W
hat follows is the annual iW review of new
watches and watchmaking trends noted at
Baselworld this past spring. This year’s debuts
focused on value, the often-mythical junc-
tion of quality, style and price. At the same time, there were
plenty of watchmakers at Baselworld this year debuting
cutting-edge technology and/or high-end design, often with
exhilarating results.
In the latter category, take a look at the Slim d’ Hermès
L’heure impatiente, Hublot’s MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis,
and the Porsche Design Monobloc Actuator, among others.
Bulgari buzzed the show with its terrific Octo Finis-
simo Automatic, now the thinnest in its class, while Patek
Philippe’s Aquanaut Travel Time Ref. 5650G showed off
the brand’s advanced research into new materials and effi-
cient time-setting mechanisms. Likewise Armin Strom’s new
Mirrored Force Resonance underscored the firm’s ongoing
technical creativity.
This attention by many to a strong price-quality ratio at
Basel echoed a similar sentiment we found at the SIHH this
past January.
Strong feature-to-price ratios were evident at NOMOS, at
the German one-hand-wonder Meistersinger, and even at
Breitling, which showed a 45mm high-end, COSC-certified
quartz Colt Skyracer, made with an ultra-light Breitlight case
that will retail for $2,000– fully $1,400 less than the price of
the automatic Colt Skyracer.
Tudor debuted several of the most publicized nods to
value this year, with its 41mm Heritage Black Bay Steel (now
with a date and a steel bezel, starting at $3,475) and its 41mm
Black Bay Chrono, notably equipped with the MT5813, a new
caliber made in collaboration with Breitling.
So please turn the page and read much more about this
year’s Baselworld highlights.
New Watches
Direct from
BASELWORLD
2017