Text: Lisa EpifanovaPASSED FROM MARCH 17-24, THE BIGGEST BASEL HOUR SALON DEMONSTRATED THAT IN THIS AREA NOW THE TECHNICAL INVENTIONS, CREATIVE AND BOLD DECISIONS ARE SPECIALLY REQUIRED.
The Best of ...
The key word for Baselworld this year is perhaps the definition of "exceptional." Many leading brands and independent watch houses presented something completely new, surpassing all previous achievements. Already on the first day of the exhibition, Bulgari set the tone, showing a new world record - the thinnest minute repeater. After that, it was only necessary to open his eyes wide and move from stand to stand, without ceasing to be surprised.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the Marine collection, Ulysse Nardin introduced the unique Grand Deck Tourbillon design, which actually combines two mechanisms in one case: a tourbillon with a “jumping hour” and a minute hand, which is a miniature “mast” moving above the ship’s dial thanks to the thinnest cables fixed on four pulleys. The manufacture of Le Locle took five years to develop this model (the idea was originally proposed by Christophe Claret).
The uniqueness of the design is that the retrograde minute hand is completely independent: even if the tension of the cables loosens, the mast will simply hang, but this will not affect the operation of the whole mechanism. The model is released in only 18 pieces in a white gold case with a diameter of 44 mm.
The original design of the “jumping hour” and retrograde minute was also presented by the Chanel house in the first manufactory movement Caliber 1. It was designed for the brand by the famous watchmaker Roman Gauthier, whose own brand is now also part of the Chanel empire. The new model, named Monsieur de Chanel, is presented in a 42 mm case made of white or its own "beige" Chanel gold.
Another “guest star” - Jean-Marc Wiederrecht from the Agenhor studio introduced a new mystical caliber (and also with the indication of the "big hour", which is one of the most popular complications today) for Faberge, which is gaining momentum.
Last year, the brand has already received the Geneva Grand Prix for a retrograde ladies model, also developed by Wiederrecht, and now it can also claim a prize in the field of original men's complications: taking the brand's historical desk clock, in which the hands are covered with a mother-of-pearl dial, the master invented caliber AGH 6924 with a second time zone.
Two hands show the usual current time, and in the central disk there is a window with a magnifying glass in which the 24-hour GMT indication is visible. The 43 mm case is made of titanium in combination with white or pink gold.
In the direction of traditional complications, a serious battle also unfolded in Basel. And in two directions - who will make the most interesting and unexpected combination of functions and who will make it cheaper.
Patek Philippe announced himself loudly, not only introducing a completely new caliber, but also setting a world record. For the first time in a production model, the Geneva-based manufacture combined a flyback chronograph with the famous world time module invented by Louis Cotier. A model of this class was produced by Patek Philippe only in a single copy in the 40s of the last century. The new CH 28-520 movement is also distinguished by the fact that it is the world's thinnest chronograph with world time. It is housed in a 39.5 mm case in white gold and is complemented by a blue guilloche dial.
Seiko introduced its first tourbillon in the history of the brand, performing this signature Swiss complication in a unique Japanese tradition: the ultra-thin manual-winding platinum is made in the form of Katsushik Hokusai's famous engraving “Wave in Kanagawa”, the same pattern can be seen on the dial surrounded by shining sapphires. The tourbillon is presented in the most exclusive line of the Credor brand, and the issue is limited to only 30 copies. By the way, the image of the "Big Wave" by Hokusai inspired not only the Japanese themselves, but also the Swiss. This year, Blancpain continued the Metier d'Art series with a dial model, which depicts a billowing wave using the Shakudo technique of a special alloy of gold and copper.All of these achievements fade compared to the new Jacob & Co Twin Turbo Twin Triple Axis Tourbillon Minute Repeater concept. The long name fully reveals the essence of the mechanism: these are two triaxial tourbillons (carriages rotate in 30 seconds, 3 and 4 minutes symmetrically to each other) and a minute repeater with cathedral gongs beating hours, minutes and 10-minute intervals instead of traditional quarters.
But perhaps the most sensational and partly scandalous premieres were marked by Frederique Constant and TAG Heuer. The first presented the most affordable Slimline Manufacture Perpetual Calendar with the FC-775 manufactory caliber for about 8 thousand francs in a steel case, and the second was announced last year by Carrera Heuer 02T, a chronograph with a flying tourbillon, worth about 15 thousand francs. The model, immediately nicknamed the "killer of tourbillons," did not leave anyone indifferent, causing some to great indignation, and others - to thrill.
Lightness and transparency
Records and exceptional achievements affected not only the design of the mechanisms, but also the design of the watch. Moreover, with reference to materials, the main area of research in watch engineering has become the maximum lightness, subtlety and readability of the dial. For example, the 40-mm case of the Bulgari superthin repeater is made of titanium (which is rather rare for this class of complications), and to enhance the resonance in the gray dial, thin slots are made at the marking site.
Titanium is the leader this year in popularity among watch materials. Girard-Perregaux also introduced last year’s version of the Tourbillon Three Bridges Minute Repeater in a titanium case, Romain Gaultier presented just such a variation of its iconic Logical One Titanium watch, and Oculus 1297 from Atelier deMonaco put on titanium. This is understandable: titanium is lightweight, durable and has a trendy gray tint.
The idea to lighten the weight of the watch as much as possible was embodied in fundamentally new research. Breitling introduced the new Avenger Hurricane model, which, despite its impressive and aggressive appearance and case diameter of 50 mm (what else to expect from a watch with the word “hurricane” in its name?), Is almost weightless on the hand thanks to the new BreitLight material.
Another striking trend in watch design is the maximum use of sapphire crystal. Convex curly dials (Jaquet Droz with the new version of the Charming Bird collection), entire cases made of transparent sapphire, allowing to observe the beauty of mechanics from all sides, were presented by several leading brands at once.
The glass dome has become the protagonist of the new GyroGraff World art series with an exquisitely engraved world map on the Graff dial. The sophisticated sapphire opens up for viewing not only the enchanting Twin Turbo from Jacob & Co, but also its new version of Astronomia with the exact position of the starry sky throughout the year - both models were released in honor of the brand's 30th anniversary.And Hublot also in honor of the anniversary of Big Bang introduced the Unico Sapphire model. Bell & Ross was even more radical, having created an exclusive version of the BR-X1 Sapphire Tourbillon in a case made of a sapphire monoblock (made in a single copy at the Chanel Chatelain factory) in honor of the beginning of cooperation with the Renault Formula 1 racing team.
By the way, all kinds of cooperation with invited artists and third-party brands are increasingly found and give an increasingly interesting result. The same Hublot released a very unusual version with Classic Fusion Berluti with the shoe brand of the same name, Zenith created a new version (this time with a gyroscope) in honor of the Rolling Stones, and Raymond Weil, who signed a contract with Universal Music, introduced the limited edition Maestro series in honor of the legendary quartet The beatles.
Corum, for the development of the revived Bubble line, invited the famous Parisian photographer Dani Olivier, who transferred his images of “psychedelic nude” to the dials with thick glass, but perhaps the most unexpected union is De Grisogono and Samsung. As a result, we got all the same “smart watches” Samsung Gear S2, but in a gold case, decorated with indispensable black diamonds.
Day and night
If everyday men's watches are now characterized by emphasized modesty and practicality - as, for example, in the quintessential classics from Breguet Classic 7147 with an ultra-thin automatic caliber 502.3SD with a height of only 2.4 mm or the new Carl F. Bucherer Manero Peripheral model with an A2050 manufactory caliber, then ladies' premieres, on the contrary, follow the principle of "a feast and the world." The accessories and watches presented in Basel were distinguished by a characteristic feature - they were easy to imagine in combination with a business suit and a chic evening outfit. This sensation was emphasized by a clear tendency to reduce the body of ladies' models, as if the girls were finally tired of wearing bulky unisex accessories.
Victoire de Castellan introduced new versions of La D de Dior in a miniature round case, complemented by sparkling bracelets of special Milanese weaving, turning the surface into iridescent fabric. Hermes reflected two major aesthetic trends in all its splendor. For gentlemen - a new version of Slim de Hermes with a noble Grand Feu dial, for ladies - jewelry models and dials painted with bright Mexican colors.
Chopard, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Happy Diamonds collection, presented an original replica of the first model - in a half-forgotten square case of small size and on a satin strap.
Another jewelry replica was revived by the Blancpain Ladybird anniversary series, and Rado even managed to add a touch of airiness to its hi-tech ceramic case thanks to the translucent mother-of-pearl dial in the True Open Heart model.
Finally, Longines unexpectedly updated the La Grande Classique collection with a series of mother-of-pearl flowers and colorful straps. The trial release was sold out almost immediately.
The future versus the past
The current Basel Salon was especially interesting not only by the watch itself, but also by the active discussions of watchmakers and company heads about the future of watchmaking as such. The point is not only in computer “smart” technologies or the economic downturn, but in the direction in which the watch culture as a whole should develop, whether it can remain the same. Guy Semon, President of TAG Heuer, believes that Swiss watchmakers have been very spilled over recent years.
He compares them to a cat who is used to lying by the fireplace and eating exclusively premium food with bio-additives. And now, if a fat cat does not remember how to catch mice, in a few years our ideas about watches will change dramatically - instead of traditional obsolete mechanics, we will wear ... maybe a smart watch, or maybe something completely unimaginable. Even Mr. Semon cannot predict this. But at the same time, Stephen Urkhart, president of Omega, strongly disagrees with him. He is convinced that they have not invented and are unlikely to invent anything better than the usual clockwork in recent years, as in the past five hundred years. Naturally, the mechanics must be improved in accordance with the modern requirements of human existence.
For example, due to the increase in the number of electronic devices and magnetic emitters, all the latest watches should be tested for antimagnetic. Omega was the first to start this process by introducing dual certification for its new Master Chronometer (in addition to the standard COSC chronometry test, the finished watch also undergoes shock, temperature and magnetism tests at the METAS Swiss Meteorological Institute). And from this year, her example was followed by the eternal competitor Rolex, which also approved its own certification, including resistance to magnetic fields, and Glashuette Original.
The largest German watch manufacturer presented in Basel a new generation Caliber 36 movement with silicon descent and a 100-hour power reserve, installed in the Senator Excellence chronometer. Each owner of this watch will receive a special certificate with the test results carried out according to the strict watch requirements of Glashütte.But the point is not only the pursuit of excellence and the application of new technologies. Perhaps most accurately, the question of why we love traditional mechanical watches so much was answered by Pierre Jacques, who headed De Bethune for five years, and for the first time in Basel who acted as managing director of the manufactory MCT.
Indeed, watchmaking is the only area that has passed through the centuries with virtually no change. And this is her strength, according to Mr. Jacques. Sometimes you want to suspend the inexorable running of time, to feel at least a little in the century before last. And for this, it is enough to hear the progress of the anchor regulator, look at the lunar calendar or start the repeater lever.
