Basel world is the worlds largest and most important watch show – I even heard an exhibitor complain that their show in Hong Kong had run very slow as it was too close to Basel and everyone was waiting for the big news in Basel!
This is the first time I have ever been and I was in absolute awe at how wonderfully ostentatious the whole show was – much more like entering into a city of exclusive watch and jewellery shops – many of which were two stories high – than going into your regular exhibition! It took me 15 minutes to find the exit once deciding I wanted to leave – could be partially due to lack of navigation skills but also an indication of how massive Baselworld actually is!
Very curious at the turn the watch industry may have taken due to all the hype about the new Apple Watch and smart watches in general, I was pleasantly surprised to realise how the watch industry by in large is reacting, not letting themselves be derailed and continuing to concentrate on their core competencies.
The Fabulous Five:
I love the clean lines of the 1681 watch and if you are thinking of buying your first ever luxury watch this is at least one of the more affordable ones – definite value for money! In Basel they were however strongly promoting their new Terrascope 39mm – made just that much smaller than their original watches to make them comfortable for any woman’s wrist whilst still not being too small.
JEANRICHARD is one of the few true Swiss watch makers now universally considered to be the “founder of the watchmaking industry in the canton of Neuchâtel”. They are part of the Girard Perregaux group and welcome site visits to their factory – something I definitely intend on doing!
2) Jacob and Co Ghost collection
I just love this concept of having five timezones on your watch at once – no need to ever adjust your watch regardless of where you travel to – fabulous!
Another great feature of the watch is its ability for the LED numbers and names of the five time zones to change color from green to blue to yellow to red. The color of preference shall remain by a simple push of a button. Not surprising really that this watch has been spotted on many celebreties Madonna, Mila Jovovich, Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Hally Berry, Brad Pitt and Geena Davis – just to name a few!!!
3) Visconti
An Italian brand originating near Florence. Apart from the fact that I love the look of this watch, what impressed me most is the fact that they are such a new watchmaker – originally dealing in elegant writing instruments – they have only been making watches for 18 months and are already creating such a presence!
Tested on the Track: The personal passion for speed of Visconti’s founder, who is an amateur pilot himself, contributed to the design of the Chrono Collection, and the company is in the process of negotiating entering its own world-class team in the Superbike World Championship.
4) Fendi
Fend’s new limited edition – to be honest it simply struck me because of how impractical yet cute they look. Limited to 50 pieces, this has a diamond clad case and removable fur collar. The dial is also paved with diamonds!
LOVE this watch – there you have it – all the elegance of your traditional watch with the added benefit of the smart feature! It’s going to be available in June 2015 – just in time for my Birthday;-) The smart bit of the watch is actually attached to the band and can be purchased separately for approximately $300 so you can actually attach it to any other watch you already own. Personally I love it together with the Mont Blanc watch but at least they offer you the option!
