Haute Time’s Favorite Baselworld Watches: Part II
After Part I of Haute Time’s Favorite Baselworld Watches, there are still a few new watches that we would like to highlight, as they made strong entries to our wishlists, and perhaps those of yours as well.
Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740
At Baselworld Patek Philippe introduced the most complicated Nautilus to date, which features a perpetual calendar. It is fitted with Caliber 240 Q, which has powered some of the most iconic perpetual calendars of the brand. For this Nautilus Patek Philippe combines it with a white gold case and bracelet and a beautiful blue sunburst dial. The result is an instant grail watch, and despite the very strong line-up this year by Patek Philippe, we have to vote this one as our favourite!
Blancpain Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Rétrograde
Blancpain most certainly surprised with a complicated watch that got the beautiful name: Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Rétrograde. The name already gives away what makes this watch so special, as next to a flying tourbillon, it features a jump hour display, along with a retrograde minute index. All these complications are brought together on a dial of Grand Feu enamel, making this great watch, even more special!
Zenith Defy Zero G
With the Defy Zero G Zenith had redesigned the gyroscopic module we knew already of the Academy Christophe Colomb with great success. It can now fit in a regular watch case, without the need for the domes in the sapphire. The result is a very technical looking, contemporary watch that fits right in with the Defy El Primero 21 and the Defy LAB. Its manual-wind El Primero 8812S calibre, which oscillates at 5 Hz, consists out of no less than 324 parts, of which 139 are dedicated to the gyroscopic carriage. The result is a watch that is nothing short of mesmerizing!
Breguet Marine Alarme Musicale 5547
Breguet expanded their Marine collection with three new models. While they are all impressive, we were especially taken by the Marine Alarme Musicale 5547. It comes in a titanium case with sunburst slate grey dial, in 18-carat white gold with a blue dial, or like the one here in 18-carat rose gold with silvered dial. Fitted with caliber 519F/1, it combines a second time-zone with an alarm function. As this is a Breguet, the striking mechanism is rather sophisticated and sounds like a ship’s bell, making it all the more appropriate for this watch.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon
Yes, Bulgari set another world record with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic, and while a very impressive watch, it was the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon that stole our heart. While this is indeed the thinnest minute repeater you can get, with an overall height of only 6.85mm, it now features a case, bracelet, and even dial made from carbon. The result is a watch that sounds amazing, looks amazing and weights next to nothing.
