VIDEO: Back to basics – how a mechanical watch works
If you take a keen interest in the world of watches, you’ve likely heard of Carson Chan. Carson works for the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, an organisation dedicated to building knowledge around fine watchmaking. And while we seem to now run into Carson every time we’re in Switzerland, we first met him in Hong Kong, at the last Watches & Wonders fair. We took the opportunity to get Carson to explain, in his calming, erudite tone, just how a mechanical watch works. Now, we’re well aware that the majority of people reading this know their mainsprings from their pallet forks (though a quick refresher never hurt anyone), but we also get asked with reasonable regularity some version of “Just how does a mechanical watch work?” So now, rather than rehashing the same old conversation, you can just send them the link to this video. Job done, and you’re welcome.
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If there’s one key take away from this year’s new watch releases, it’s that brands are playing it safe, with simple, round, steel watches being the order of the day. But, thankfully for the non-conformists out there, not everyone marches to the beat of the circular drum. Cartier and Jaeger-LeCoultre in particular have long and proud histories of making shaped watches. So for the latest episode of Apples to Apples we thought we’d let two of the most recognisable shapes in the business square off against each other. It’s time for the JLC’s mighty Reverso to meet Cartier’s legendary Tank. Who will prevail? 
Most of the Basel buzz around Omega has focused on the very excellent (and likely very hard to get) Trilogy limited editions – and rightly so. But these three spot-on reissues represent only a fraction of Omega’s 2017 c0llection, which is jam-packed full of new variants and completely new models appearing across their key collections. Not only do we have new versions of the Speedmaster and a revamped Aqua Terra 150m, but there’s a completely new regular production Railmaster and a particularly bold Planet Ocean that goes by the name of “Big Blue”. In short, there’s something for everybody.
When Bell & Ross launched their Instrument collection in 2005, they achieved what every new watch brand sets out to: they created an icon. This distinctive range of watches took the cockpit instruments of aeroplanes as their inspiration and suddenly there was a new player in the watch world that you could spot on the wrist at 100 paces. No mean feat when you consider the history and the hype you’re up against. So it turned out the Swiss watch industry, like John Mayer, has found room for squares. But all things must change, and the collection presented at Baselworld 2017 was the most highly evolved pack yet – with new models in a variety of shapes, materials and complications. The unifying factor, if there is one, is a continuing attitude of looking at things differently and balancing the stuffiness with a sense of play.
Grand Seiko had big news at Baselworld 2017 – and not just the epically proportioned (and named) Hi-Beat 36000 Professional 600m Diver’s watch. No, the really big news was that for the first time since 1960, Grand Seiko would stand apart as its own brand. It was the logical next step for Japan’s premier watch brand, which only launched globally in 2010 but has been rapidly building boutiques ever since. Aside from changes to brand position, strategy, company structure and all that jazz, for watch fans the major shift is that Grand Seiko watches will no longer read “Seiko/Grand Seiko” on the dial. A break from tradition and a cleaner dial design in one fell swoop. Nice job Grand Seiko.
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.
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.