Baselworld: Sunday, March 30, 2014
It is impossible to report all the new introductions at Baselworld while it’s happening. There are hundreds of new introductions from the world’s watch brands during the week-long event, which ends on Thursday. We can only offer you a glimpse while we’re here, by showing some of the highlights this week, including the five that follow. In the coming weeks, however, we will bring you in-depth coverage of everything we saw and more from Baselworld 2014. Stay tuned, and in the meantime check out these highlights!
The Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Skull (pictured above) features a crossbones motif bridge and a skull bridge over the tourbillon carriage at 6 o’clock, both created by 3D machining. The case is ceramic coated aluminum and therefore extremely lightweight yet hard. The Roman numerals are a first for Hublot. The watch is a limited edition of 50 pieces.
Ulysse Nardin Imperial Blue, a flying tourbillon with Grand Sonnerie Westminster Carillon, with a safety system that stops the sounding of the passing hours while the time is being corrected. It has twin barrels and the barrel bridge, covering both, is made out of blue sapphire crystal.
Bell & Ross BR 03-94 Carbon Orange, inspired by airplane cockpit instrumentation where orange is a color reserved for essential information. The movement is a self-winding ETA Caliber 2894 in a black PVD steel case. The strap is orange canvas. Functions include hours, minutes, seconds, date and a two-counter chronograph.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT Master II, is the long awaited red and blue combination of colored bezel, known as the “Pepsi” among watch aficionados. The new model captures the color code and the aesthetic of the original 1955 version of the famous model, but with a Cerachrome bezel for the first time. It is a particular color combination that is extremely difficult to do in ceramic, particularly with a seamless break between red and blue halves.
Breitling Chronomat Airborne, with a tri-compax dial, luminescent markers and 500 meter water resistance. It celebrates 30 years since the introduction of the first Chronomat, and features military style strap that is woven black fabric on the outside and red leather on the inside. It contains the in-house Caliber 01 automatic.
