Round-UpBaselworld 2017 Exclusive: Top 5 Collectible Watches Connoisseurs Should Keep an Eye On
Four watches eyed by all collectors at Baselworld this year.
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Choosing top five watches in terms of impact right after you have finished with the daunting task of going through more than 250 timepieces in about five days is both exciting and hugely challenging. I may also confess I love doing it. So what are the criteria for selecting these timepieces? There is a mix in the list- a world record holder, an avant-garde mechanical chronograph, a revisited classic, a trendier global bestseller and an audacious birthday gift for a partner. These five are greatly different from each other but make a huge impact to the future of watchmaking.
Octo Finissimo Automatic
Undoubtedly the star of Baselworld 2017 was the Octo Finissimo Automatic. The Octo model draws inspiration from the masterpieces of Italian architecture. No wonder Octo was launched six years ago at Rome. I was lucky to have been a part of that celebration. Octo today has gone much beyond its good looks, though. This is the third in the series of slim watches from Bulgari with Octo Finissimo Automatic being the slimmest self-winding watch in the market today at a thickness of just 5.15 mm. This comes right after the thinnest tourbillon in 2014 and the Minute Repeater in 2016.
To achieve this level of thinness Bulgari has reworked each part of not only the automatic movement but also the case and the dial. Small details like the black PVD coating for the hands and hour-markers have enhanced legibility. The movement is a brand new one- Calibre BVL 138, a house calibre which is just 2.33 mm thick.
High precision mechanical watches are known to beat at a high frequency and this movement beats at 3 Hz or 21,600 vibrations per hour offering a 60-hours power reserve. Automatic winding is accomplished via the efficient platinum micro-rotor, which not many at fine watchmaking have mastered. Though few will take a watch like this to water, 30 metres water resistance is indeed a bonus. The movement is hand-decorated with Côtes de Genève to make the movement beautiful from inside as well.
The case in light-weighted titanium, the sandblasted dial come with an alligator leather strap and matching titanium pin buckle, as well as titanium bracelet composed of subtle yet articulated links.
Breitling Navitimer Rattrapante
The second piece on my list boasts of not only good looks and proportion, it is probably the best mechanical chronograph in the market today. Breitling launches its own split-seconds chronograph (also known as Rattrapante, comes from the word rattraper, which means catching up) movement -Calibre B03 fitted in its most famous model the Navitimer, available in a beautiful bronze colour.
It is launched in both steel and gold references. By launching the officially COSC chronometer certified Calibre B03, Breitling just reinforces its leadership position in the field of mechanical chronographs since 1915 when it launched the first independent pushpiece at 2 o’clock. With its two central chronograph hands, of which one can be stopped to measure an intermediate time before catching up with the first one still sweeping onwards, the split-seconds chronograph is considered a tough mechanism to create.
The aim for Breitling watchmakers was to develop a system ensuring optimal performance with fewer parts and to eliminate the lengthy adjustment process and the B03 achieves the same with considerable ease. The split-seconds mechanism comprises just 28 parts. Can you believe it?
The variable energy requirements due to constant stopping and starting of the split-seconds hand can prove detrimental to chronometric precision and reduce the power reserve of any watch. One way to resolve the issue is to equip the movement with an isolating system so as to disconnect the split-seconds hand when it is stopped. Breitling developed two innovations for which patents are pending. The first one involves the isolating system. Breitling has replaced the cylindrical pin which drives the split-seconds lever with a stamped part enabling it to achieve a more precise shape, as well as enhanced sturdiness. The result- a power reserve of 70 hours. The second innovation concerns the mechanism for stopping the split-seconds hand.
Grand Seiko
Grand Seiko represents the pinnacle of Seiko’s watchmaking capabilities and was launched for the international market in 2010 while being present in Japan since 1960. The response since then has been overwhelming. This Baselworld saw a huge push forward by Seiko towards establishing Grand Seiko as the world’s best.
The dial of the very first Grand Seiko watch in 1960 carried the name Grand Seiko at the 12 o’clock position as a symbol of its unique identity and superior quality. Seiko digs its archives and reinterprets and recreates the classic design all over again.
The new recreations are offered in gold and platinum, keeping in with the tradition of the original, and also in stainless steel. The case though almost identical, has a increased diameter of 38 mm in line to suite modern tastes. The dual-curved sapphire crystal is also loyal to the original shape. The platinum version uses Platinum 999 and has 18k gold hour markers, just as on the original. All three versions house the 9S64 manual winding calibre, but the platinum version offers even higher level of precision, -1 to +5 seconds per day. All of them are offered as limited editions.
The modern reinterpretation of the 1960 Grand Seiko uses a new automatic calibre, 9S68, which makes possible a larger date window. The case is made of Brilliant Hard Titanium, a new material that is exclusive to Grand Seiko and that is as light as titanium but twice as hard as stainless steel.
Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 years Tourbillion Chronograph
Hublot ushers in the 70th anniversary of its partner Ferrari with the launch of Techframe, a completely new watch combining Ferrari’s design capabilities and Hublot’s watchmaking prowess. Available in three versions — King Gold, PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) Carbon, and Titanium — each of which is produced in limited editions of 70. I met up with the creative genius, the Head of Design at Ferrari, Flavio Manzoni at Baselworld to know a bit more about what went in designing the watch. He told me every Ferrari design is a dream and never follows anything that exists before. No wonder the new Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph boasts of a look never seen before.
The starting point for the designers was the Hublot movement—around which they freely designed a high performance chassis. No component is there by chance, explains Manzoni. The black structure on the dial holds the chronograph counters and offers excellent legibility. The crown at 4 o’clock is decorated with the famous Ferrari Prancing Horse—reduces the size of the watch to the greatest possible extent to increase its aerodynamic look. The strategically placed red push-button gives the watch an ergonomic look.
Manzoni’s team had offered five designs to the Hublot management, who quite liked all but settled on this design, applied its expertise in engineering, materials and watchmaking, to make these aesthetic and technical concepts feasible. The result is a chassis case with a modular construction of three components—skeleton middle, container, and back cover.
All the above-mentioned watches are available on request at ethoswatches.com or you can reserve one by calling +91 8725028900
