It is only at Baselworld one gets to meet the big bosses of the largest swiss-watch brands under one, very expensive roof. I was lucky to have quick discussions about the new launches with the high commanders, while some of them sportingly agreed to flaunt a ‘wristy’ for a compilation of the ‘watches the bosses wear’.
1) Thierry Stern wearing Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5960/1A
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5960/1A in stainless steel was introduced in 2014 at Baselworld. Mr Stern chose this watch to wear perhaps, because of its classical elegance. It is one of the few annual calendar watches that Patek Philippe has built in stainless steel. The 5960 movement was introduced in 2006 and was the brand’s first self winding chronograph. In Ref 5960/1A, ‘A’ stands for steel. The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph might be built to be a sporty watch but can very well be teamed with a formal look.
Patek Philippe is one of the very few swiss watch brands that are still a family owned business. Patek Philippe, in particular has done phenomenally well in the course of time and is one of the reigning brands to be able to sell single watch pieces, worth millions of dollars.
2) Walter Von Kanel wearing Longines Conquest Classic Moonphase in Steel and Rose Gold
Mr Von Kanel was spotted in high spirits, at a rather busy and stressful watch fair, for most. Just the right attitude for a boss confident of the new collection his brand introduced at the mega watch fair. Mr Kanel sported a dual tone Classic Conquest Moonphase from the Baselworld 2015 crop. With a diameter of 42 mm, this chronograph houses the self-winding mechanical chronograph movement L678.
The case is available in steel, in steel and rose gold cap or in 18 carats rose gold. The silvered dial, here, is set with 9 applied indices coated. The Conquest Moonphase dial features a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, the 24-hour indicator and the subdial for the seconds at 9 o’clock, as well as the 30-minute counter and the day-and-month display at 12 o’clock. The Classic Moonphase Longines watch price is 3,09000 Rupees and is already available in stores.
3) Aldo Magada wearing Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969
Look at the face of that watch! The Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 is a head turner. Perfectly sized at 42 mm, the El Primero Chronomaster 1969 watch is not this year’s Baselworld novelty but is still as desirable as the new lot. This watch is powered by an automatic movement the 4061 and has a power reserve of at least 50 hours.
It wouldn’t be easy to chose from the vast and overwhelming collection of Zenith watches. However, Mr Magada chose a handsome stainless steel watch from the popular El Primero collection. Zenith Chronomaster 1969, with its utilitarian and impeccable design, will go well with every outfit.
The El Primero Chronomaster 1969 in stainless steel is already available in stores. This Zenith watch’s price is Rupees 6,23,000.
4) Guy Semon wearing Tag Heuer Carrera Heuer One
This year Tag Heuer brought a new entrant to the swiss watch world and i.e Google. The big news at this year’s Baselworld was that Tag Heuer too has jumped onto the smartwatch bandwagon. Tag Heuer smartwatches will run on Android Wear OS and will be ready for sale, near the end of 2015. Now, I shouldn’t let Tag Heuer’s big announcement, take the attention away from this skeleton watch Mr Semon is wearing. It is one of the key novelties by Tag Heuer from Baselworld 2015. It features a new generation Tag Heuer case. It is made from light titanium for greater shock resistance.
What Tag Heuer buyers will also love about this watch is the rubber strap, perforated for better comfort. This watch is entirely made by Tag Heuer. How does that effect you? A 100% manufactured chronograph will cost you less if it does not include pieces that the watch company has had to source from another company. This watch is priced less than 5000 CHF i.e. price of new 2015 Tag Heuer Carrera watch is less than 3.25 Lakh Rupees, excluding taxes.
5) Matthias Breschan wearing new Rado HyperChrome Automatic Chrono Tachymeter, Limited Edition
This Baselworld, Rado did what it does best and launched more of its popular scratch resistant watches. Lightly wrapped around the brand’s CEO’s wrist is the newest entrant in the HyperChrome line; Rado HyperChrome Automatic Chrono Tachymeter, limited edition. It’s a very well thought-out piece of contemporary watch. Polished plasma ceramic meets rose gold coloured elements, which add to the deep warm metallic shine of the plasma. All this achieved without the use of any metal. The high tech ceramic which forms most of the watch body, makes the watch very light, on the wrist.
Rado also launched a bunch of Chocolate coloured watches for women. More on that in the blogs to follow.
6) Ricardo Guadalupe wearing Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon 5-Day Power Reserve Indicator
It is one of the most expensive non-Haute-Jewellery watch from Hublot, in 2015. Hublot 5 Day Power Reserve watch is the first Tourbillon in the new generation Big Bang line. This Big Bang has a 45 mm diameter dial case. It is made in two metal options. One is King Gold and the other is Titanium. Both are limited to 99 pieces. Tourbillon is an expensive complication to add to a watch, which explains why the 5 Day Power Reserve Hublot watch is priced INR 7300000 or 100000 CHF or USD 115020 for the gold model. The one Mr Guadalupe is wearing, is in Titanium.
Images: Luxuryvolt, Hublot
