This year I attended BaselWorld for the very first time. It is the largest and most attended show of its kind, with people both from the trade and also those who just love watches visiting from all corners of the globe. Having worked in the luxury watch industry for nearly 10 years it has always been an ambition to visit and this year I was asked to come along as part of the Laing-Parkhouse buying team.
Visiting Baselworld as part of a buying team gives you access to the show stands. I knew they were incredible from pictures I had seen online but in real life they feel even bigger. The Rolex stand is several floors high and reminds me of a small tower block. The amount of effort gone into creating and assembling all the stands is mind-blowing, and there aren't just a few of these, the main hall is 3 floors high, filled with gigantic buildings, each with small luxurious windows displaying their newest offerings.
Our first appointment is with Rolex (there has been a lot of hype about the new Daytona with black ceramic bezel so I’m keen to see it in the flesh) and upon arrival we are guided up the stairs to a small but plush room. Here we are shown all of the new releases and make decisions on what we believe our customers will enjoy the most. The stand-out models from Rolex were the Airking, its crazy dial and larger case size will surely be winner, and the new Datejust 40 now available in bi-colour options and on a Jubilee bracelet which has been in high demand. Another that caught my attention was the Daytona, but not the steel version, the 18ct yellow gold model with a very striking green dial.
Our next stop is Patek Philippe, which I have been particularly looking forward to. Patek’s stand is slightly more understated but that doesn’t mean smaller by any means. The entrance is filled with big sofas and areas to rest while having a cappuccino. As Patek supplies fewer agents our appointment is held with the UK Manager and Director who talk us through the new pieces. The highlight for me was the very unexpected but stunning World Time Chrono (Ref 5930G) which has a hand guilloched royal blue dial. This is only the second time these two complications have been combined, the first was a unique piece made in 1940. Patek are also celebrating an important occasion this year with the Annual Calendar calibre reaching its 20th Anniversary. To mark this occasion they have introduced a new dial onto the popular Ref 5396 with the rose gold receiving a sliver dial and the white gold a slate grey. We were also informed about the new design Grand Master Chime which now comes in very sleek white gold and black dial with the case finished completely by hand in the ‘Clous de Paris’ style.
We now head over to Breitling's very impressive stand right in the centre of the main hall. Above the entrance a huge real fish tank hangs over head, it looks like it has an exotic collection of fish and even some small jelly fish. Our Breitling representative meets us outside the stand and passes us medallions needed to access the new product. He shows us through a super chic bar and up to the product room. This year Breitling have released fewer models but focused mainly on some brand new pieces. My personal highlights include the massive Avenger Hurricane with its 50mm super-sturdy and robust Breitlight case which is a new patented material. Its very imposing on the wrist but weighs almost nothing so is comfortable to wear. We also had the privilege to view the new Superocean Chronoworks which is the latest in innovative watch production. Think of Chronoworks as the F1 or AMG of the watch world as it houses many new patents that will hopefully be seen in future movements. Breitling has long been well known for its masculine instrument watches but has now introduced a range just for women. The Galactic 29 puts Breitling firmly on the map when it comes to ladies timepieces, the smaller more feminine size and the choice of metal, diamond and strap options makes this a real contender to the likes of Omega and Rolex.
Longines next which can’t be missed due to the life size horse on the stand! Heading onto the stand all the new pieces are laid out which allows us to compare the pieces side by side. We're led through the crowds to a private room where Longines present their novelties to us. Some of the stand out models include a ladies La Grande Classique with a very special inlay mother of pearl dial in a sunburst pattern. The level of craftsmanship must have been very high to create such a complex dial from pearl, and as well as this they also come in blue and pink options. Another piece that caught my eye was the men’s Heritage collection with a quirky white dial with Arabic numerals, an almost pocket watch style case fitted to an orangey brown strap. Super cool on the wrist!
One that I've been looking forward to is TAG Heuer and not only because they have a real F1 car attached to their show stand! This year is all about Connected and Tourbillion. Both models have come under some pretty harsh criticism both from the tech industry and the Swiss watch industry. Outside the stand TAG have set up several Connected watches that patrons can play with which I take advantage of. The watch comes in an array of strap colours which change the look of the watch quite a lot. We are then taken up the stairs to the viewing room where TAG tell us about the new relationship with the F1 Red Bull team (hence the car on the stand). We're shown some stunning new watches which we think are really cool with the brightly coloured Formula 1 range standing out from the rest. We then move onto the more complicated pieces. Last year TAG released the in-house 01 calibre which has a skeleton dial and looks very cool on the wrist. This year sees the release of the 02 calibre which again is completely in-house but this time has the added feature of a tourbillion. Oh and by the way it’s under £12,000! I finally get my hands on the Connected and once on the wrist I can see why people that do have them, love them. It’s a large case that sits well on the wrist and also has the ability to change both the dial function (chrono, plain, GMT) and the colour (blue, black, silver). This is my favourite feature of the watch but it can perform much like a high end smart watch and is built much better than most. The best thing about the Connected is that after a couple of years you can bring it back and upgrade to an automatic!
The final stop is with Omega, and from the pre-release media I had seen there is some great new product. Omega's stand is very classy, it has a spiral staircase that goes up 3 floors. We go to the very top where we are shown a movie about the roll-out of the Master Chronometer movement. This new movement from Omega is incredibly accurate and can withstand up to 15,000 gauss while maintaining this accuracy. It is also tested by METAS who are the company which tests the equipment used in the chronometer rating process, which is a pretty good standard! The exceptional pieces were the new design Planet Ocean which now houses the MC calibre, within the collection the black and orange combination stood out as being really quite impressive. There were also some incredible new pieces in the Speedmaster collection, these include a series of watches with hand painted moon-phase complications which depict some actual features of the moon. This year we also were shown some new models derived from the original Dark Side Of The Moon with these latest additions housing quirky dials such as meteorite. The final Speedmaster was a limited edition Moonwatch called the CK2998, which is a remake limited to its name sake. White and navy blue dial accents combine to make an iconic collector's piece which has already been in very high demand.
To sum up the Baselworld experience I would say it is a watch lover's paradise. The sheer scale and effort the brands put into showcasing their products is mind-blowing and I am pleased I can say I have been a part of it, even if it was only a very small part……
If you have ever thought about going then my advice would be just to go, even if it is just the once. An unforgettable experience.
To find out more about any of the newest releases, please contact your nearest store.