The latest Swiss watchmaking creations presented at 2018 Baselworld, the biggest watch & jewelry fair. Part I

Baselworld 2018 opening ceremony

Baselworld 2018 opening ceremony; photograph: baselworld.com

Baselworld 2018 has opened its doors, find here the latest creations that the Swiss Exhibitors present from March 22 to 27 at Baselworld in Switzerland.

PATEK PHILIPPE Chronograph Ref. 7150-250R

PATEK PHILIPPE Chronograph Ref. 7150-250R; photo: Patek Philippe

PATEK PHILIPPE Chronograph Ref. 7150/250R

For 2018, the luxury Geneva manufacture unveils a new addition to its collection, the 7150/250R chronograph. Its once cushion-shaped case has been redesigned and is now round, in 18-carat rose gold, graced with 72 diamonds set into the bezel. The silvered opaline dial subtly evokes a vintage spirit that is understated and timeless. At once contemporary and classic, this timepiece features hours, minutes, 30-minute counters, small seconds and chronograph functions, all powered by the CH 29-535 PS caliber, a hand-wound mechanical movement. In homage to the tradition of classic chronographs, Patek Philippe has endowed its timepiece with a pulsometric scale that can measure the rhythms of an active life or the beating of the wearer’s heart.

BVLGARI LVCEA TUBOGAS

Bvlgari Lvcea Tubogas watch; photo: bulgari

Bvlgari Lvcea Tubogas watch with Two-tone steel and 18k rose gold tubogas bracelet

Bvlgari Tubogas bracelet is combined for the first time this year with the case of the Lucea, Bulgari’s most modern ladies’ watch. The name Lucea comes from luce, Italian for “light,” and celebrates the essence of the sundial, with its light-reflecting mother-of-pearl and diamond dials. Lucea Tubogas watches come in a two-tone combination of gold and steel.

Zenith PILOT TYPE 20 EXTRA SPECIAL 40 MM

Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special 40mm watch; photo: Zenith

Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special 40mm watch

Zenith’s distinctive Pilot Type 20 watch, with its distinctive broad fluted crown now has an extra glow with a bronze case. The dial’s signature oversized luminescent numerals and cathedral-style hands stand out against a background of either black or a matt blue. The aeronautically inspired font is composed of white Super-LumiNova blocks. The caseback reinforces the pilot’s theme with an engraving of the plane flown by Louis Blériot when he crossed the English Channel in 1909, wearing a Zenith, as well as the Zenith flight instruments logo and a motif inspired by the fuselage of Blériot’s aircraft. At the heart of this 40 mm watch is the Zenith automatic Elite 679 calibre with a 50-hour power reserve, protected inside a robust case that is water resistant to 100 metres.

LONGINES Record watch

Longines Record watch collection; photo: longines

Longines Record watch collection

A variety of dials, including diamond options, and a choice of several straps complete the expanded selection. Longines is dressing up the Record collection this year by adding 18k rose gold and two-tone steel and 18K rose gold versions. Previously, this line was only available in stainless steel.

The traditional elegance of the Record is combined with a modern, elite movement that is COSC-certified as a chronometer. The automatic calibre features a silicon balance spring, a lightweight material that is corrosion- resistant, anti-magnetic and unaffected by normal temperature variations and atmospheric pressure. Bestowed with a high degree of added value, these certified “chronometers” now join the ranks of truly exceptional timepieces.

FREDERIQUE CONSTANT HYBRID MANUFACTURE

Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture; photo: Frederique Constant

Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture

Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture combines Swiss-made fine mechanical watchmaking with smartwatch functionality in a single watch. The movement is manufactured and the electronic parts are also in-house developed, produced and assembled. Functions include hours, minutes, seconds and date, as well as smartwatch functions, including activity tracking, sleep monitoring, battery life indicator, worldtimer and dynamic coach. In order to overcome the negative magnetic effects between the two technologies integrated into one case, Frederique Constant developed and patented a unique anti-magnetic shield case within the case.

Chopard Mille Miglia 2018 Race Edition timepiece

Chopard Mille Miglia 2018 Race Edition timepiece; photo: chopard

Chopard Mille Miglia 2018 Race Edition timepiece

This year CHOPARD celebrates the 30th anniversary of its sponsorship of the Mille Miglia race between Brescia and Rome.

There will be 1,000 Chopard Mille Miglia 2018 Race Edition pieces in steel – marking the 1,000 miles of the race – and 100 pieces in 18k gold and steel, each with an inscription on the caseback: “Chopard & Mille Miglia 30 anni di passione.” The unique watch is designed as a tribute to classic automobiles, with a dashboard-inspired dial, a notched crown resembling a gas-tank cap, and chronograph pushers shaped like engine pistons. The strap is perforated in the style of driving gloves.

CARL F. BUCHERER MANERO TOURBILLON DOUBLE PERIPHERAL

Carl F. Bucherer Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral watch

The new movement, created entirely in-house, with a patent for the peripheral winding mechanism and a pending patent for the tourbillon, combines a peripheral rotor with a peripherally mounted tourbillon mechanism that seems to float freely.

Albert Riele Concerto 142GA04-SP66I-LT watch

Albert Riele Concerto 142GA04-SP66I-LT watch; photo: Albert Riele

Albert Riele Concerto 142GA04-SP66I-LT watch

Albert Riele contains a Swiss-made automatic movement made by Sellita, part of which can be seen through an opening on the dial. The case is made of robust 316L stainless steel with rose PVD coating, and the radiant blue dial is topped by an anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The hands are coated with superluminescent inlay and the seconds hand is red, all for greater legibility. The Concerto is water resistant to 50 metres (5 bar/165ft).

FAVRE-LEUBA RAIDER BATHY 120 MEMODEPTH

Favre-Leuba Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth watch; photo: Favre-Leuba

Favre-Leuba Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth watch

Favre-Leuba creates timepieces with the goal of conquering the extremes of nature – to scale the world’s highest peaks and dive to the ocean’s depths. Favre-Leuba’s Bathy, when it was introduced in 1968, was one of the first wristwatch with a membrane and a central hand that made it possible to measure depth more accurately. The Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Bathy, with a modernized depth gauge. A special membrane integrated into the caseback allows water to enter a chamber that measures pressure to calculate depth up to 120 metres – twice the depth measured by the original Bathy.

Alpina AlpineRX

Alpina AlpineRX watch; photo: alpina

Alpina AlpineRX watch

This outdoors smartwatch uses advanced measurement functions benefiting from environmental sensors, including UV, temperature, altitude, pressure and direction. The functions are measured in real time and displayed digitally, along with time, date, activity, chronograph and multiple timekeeping functions, as well as other smartwatch functions. Conceived and designed in Alpina’s manufacture in Geneva, the AlpinerX will be launched on Kickstarter, announced the watch manufacture.

Baselworld 2018 -GUCCI G-FRAME watch-version 2

GUCCI G-FRAME watch; photo: gucci watches

GUCCI G-FRAME watch

Declined in two different finishes, the cases of GUCCI G-FRAME watches are enhanced by delicate snakeskin straps, offered in a range of additional colors to match the mother of pearl dials. A yellow gold PVD variant with a cream-red-blue Sylvie House web mother of pearl dial, for example, comes with a textured brown snakeskin strap, which can be exchanged with a palette of alternative snakeskin straps, each finished with a yellow gold PVD ardillon buckle. Steel mesh, web nylon, and patterned straps are also available. Also another 21 x 34 mm model brings together a steel case with a green-red-green mother of pearl dial with signature Gucci bee indexes.

Baselworld 2018 pressconference

Baselworld 2018 press conference; photo: baselworld.com