Baselworld 2012 Express (Part 1)
The Basel World Watch and Jewellery Show (Baselworld 2012) runs from 8 to 15 March 2012.
No fewer than 1,800 exhibitors have answered the call for this unmissable watchmaking rendezvous. As a guest, I set myself the goal of a two-day lightning visit. Short, but intense—with some great discoveries along the way.
Here is the first instalment from my wanderings through the vast halls of Baselworld 2012.
A closer look at four brands in particular: Romain Jerome, De Bethune, MB&F, HYT and Linde Werdelin.
RJ – Romain Jerome
Geek Culture
The Space Invaders are back with five new series (blue, red, green, purple and yellow), each limited to 8 pieces. Playful, yes—but they are nonetheless timepieces crafted with precision. The dials are made up of three levels of pixelated, micro-bead-blasted matrices; the Space Invaders are created piece by piece and applied by hand.
Building on the partnership signed with Taito, the publisher of Space Invaders, Romain Jerome has teamed up with Namco to create a watch in the image of the video-game publisher’s iconic hero. Clue: this round, yellow character defined the early 1980s and goes by the sweet Japanese name パックマン. Although I was able to see the timepiece, it will only be officially unveiled at a later date.
In October 2011, Romain Jerome announced the forthcoming creation of a watch made from the metal of the DeLorean, the cult car from the film Back to the Future (read the article). The prototype is very promising.
DNA-Titanic
A new series has been added to the DNA-Titanic collection, whose bezels are made from a steel alloy taken from the authentic Titanic wreck and from steel supplied by the shipyard where the liner was built.
The Steampunk Chrono, a retro-futuristic watch with an imposing 50 mm case, has no dial and borrows the style of the ship and its machinery: counters, a propeller at 6 o’clock, and anchor-shaped hands.
Tattoo-DNA
The watches in the Tattoo-DNA collection are entrusted to the expert needles of tattoo artist Mo Coppoletta. He is no longer responsible solely for the strap graphics, but also for the dials. Over the years, the strap leather ages and the tattoo evolves, giving the watch a unique character—its own story, etched into the skin.
De Bethune
The high-flying manufacture presents three exceptional watches (in order: DB27 Titan Hawk, DB25s Jewelry, DB28ST).
The central calendar (date) is surrounded by an hours-and-minutes ring.
The moon on the DB25S above is set with 44 diamonds and 44 blue sapphires.
Sterling silver hour ring, silicon/titanium tourbillon (the lightest on the market).
MB&F
A visit to MB&F is a must, if only to admire the Legacy Machine and the Horological Machines.
While the next machine will be revealed in the autumn, there will be something new in the meantime featuring an unprecedented complication.
Also worth noting is the new skin of the HM4 Thunderbolt, clad in rose gold and titanium. The HM4 RT (for Rose Titanium) was produced in a limited series of 18 pieces.
HYT (Hydro Mechanical Horologists)
The H1 more than justifies the trip to Baselworld. The first timepiece from the new watch brand created by Vincent Perriard, this fabulous machine is a meeting of the clepsydra and contemporary watchmaking mechanics.
The time is indicated by a fluid driven by a mechanical movement made up of pistons and bellows. HYT has not finished surprising us and is only at the very beginning of what this technology can offer: miniaturisation of components, the addition of advanced complications powered by the same principle, new fluid colours, and more.
Linde Werdelin
The Danish brand presents its new dive watch: Oktopus II.
True to its positioning, the brand offers a high-quality analogue watch that can be paired with digital instruments for sports use (scuba diving, in this case) in the form of a removable module that fits over the case. The Oktopus II Double Date features a five-part titanium case water-resistant to 300 metres and an automatic Dubois Depraz calibre 14580 movement offering a power reserve of 40 to 44 hours.
