Greg Simonian Presents the Best of Basel in Haute Living Los Angeles
Westime President Greg Simonian recaps his favorite timepieces from Basel 2012 in the May/June issue of Haute Living Los Angeles.
“I take the time to see hundreds of new watches at the Basel show—from my favorite companies that have been perfecting their craft for centuries, to passionate individual watchmakers who are taking timepieces in exciting new directions,” Simonian said.
With that, the luxury watch connoisseur embarked on a five-point journey through his favorite releases this year.
Here’s a sneak peak:
Bulgari’s Daniel Roth Carillon Tourbillon
“In terms of level of difficulty, making a watch with a chiming function—one that is actually music to the ears—is a ten. Bulgari not only created an original three-hammer minute repeater from scratch; it upped the difficulty level by adding a tourbillon complication to this new watch.”
Giuliano Mazzuoli’s Manometrino
“The Manometrino is proportional to its big brother, but with a diameter of just 27 mm it is a refreshing surprise in a sea of massive sports watches. The Swiss quartz-powered watch is available with a case of polished steel or PVD-treated steel. Hours, minutes and seconds are displayed on a black, ivory or ardoise-colored dial.”
Glashutte Original’s Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon
“Glashutte Original’s master watchmaker invented the Flying Minute Tourbillon in 1920, and this year the company introduces another world’s first among mechanical watches: the Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon. This unusual 48-mm platinum world timer is capable of tracking the time of day or night at the owner’s home and on the road simultaneously, in any two of 37 world time zones (including those odd 30-minute and 45-minute zones), while accounting for daylight savings time.”
Hublot’s Big Bang Ferrari Magic Gold
“The 45.5-mm watch is made 18K scratch-resistant gold, which Hublot developed in-house and named Magic Gold. On the dial, the minute counter recalls a Ferrari dashboard, while a date window displays the brand’s famous “Modena” yellow. Ferrari’s prancing horse logo sits discreetly at the 9 o’clock position, and a view of the modified UNICO movement reveals a new positioning reminiscent of Ferrari’s alloy wheel rims.”
HYT’s H1
“Traditionally the enemy of all watchmakers, fluid takes pride of place inside HYT’s H1, and follows a course around the outside of the dial to indicate the passage of time. By combining haute horlogerie with fluid mechanics, HYT may have created the watch world’s first hybrid design.”
Stay tuned for the release of Haute Living Los Angeles for the full story.
Like Haute Time? Join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @hautetime.
