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Away from the Fairways | TEE TIME
POWERHOUSE OF TIMEKEEPERS SWISS WATCHMAKERS PRESENT THEIR LATEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE NEWLY REDESIGNED BASELWORLD HALLS, REPORTS EVAN RAST CONTINUED OVERLEAF
The all-new Rolex Yachtmaster II HKGOLFER.COM
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O Clockwise from bottom: the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, a much-talked about watch; the Heritage Chrono Blue from Tudor; the vintage-inspired Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph
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nce again, the world’s leading watchmakers convened in Basel last month to share their latest innovation to an expectant audience. Highly complicated and jewelled pieces ruled the halls, as brands presented their unique take on tourbillons, repeaters, striking mechanisms, automatons, perpetual calendars and multifunction chronographs. Historical models continued their dominance in terms of design, with a lot of attractive options available in various price-points. The brands were re-organised via a US$455million refurbishment of the halls, designed by the same architects as the iconic Bird’s Nest in Beijing, Herzog and de Meuron. The redesign gave way to a more modern ambience and facilities, and while there were fewer exhibitors because of the smaller space – 1,460 compared to 1,815 last year – the organisers proclaimed it a move toward “quality, not quantity.” Hall 1 is now for global brands, Hall 2 international brands, Hall 3 for jewellery and Hall 4 for the machine and supply industry. For this feature we zero in on Hall 1, were most of the watch brands were located, and the vast majority of stands had new designs.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Like the last couple of years, historical pieces were as significant part of many brands’ offerings. One of the most talked about, even before the watch fair began was Rolex’s Cosmograph Daytona, designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the model made famous by actor and motor racing enthusiast Paul Newman. As always, many aficionados were expecting Rolex to present a special piece to commemorate the milestone, but didn’t know what it was going to look like. The first Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona came in steel with a manually wound chronograph movement. It was created in 1963 and named after the famous racetrack, and Newman famously wore one when he took up auto racing in the 1970s. His watches are what collectors now refer to as the ‘Paul Newman dial’, with block indices and crosshairs on the subdials. The new commemorative Cosmograph Daytona comes in a 40mm platinum case, with an ‘ice-blue’ dial and a chestnut brown bezel. The colour scheme and the materials are both firsts in the collection. The tachymeter bezel comes in Rolex’s Cerachrom, and the movement is the selfwinding chronograph calibre 4130. Tudor continues on its successful path in reviving old models with the Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue following the black and grey chronographs of 2010. Inspired by the Monte Carlo reference 7169, it comes in a brilliant blue and orange, with applied hour markers that resemble the painted tritium ones of the 1970s. The hands are filled with superluminova, The brands were and the dial features two subre-organised dials, one for small seconds, via a US$455 and the other a 45-minute counter. The bi-directional million upgrade rotating bezel comes in blue to the Basel halls, aluminium, while the rest designed by Herzog of the watch is in stainless steel. The case, at 42mm, is and de Meuron water-resistant to 150 metres. Powered by an automatic movement, the watch comes with a multicolour fabric strap or a stainless steel bracelet. Jack Heuer, Tag Heuer’s honorary chairman, has announced his retirement at the end of the year, and to mark the occasion, he designed a new watch under the Carrera series, inspired by a vintage Heuer stopwatch and the brand’s Mikrogirder Chronograph. The 45mm Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph is fitted with the in-house 1887 movement (named after the year Edouard Heuer, HKGOLFER.COM
the company’s founder and Jack’s great grandfather, invented his famous “oscillating pinion”). The crowns and push buttons have been designed on the top of the watch because Jack is left-handed. The Carrera Chronograph features Heuer’s signature and the family crest on the caseback. Blancpain celebrates the 60th anniversary of its iconic Fifty Fathoms by presenting the Bathyscape, a slimmer model that belonged to the historical Fifty Fathoms family in the 1950s. The watch comes in a stainless steel or titanium case (43mm) with a grey or black dial and a choice of NATO or two-piece sailcloth strap. While the design is vintage the construction is definitely modern, with a sapphire crystal caseback, a ceramic bezel and a Liquidmetal scale. The watch is powered by Blancpain’s automatic 1315 calibre.
ACTION-PACKED TIME With a continued focus on living better and healthier, sports watches with multiple functions are as popular as ever. HKGOLFER.COM
Breitling’s Emergency II is a watch with a wristtype dual frequency Personal Locator Beacon (PBL) that emits a signal to help the wearer be found and rescued. The watch can be worn every day, but targets aviation and navigation personnel, mountain climbers, hikers and explorers. Originally introduced in the 1990s, the watch was the first of its kind to emit a signal using a 121.5 MHz analogue frequency. The feature can save your life, like it did an Alaskan man who was rescued from potential disaster because he activated his Breitling beacon. The latest version has a dual frequency transmitter that alternately operates in two separate frequencies, 121.5 MHz, and 406MH, and a 52mm titanium case with a black, orange or yellow dial. The Emergency II has rechargeable battery and its own charger. While not formally exhibiting in Basel, the English brothers that make up Bremont, Nick and Giles, presented their novelties via an evening reception. The latest addition to its CONTINUED ON PAGE 86 HK GOLFER・JUN 2013
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Omega’s Speedmaster Moonwatch, ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ gets its name from its black U-2 collection, which was launched in 2010, is zirconium oxide ceramic dial and black ceramic the U-2 Chronometer, U-2/BL, which unlike its 44.25mm case. The dial features applied indices predecessors, has a see-through caseback. The and hands in 18k white gold, and two blackened watch is an evolution of the brand’s MBI and MBII counters, one for hours and minutes and the watches, originally designed for pilots of U-2 spy other for subseconds. The date is displayed on a planes and drawing inspiration from Martin-Baker window at 6 o’clock. fighter jet ejection seats. The timepiece has been present on all six Developed to withstand extreme conditions, NASA lunar missions since its launch in 1957. In the new version comes with a blue dial 2011, Omega revamped and barrels, and has been stress tested the watch with a new to meet the requirements of U-2 crews, co-axial movement and There were an taking the watches up to 100,000 feet, design, now astounding number bicompax and in -50 degrees temperatures. both present in the Dark Originally launched in 2007, Rolex’s of black dialled Side of the Moon. The Yachtmaster II is now available for the model is fitted with the timepieces on show first time in 904L steel. The Cerachrom in-house automatic at Baselworld, bezel insert comes in blue. Inside the chronograph Calibre 44mm Oyster case is the calibre 4161, each one more 9300, visible through the an automatic mechanical regatta sapphire crystal caseback. interesting than chronograph whose countdown can The bezel, made from the next be programmed from 1 to 10 minutes, polished black ceramic, and a mechanical memory that resets has the Speedmaster’s with the countdown duration last used. signature tachymeter scale, inscribed in matte chromium nitride. The watch is water-resistant to 50 metres, has a 50-hour power reserve and has an anti-magnetic function. Arnold & Son presented the HM Perpetual There were an astounding number of black Moon, a watch with a black guilloche dial dialled timepieces on show at Baselworld, each highlighting a moonphase indicator with an one more interesting than the next. 11.2mm three-dimensional sculpted moon, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
Clockwise from top: the Blancpain Bathyscape; Breitling’s Emergency II; the new U-2/BL from Bremont; Omega’s Speedmaster Moonwatch; the GMT Master II from Rolex; Arnold & Son presented the HM Perpetual Moon 86
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initially hand-engraved then copied for the series. An addition to its Royal Collection, the timepiece is inspired by the early part of John Arnold’s life and the watches he produced for court of King George III. The 42mm ‘Modern’ model comes in stainless steel, while the ‘Elegant’ model comes in 18k red gold with a blue guilloche dial and moon disk with golden stars. The ‘Classic’ model comes in 18k red gold with a cream-coloured dial and blue guilloche moon disk. The watches are powered by the in-house Calibre A&S 1512, a handwound moonphase with only a day’s deviation in every 122 years. One push on the corrector sets it again for another 122 years. A sports watch with a black lacquer dial, Rolex’s GMT Master II Reference 116710BLNR has a twotone bezel that for the first time comes in blue and black. While we’ve seen many versions of the GMT Master II before, this one is special because of its patented Cerachrom bezel, the special process required to create the two-toned ceramic. The bezel comes in one piece, and starts completely blue, and while still porous the black colour is added. The numerals are made of a thin layer of platinum, and the bezel itself is diamond polished. The watch comes in a 40mm stainless steel case, with appliques and hands in 18k white gold.
GENTLEMAN’S ARMOURY If there were a fashion runway in the halls of Baselworld, these stylish watches would be the first ones to be featured.
BLACK IS BACK
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Clockwise from top: the latest in the new line of Calatrava watches from Patek Philippe; Breguet’s La Musicale; the latest in a long line of the Day-Date from Rolex; Jaquet Droz’s The Charming Bird; the Brighella from Bulgari’s Commedia dell’ Arte series
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Patek Phlippe presented a new range of Calatrava watches featuring an invisible hinge on its dust cover. The classic timepiece with reference 5227 features a small cover that shields the see-through caseback, but with a hinge that makes it invisible. The dust cover is opened via a small lip. The 39mm timepiece is fitted with the self-winding calibre 324SC, and is available in 18k yellow, white or rose gold, with matching hour markers and hands. Hand-stitched alligator straps come in chocolate brown, black and dark brown. Breguet’s La Musicale comes in a 48mm 18k white gold case, with a rotating platinumcoated dial beautifully hand-engraved with rose detail. The watch, fitted with the self-winding movement incorporating an escapement as well as a balance spring both made in silicon, plays a crystal toned version of “The Thieving Magpie” overture by Rossini, either on demand or at a desired time. The patented mechanism has a disc carrying the pins instead of the traditional music box cylinder and alternately acts on the 15 metal teeth of the comb. A metallic glass membrane, engine–turned by hand, placed beneath the movement and serving to amplify the frequencies required to emit the tune, sets the finishing touch. The back of the watch’s case, protected with Liquidmetal, is drilled with several openings designed to ensure optimal
sound transmission. The model is also fitted with magnets isolated within a cage to eliminate background noise. Rolex presents six colourful versions to the Day-Date range, across three different gold cases, and with matching leather straps. The cases come in 18k yellow, white or Everose gold, with green or cognac matched with yellow gold, blue or cherry with white gold and chocolate or rhodium for the Everose models. The watches come at 36mm and are powered with the automatic calibre 3155 with instantaneous day and date displays.
SPECIAL DELIVERY With sales of higher priced watches growing at a faster pace than less expensive ones, companies are focusing on extraordinar y functions and aesthetic. Pierre Jaquet Droz always used birds in his timepieces, whether purely decorative or as automatons. This year, Jaquet Droz celebrates its 275th anniversary with its limited edition, The Charming Bird, a watch with a miniature automaton bird in a bubble of sapphire crystal. A mechanical function creates the bird song in an open movement architecture that makes the mechanism visible from within. The timepiece
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comes in a 47mm white gold case featuring black, charcoal-grey and transparent elements. The watch is a follow-up to last year’s equally impressive Bird Repeater, also with an automaton and a minute repeater complication, the fourth instalment to the brand’s watchmaking saga that began in 2010. Bulgari’s Commedia dell’ Arte series depicts scenes from a classic Italian painting from the 16th century, showing masked actors in a palace performing in a play, with musical instruments. The three most famous characters of this tradition, Brighella, Pucella and Harlequin are the focal points of each watch. The dials and scenes are fully painted and embossed by hand, and when the minute repeater is activated, the figures come alive against the backdrop. The watch, fitted with the BVL 618 calibre, features a cathedral gong minute repeater with two hammers. The gongs are unique in that they are longer than standard, which generates a deeper sound. The mechanism is housed in a case crafted from 18k white gold and Magsonic, a special alloy that optimizes the resonance of the piece. The minute repeater slide piece is located at 10 o’clock. The time is shown via a retrograde minute display and a jumping hour window at 6 o’clock. The Commedia dell’Arte series is a numbered limited edition consisting of just eight pieces each.
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