oagaspar
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| Joined: | Sun Sep 4th, 2005 |
| Location: | Akron, USA |
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April 18, 2007 April 17, 2007 April 14, 2007 April 12, 2007  Thursday, April 12, 2007 From the first day, here is what I can initially report...
Larger watches continue to trend very popular, even watch brands not usually associated with oversized (north of 44mm) such as Piaget have at least two oversize models on display.
Carl Bucherer's new Multiple Time Zone Chronograph seems to be one of the bigger introductions, along with IWC's newer, larger and more complex updates to their legendary Portuguese series. Although introduced prior to the show, Jacob & Co's 31 Day Power Reserve creation is certainly making major news this year.
Safely Orange remains strong in the upscale watch lines, but look for Electric Blue to make strides (which we predicted a year ago) based on releases from Chopard, among others. Also look for large thick round cases to be very prominent among high-end dress offerings, along with very large new Tonneau shapes, as indicated by the new Franck Muller series.
— Tim
Saturday, April 14, 2007 I must share with you all that this is without a doubt the best and most important Basel Watch Fair that I have seen. There are more new complications and more new and exciting brands and ideas than I have ever experienced. This is definitely a major event for our entire visiting staff, and we still have several days to go.
Many of you have been writing and asking, “Who has the best booth”? Well, there are several contenders. I think Breiting’s is right up there (again) with the suspended 27-ton fish tank. D&C made an unexpected run by building their booth using the new concert lighting tech that you may have seen on the recent U2 tour. However, I’m going to go with the new three-story Tag Heuer monolith. It looked like a colossal iceberg made out of thick triangles of black glass. Ain’t no doubt…this one is impressive!
As to the greatest new complication, as I mentioned earlier this is hands down the best Fair in years for this category. Among my personal faves is the new Carl F. Bucherer Chronograph with multiple time zones, each of which can adjust the date independently and do it in either direction. My personal fave is the Jacob & Co. full skeleton seven- barrel watch that shows mechanical digital, features a tourbillon viewed from three sides, and a 31-day power reserve! Some may wonder why I didn’t put the Vulcania by H3 in the running. That watch is only on display in Geneva, so of course didn’t actually appear at the Fair.
— Tim
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 One of the most unusual watches was the new series from Geneva watchmaker Romain Jerome SA, who unveiled its “Titanic-DNA” collection this year. Crafted from material derived from a 3 lb. piece of the hull from the actual Titanic, the manufacturer will be building 2012 watches to coincide with the centennial of the sinking in the year 1912. The laquer used on the dial contains coal recovered from the wreckage site. Prices will range from $7800 to $173,000, and the company has already announced plans to bring out a commemorative based on yet another legend, though they withheld any further details.
In immediate news, Oceanaut announced during their Basel appearance that they have agreed to another exclusive with The Watch Show. As many of you know, they are currently involved with their first ever closeout situation as they continue working towards the pending release of the new collection. Customers who act fast will get the best deal ever on the few remaining Seven Seas!
— Tim
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Well guys, it’s official; Swiss ETA Valjoux products are going up! And yes, they are also restricting their distribution. I spoke with a senior officer personally, who confirmed that they are restricting existing clients to no more in 2008 than they took delivery on in 2007.
Estimated lead time is now 13 months or more. ETA will not even be considering new clients until 2009! They are attempting to hire 500 watchmakers to fill demand, and so far have been unable to fill the positions. Bottom line; if you are considering either a Swiss ETA and/or Valjoux movement, I strongly recommend that you buy now! At the moment, select Oceanauts and Jean Marcels are excellent opportunities.
In partial response to the Swiss movement scarcity and certainly to increase prestige, Gevril has announced that they will shortly be building their own movements, which is a very exciting and exclusive but expensive undertaking. Gevril’s prices now range from $2200 for base models to $40,000 – $60,000 for the custom pieces featuring their unique complicated movements.
Bold color continues to be a major story in both dress and sport watches. Safety orange and yellow continue to hold on, but bright red is definitely re-entering the sport watch market in a major way. A year ago I indicated to watch for the advance of electric blue, and indeed that has happened. Something I found a bit surprising is the addition of SKY blue, and that is showing up in both sport and dress watches. In dress and dress sport, warm tobacco browns, mahogany, and dark rich chocolate colors, along with dark rich forest greens, especially if the dial is a radiant finish.
— Tim
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