After partnering with Audemars Piguet for several years and after the release of two Royal Oak Offshore limited editions, the legendary Paris-Biarritz race Tour Auto Optic 2000 is now partnering with Zenith. They will finally come together on the starting line of the 24th Tour Auto. Zenith will be the official timekeeper of the competition, and three connoisseurs of mechanical beauty and speed will set off, along with their co-drivers, under its banner. On their wrists, the new Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tour Auto Edition, a sporty model specially designed for the event in a limited edition of 500 pieces. This new watch, crystallizes the spirit of its partnership with the Tour Auto. Haute Horlogerie and collector's cars are linked by fastidious expertise, as well as a desire for perfection and elegance. The new Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tour Auto Edition joins them forever by combining the revolutionary chronograph movements for which the Le Locle Manufacture has become famous, with a design whose finely nuanced colors and symbolic elements reveal a subtle automotive influence.
Posts filed under Baselworld
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Arnold & Son Royal TEC 1 Black Guilloché. Live Pictures and Pricing.
Yet, here's another amazing timepiece unveiled at Baselworld 2015 by Arnold & Son. Here's the turn for the new Royal TEC1 with a stunning black guilloché dial and a palladium case. The TEC1 wristwatch is at once both alluring and intriguing. It masterfully integrates three complexities never before combined by the brand in such an elegant rendition. A tourbillon, a column wheel chronograph and an automatic winding system deftly blend in a superb avant-garde yet classic timepiece. The TEC1 is part of the sophisticated Royal Collection, which is inspired by the timepieces created in the early part of John Arnold’s life for King George III and members of the royal court. The sophisticated TEC1 is a worthy example of Arnold & Son’s innovative spirit, technical prowess and artistic achievement. The challenge for Arnold & Son’s Research and Development team in creating this timepiece was the integration of a high-frequency tourbillon, a chronograph and an automatic winding system in a way that is elegant and technically advanced.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M 'James Bond' Spectre Limited Edition. Live Pictures and Pricing.
In anticipation of the release of the 24th James Bond film 'Spectre' scheduled to open later this year, Omega has created a limited edition Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M model inspired by the Bond family coat of arms. This new Omega just unveiled at Baselworld 2015 over a week ago. The dial, in the most interesting hue of midnight blue, features the coat of arms repeatedly interlocking to create a dynamic pattern on the watch’s blue dial. The coat of arms is also found near the tip of the yellow central seconds hand and a yellow minute track completes the amazing look of this new timepiece. Powered by the completely new Omega Master Co-Axial calibre 8507, this timepiece is resistant to magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss —however the brand played with the 007 number and added it to the gauss rating on the dial as 15,007
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon New Four Variants. Live Pictures and Pricing.
It was the adventures and the accomplishments of the Apollo 8 astronauts that inspired the all black, ceramic Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon, but it is the mystique of the Earth’s nightlight and its ever-changing yet constant presence that has spurred the creation of four new Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon timepieces that are now part of the collection. These four new variants are the Dark Side of the Moon Black Black, Dark Side of the Moon Sedna Black, Dark Side of the Moon Pitch Black and the Dark Side of the Moon Vintage Black —our favorite by the way. These four new timepieces just released at Baselworld 2015 share a case back design that hints at their common inspiration: the original Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon. The black ceramic case back ring of each of these models features matt chromium nitride marks as well as the name of this iconic collection: “Dark Side of the Moon”. Each of these black ceramic timepieces is powered by the Omega Co-Axial calibre 9300.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Patek Philippe Nautilus in 18K Rose Gold with Matching Bracelet ref. 5711/1R-001. Live Pictures and Pricing.
The Patek Philippe Nautilus is a watch that needs little introduction. Launched in 1976, quickly became a legendary and iconic watch just like every other watch designed by Gerald Genta. Perhaps Genta was gifted with the 'Midas Touch' or maybe he was just the biggest visionary the horological world has had so far. Either way, the Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5711 is now also available in 18K rose gold with matching integrated bracelet. Fitted with a stunning light/dark brown gradated dial with gold applied hour markers with luminescent coating, the new Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5711/1R-001 is simply a stunner. Still powered by the same calibre as the rest of the 5711s, the automatic calibre 324 S C, this new timepiece is definitely one of our favorite watches from Baselworld 2015.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Arnold & Son TBTE Tourbillon. Live Pictures and Pricing.
True to their English watchmaking heritage, Arnold & Son unveiled the TBTE Tourbillon at Baselworld 2015. This new exceptional timepiece featuring the hand-finished A&S8503 calibre with True Beat Seconds complication is a defining piece part of the Royal Collection which combines classic styling with leading-edge technology. The tourbillon movement, one of the most elegant complications in the world of horology, has played a crucial role in Arnold & Son’s history. An exceptional watchmaker, John Arnold was an active participant in one of the most extraordinary partnerships in the world of innovative horology. Indeed, both he and Abraham Louis Breguet worked closely, sharing both their knowledge and passion. Evidence of their partnership is Breguet’s first ever tourbillon mounted in John Arnold’s No. 11 movement, a watch that can be found today in London’s British Museum.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Arnold & Son DSTB. Live Pictures and Pricing.
This Baselworld 2015 was a big year for Arnold & Son with five novelties being presented. The Arnold & Son DSTB ref. 1ATAS.S02A.C121S in stainless steel, is part of the Instrument Collection and like every other model from Arnold & Son, features an in-house mechanical movement. The true beat seconds is a traditional complication of Arnold & Son, and this watch pays tribute to the watches produced by John Arnold during the second half of his career. Those technically superior, widely distributed chronometers reflected Arnold & Son’s commitment to exceptional precision and solved the problem of determining longitude at sea. Upholding that legacy, Arnold & Son’s master watchmakers thrive on creating complicated movements for exquisite timepieces. Such is the case with the DSTB watch, a truly innovative technical and architectural achievement. The newly developed automatic movement showcases the true beat seconds' mechanism entirely on the dial side.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Butterfly Journey. Live Pictures and Pricing.
For Baselworld 2015, Jaquet Droz presents The Butterfly Journey, an homage to beauty and nature in two series of eight timepieces. The fruit of the Atelier d'Art's unique expertise, twin sets of Petite Heure Minute models are dedicated to the elegance of the butterfly, that fragile, romantic creature embodying the beauty of time. An angel passes, drawn along by a butterfly, and time seems to hold its breath in a moment of pure poetry. This motif, discovered in an old book devoted to Jaquet Droz, has been depicted just once before, in the Age of Enlightenment, by one of the legendary automata created by Pierre Jaquet-Droz. In 2013, it was given pride of place on "The Loving Butterfly" a watch paying tribute to putti —sculptures of children used to decorate some of Italian architecture's most beautiful buildings as well as the cultural treasures of Renaissance and Baroque Europe.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph ref. 5905. Live Pictures and Pricing.
This year at Baselworld 2015, we saw the largest number of watches with blue dials. One of our favorite timepieces presented this year by Patek Philippe is the Annual Calendar Chronograph ref. 5905P-001 in platinum. This new watch available in two dial variations —blue or black— is a well balanced perfectly designed watch with a 42 mm case in 950 Platinum. Annual Calendars are one of our favorite complications as you get a lot of watch for your money. The Annual Calendar mechanism automatically takes into account the differing lengths of individual months. Unlike a perpetual calendar, however, the annual calendar is unable to factor in the differing length of the month of February or the leap years. Once a year, then, at the end of February, it requires manual correction. To make things even better, the new Patek Philippe ref. 5905P additionally features a convenient 60-minute chronograph at 6 o'clock —with built-in day/night indicator—, while the annual calendar information is displayed via three apertures between 10 and 2 o'clock.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Breguet Tradition Independent Chonograph ref. 7077. Live Pictures and Pricing.
For a manufacture like Breguet, literally everything is possible. Thus, this year at Baselworld 2015, we had the opportunity to work on this hands-on review of the new Breguet Tradition Chronographe Indépendant ref. 7077 —Independet Chronograph. This new chronograph is a true feat of horology and one of the most amazing complications. Measuring elapsed times provides immediate visualization of the desired function, but making it work is an additional mechanical challenge, because starting a chronograph disturbs the main gear trains. To alleviate this problem, Breguet has fitted its new Tradition Chronographe Indépendant ref. 7077 model with two independent trains. This new Independent Chronograph is fitted with a robust round case measuring 44 mm in diameter and available in either 18K rose gold or 18K white gold. All traditional characteristics of a Breguet timepiece are present including the case band fluting, the Breguet secret signatures and the handmade Guilloché.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Bell & Ross BR01-92 10th Anniversary Limited Edition. Live Pictures and Pricing.
This year at Baselworld 2015, our friends from Bell & Ross presented more than twenty novelties, amongst those, a new limited edition celebrating 10 years of the iconic BR01-92 square-shaped case Bell & Ross was presented. The new Bell & Ross BR01-92 10th Anniversary Limited Edition ref. BR0192-10TH-CE pays homage to the watch that became the Bell & Ross signature watch since its launch in 2005. Fitted with a matte black ceramic case and in a limited edition of 500 pieces, this new watch is a perfect execution to celebrate such milestone. Equipped with a matte black dial with the traditional B&R layout and a small 10th anniversary medallion at 6 o'clock, the watch exudes coolness and aviation.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Chamber of Wonders Special Edition —Le Chambre des Merveilles. Live Pictures and Pricing.
The new Girard-Perregaux 1966 Chamber of Wonders Special Edition —Le Chambre des Merveilles— renews and transcends the tradition of the famous Cabinets of Curiosities, the forerunners to museums which emerged in renaissance Europe in the Chamber of Wonders collection. Through the honorary name, Chamber of Wonders, the brand opens a doorway into a place brimming over with amazing treasures: discoveries, secrets, fabulous stories, natural assortments and curiosities of all forms. Thanks to the talents of artisans of miniatures, who craft fine detail over a background of extraordinary materials, this Chambers of Wonders collection offers three meticulously immortalized cartographic parentheses of time in the limited space of a watch dial. As brief illustrations of the history of geographical knowledge, maps of the past are, for the civilizations that produced them, both imaginative references and incomplete scientific conceptions.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Small Seconds 70th Anniversary Limited Edition. Live Pictures and Pricing.
Here we bring you the second limited edition released by Girard-Perregaux at Baselworld 2015 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Vintage 1945 collection. The new Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Small Seconds 70th Limited Edition watch ref. 25880-56-111-BBBA is fitted with a two-toned pink gold and stainless steel case measuring 36.20 mm in length and 35.25 mm in width. The applied numerals on its dial and hands are a throwback to the 1945 model, echoing the brand's tradition. This new Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Small Second 70th Anniversary limited edition is a reissue of the original 1945 watch with its combination of metals so characteristic of the Art Deco movement. Its elegant rectangular case with generous dimensions is faithful to the identity codes of the collection.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges 70th Anniversary. Live Pictures and Pricing.
This year at Baselworld 2015, the Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 timepiece celebrates its 70th anniversary with two limited series paying tribute to the original model and the great watchmaking tradition of the bicentenary Manufacture. One of these two limited editions is the new Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges 70th Anniversary. Like the original Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges, the Vintage 1945 collection is rooted in the rich history of Girard-Perregaux. It started back in 1945, when a watch design was inspired by the Art Deco movement. Today, that watch is called the Vintage 1945, and it is an art deco inspired timepiece of which multiple iterations —references— exist and that we have reviewed here and here. The Art Deco movement profoundly made its mark on architecture, interior design, fashion, painting and photography.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Christophe Claret Allegro. Live Pictures and Pricing.
Following Adagio and Soprano, Christophe Claret presents his latest musical masterpiece, Allegro. A master watchmaker with 25 years of experience, Christophe Claret has combined the finest horological complications in Allegro: a minute repeater with cathedral gongs, GMT, big date, small seconds and a day/night indicator. These features are all found in a completely redesigned movement featuring a unique regulator that was designed and manufactured in-house. The 45 mm round case harmoniously blends either 5N red gold or 5N white gold with grade 5 titanium treated with anthracite PVD. An opening in the sapphire dial reveals the striking mechanism. The transparent dial allows the wearer to marvel at the movement’s architecture, featuring Charles X style skeletonized, stepped bridges. With this new timepiece, the conductor of this musical horological orchestra from Le Locle proves he is at the zenith of his art.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Glashütte Original Senator Observer with Black Superluminova Dial. Live Pictures and Pricing.
Last week at Baselworld 2015, Glashütte Original presented a new version of its Senator Observer with a new dial featuring bright superluminova and in-house automatic calibre 100-14. The new Glashütte Original Senator Observer features a matte black grainy dial with white accents and Arabic numerals. Running seconds at 9 and power reserve indicator at 3 and large double date aperture at 6 o'clock. Although traditional observation watches were typically fitted with manual wound movements, the Senator Observer is powered by a self-winding movement. This new dial on the Glashütte Original Senator Observer is well balanced and a perfectly example of Saxonian watchmaking. The superluminova on this new dial is bright and long lasting. Fitted with a stainless steel case measuring 44 mm in diameter and 12 mm in thickness, the watch is classic and modern at the same time.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the MB&F Melchior L'Epée 1839 Table Clock. Live Pictures and Pricing.
Last year at Baselworld 2014, MB&F surprised everyone with its Starfleet Machine table clock in partnership with legendary clock maker L'Epée 1839 as we featured it here. This year at Baselworld 2015, in order to commemorate their 10th anniversary, Max Büsser and friends —MB&F— presented a new super cool table clock that looks like a robot out of a sci-fi scene named Melchior. Additionally, the Geneva-based Horological lab will present a number of Anniversary Pieces during the year, under the theme: ”A creative adult is a child who survived”.
Melchior, created with L’Epée 1839 is an impressive kinetic robot which may remind you of your childhood dreams, but also happens to be an impeccably finished, 480-component mechanical table clock with five barrels and a steel and brass armour. Fitted with articulated arms —the right one packing a rocket launcher and the left a Gatling gun that serves as the clock key winder—, jumping hours, sweeping minutes, double retrograde seconds and a 40-day power reserve this clock is a true tribute to refined, classic clock and watchmaking.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower. Live Pictures, Video and Pricing.
This year at Baselworld 2015, just like every other year, the brand wowed everyone with several watches featuring automatons. As you all know, Jaquet Droz's history was marked by his creation of automatons in the 18th century. In 1774, he successfully completed three humanoid automatons —The Writer, The Draughtsman and The Musician— that were presented in La Chaux-de-Fonds and a year later in France to Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. This year, we were surprised with three amazing timepieces —fitted with automatons— from Jaquet Droz and here's one of them, we are talking about the new Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower.
This remarkable timepiece featuring Jaquet Droz's iconic figure-eight shaped case, is available in 18K white gold —8 pieces— or 18K red gold —28 pieces. The 18K white gold reference we have here, comes with a snow-set diamond dial totaling 0.65 carats, an 18K white gold butterfly applique with 54 blue sapphires totaling 0.87 carats and a surprising automaton underneath the domed glass on the top part of the figure-eight with a flower that opens and closes on demand.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Armin Strom Manual Gumball 3000 Limited Edition. Live Pictures and Pricing.
Each year for 17 consecutive years, supercars, superstars and superfans across the globe unite for the Gumball 3000 annual supercar rally which sees 120 incredible cars drive a 3000 mile route around the world. After this year’s event, which travels from Stockholm to Las Vegas in just seven days, Gumball 3000 entrants can reclaim "Gumball fever" by owning a 2015 Gumball 3000 commemorative wristwatch by Armin Strom. The Armin Strom Manual Gumball 3000 ref. ST15-GB.90 in stainless steel black PVD is fitted with a case measuring 43.4 mm in diameter and a thickness of 13 mm. This new watch just released at Baselworld 2015 features a black, white and red theme to celebrate the logo of the Gumball 3000 rally. Fitted with a black leather strap with red contrast stitching, red lining and a stainless steel black PVD pin buckle, the watch is not only cool but quite sexy. This watch was perfectly made to celebrate at the Gumball 3000 finish line in Las Vegas on May 29th, 2015.
Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Tudor Fastrider Chrono. Live Pictures and Pricing.
Continuing with its partnership with motorcycle maker Ducati, Tudor released last week at Baselworld 2015, three new Fastrider Chronographs ref. 42010N matching the colors of the iconic Ducati Scrambler motorcycles. Now available with dials in yellow, olive green and red, the new Tudor Fastrider Chrono is now fitted with a satin brushed finished stainless steel case —instead of a matte black ceramic case as on the Fastrider Black Shield launched in 2013— with matte black ceramic bezel, stainless steel case back and a gorgeous leather strap or rubber strap with folding clasp with flip-lock with Tudor shield. The size of the case remains at 42 mm and the watch is still fitted with screw-down crown and chrono pushers that are black PVD treated. The date still needs to be set via the shield-shaped corrector located on the case band at 9 o'clock —something we aesthetically like on the watch but we find annoying from a functionality standpoint.
