Baselworld 2019
Basel world is the world’s largest trade show in the watch industry, its held since 1917. It takes place in Basel, Switzerland every year. It’s a show where manufacturers can introduce their new timepieces. Its purpose is to connect all the people interested in the same industry and develop business between them. At a Baselworld event, there are buyers, manufacturers, collectors, media, and influencers. It makes the industry feel more alive.
We are going to look at the show held in 2019. What they showcased and what brands were there. With this event, Baselworld felt a lot more focused than in the past. There were some surprises and vintage releases as well. However there were no new technical or design innovations sadly, but there were a lot of new watches to enjoy.
We are going to check out those watches that got the most attention on the event. Starting with the Patek. They are known for being one of the oldest manufacturers in the world, with a lot of experience behind them, and they do not disappoint.
Patek Philippe Weekly Calendar
It has a completely new self-winding mechanical movement with optimized performance, using the caliber 26-330 S C J SE. It displays the current week's number, in addition to the day and date. A power reserve of 35 hours at the minimum, and 50 jewels. This timepiece can be particularly useful for businessmen.
The watch can be recognized by the dial, it represents handwritten characters with blackened gold hour markers. The case was crafted from steel, with a sapphire crystal case back, and capable of a water resistance up to 30 meters.
It has a diameter of is 40mm with a height of 10.79 mm, so it’s not really for small wrists, but it’s not a big watch either. The strap is made out of calfskin, and it’s high-quality handstitched with a prong buckle.
At launch, the price was $29,500.
Rolex Datejust 36
Rolex is the most recognizable luxury watch brand. This timepiece is using a 3235, Manufacture Rolex self-winding mechanical movement that is capable of 70 hours of power reserve with a perpetual calendar. If you don’t know what a perpetual calendar is you can find the Dwiss blog about the topic here. This watch fits perfectly on smaller wrists as it has a 36mm Oyster case with white gold. It has a screw-down case back and a fluted bezel. The crystal used is a scratch-resistant sapphire, and has a cyclops lens over the date for better visibility. It's water resistant up to 100 meters. The bracelet used is the iconic Jubilee bracelet, five-piece links crafted with oyster steel.
At launch, the price was $8,200.
Seiko has a special place in the watchmaking industry. They have a position that nobody else does. That is because they create watches for everyone, no matter the budget. They have expensive, high-quality mechanical timepieces to quality quartz watches.
Seiko Prospex LX Spring Drive
It’s a collection that got its name “lux” after the Latin word “light”, and that is because it has an effect on the wearer that shines brilliance upon them. It’s available in different styles with different names. Land, Air, Sea.
It uses a Spring Drive movement with caliber 5R65. The power reserve is 72 hours and has 30 jewels. It has a power reserve indicator, stop second-hand function and a date display.
The case was crafted from Titanium and has a thickness of 15,7 mm as well as a diameter of 44,8 mm. It is quite a big watch that fits a bigger wrist size. It works with a unidirectional rotating bezel and has a screw case back. The crystal they used is sapphire and it has an anti-reflective coating. The Land and Air are water resistant up to 200 meters, and the Sea is water resistant up to 300 meters.
At launch, the price was $5,000 for the Land, $5,500 for the Air, and finally $6,000 for the Sea.
Zodiac is known for being a Swiss manufacturer for over a century. They make timepieces with precision and craftsmanship.
Zodiac Aerospace GMT
At this price, you get the same functionality as you would get from a more expensive GMT. Zodiac is all about funky, which is a breath of fresh air in the market. This watch was made for the Zodiac fans that were with them all along.
It’s using an Automatic winding ETA 2893-2 caliber. The power reserve is 42 hours and has 21 jewels.
The case was crafted from stainless steel and has a thickness of 13 mm as well as a diameter of 40 mm. So it has the same diameter as the Patek watch, but it’s thicker. It’s water resistant up to 10 meters. The dial is matte black and because of that the Zodiac logo perfectly stands out.
It is available in two colors. One of them being an orange and light blue combination. And the other one is black and dark blue.
At launch, the price was $3,900
Porsche is known for its powerful sports cars, especially the iconic 911. Porsche design makes high-end accessories like pens, sunglasses, and what we are about to look at, watches.
Porsche design Globetimer UTC
This watch makes the 1919 Globetimer UTC the next style-setting design icon from the Porsche design house. When Porsche is testing whether it be a car or a watch, the standard is not an option for them.
It uses Porsche's own automatic winding cailber WERK 04.110. It has a PD-Icon rotor, a power reserve of 38 hours, and 26 jewels. It’s water resistant to 100 meters.
The case was crafted from Titanium as well as the closed base case back. It has a threaded crown, a diameter of 42 mm, and a height of 14.90 mm.
The glass is made out of sapphire crystal and has a seven-fold anti-reflex coating on both sides. It’s also scratch resistant.
The strap is made out of titanium but can be swapped. It is available in two variations, one of them being gold colored, and the plain stainless steel.
At launch, the price was $6,450.
SWISS MADE TOURBILLON WRIST WATCH
Dimension : 45,0 mm diameter, 14,4 mm thickness | Movement: Swiss made Automatic Tourbillon movement, Caliber Concepto 8950, Number of jewels: 27, Frequency 4Hz – 28’800, Tourbillon at 6 o'clock, one revolution per minute, Power reserve: approximately 60h | Case: 316L Stainless Steel IP Black case with a 7-part multilayer structure | Dial: Black dial with “mystery” time display | Glass (crystal): Sapphire with anti-reflective coating | Strap: Genuine Italian leather, DWISS exclusive Stainless Steel buckle | Water resistant: 10 ATM - 100 meters
Price: 14,900 USD
Conclusion
Baselworld had a lot of surprises and there were great watches introduced at the event. There were a lot more watches that we didn’t get to mention in this blog, so it’s worth looking around. Hopefully, there will be more watches like the ones mentioned.
Which one was your favorite?
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