yet on pricing or availability. While we don’t have much in the way of technical detail at yet, first impressions are very positive. The only noticable difference between these new versions and the original models seems to be the coloured luminous material. To see just how good, and faithful, they are, have a look at the new versions compared to pieces from the Omega Museum which we photographed at our ‘Night of Omega Firsts’ event in 2014.
It’s very easy to say, on day two of Baselworld, “oh yes, I saw that one coming”. It’s much harder to get it right two days before the big dance. Which is what we’re attempting to do in these two, probably ill-fated videos. Part one features Omega, Patek Philippe, TAG Heuer, and Longines. In part two, we consult our crystal ball for new releases by Seiko, Tudor, Hublot and Rolex. Our decision to make this video already seems questionable. Because I swear my notes included a prediction Patek would release a casual sports steel chronograph, I swear!
Ladies and gentleman, if we could please have your attention during our pre-flight safety demonstration. Our pilots today are Skip Stewart and Jurgis Kairys. During our three-minute flight you will experience some turbulence, along with dizzying aerobatics, death-defying stunts and extreme speed, so we advise you to familiarise yourself with the brace position. If you have any concerns about your heart rate, please consult the pulsometer on the Oris Royal Flying Doctor Service II. We’ll be departing from Avalon Airshow – the most significant event on the Australian aviation calendar – in the safe hands of Oris, who have a proven track record in pilot’s watches since 1917. We hope you enjoy your flight.
TAG Heuer has just announced the “first luxury connected watch bearing the Swiss made label” and a new concept that allows you to change the smart watch module (the whole case, in other words) for a mechanical module; either a time-only automatic Calibre 5 or a COSC-certified chronograph Tourbillon Heuer 02-T. The concept of modularity also extends to the lugs, strap and buckle, all of which can be interchanged with a simple click. Engineered in collaboration with Intel, the Connected Modular 45 is water-resistant to 50m, features GPS, an NFC sensor for payments, and a high definition AMOLED screen, as well as a wide selection of unlimited, customisable TAG Heuer dials. The components have been constructed from a range of quality materials, such as satin or polished grade 5 titanium, black ceramic and 18k rose gold. The smart watch module is powered by an Intel Atom processor Z34XX series and operates on Android Wear 2.0. It has 4GB of storage memory and a lithium battery which is good for a full day of power and is fitted with a small water-resistant microphone enabling the wearer to communicate with it using Google Assistant, as well as a sapphire crystal touchscreen, to be used alongside the command crown at 3…