Baselworld 2012 Express (Part 3)
Final chapter of my Baselworld Express Tour 2012 (the World Watch and Jewellery Show, in Basel).
Recap of previous episodes:
- A first part devoted to the new releases from RJ-Romain Jerome, De Bethune, MB&F, HYT and Linde Werdelin (read it here)
- A second putting the spotlight on Cyrus, Perrelet, Casio and Christophe Claret (available here)
- Now let’s open this third instalment devoted to Frédérique Constant, Tag Heuer, Manufacture Royale, Ulysse Nardin and Bell & Ross.
Additional articles will go into more detail on other watches later on—stay tuned!
Frédérique Constant
At Frédérique Constant, beyond the charming Index Moon Timer (mentioned here), let’s salute the tribute to La Carrera Panamericana, the legendary rally race celebrating its 24th edition, embodied by a duo of watches that has joined the brand’s Vintage Rally collection. Housed in a 43 mm case, the Vintage Rallye Carrera Panamericana hides under its “bonnet” a hand-wound FC-435 calibre with small seconds. The silver dial bearing the race logo comes in two versions: one with steel indexes, the other with rose-gold plating… Best worn with matching driving gloves.
Tag Heuer
Tag Heuer chose the stunning Cameron Diaz to become the face of the Link Lady Diamond Star. Set with diamonds and rose gold, the watch casts its spell with an automatic movement whose oscillating weight rotates around the dial.
Dior
The Dior maison presented its VIII Grand Bal collection. An automatic “Dior Inversé” movement whose oscillating weight on the dial side is set with diamonds, as is the black mother-of-pearl dial. The 38 mm case, as well as the bracelet, adopts black ceramic. This edition is limited to 88 pieces.
Manufacture Royale
After the Opéra watch, Manufacture Royale does it again with “Androgyne”, a timepiece designed to be unisex. The watch is equipped with a hand-wound mechanical movement featuring a tourbillon, produced, decorated and assembled in-house. The collection comes in 11 models (yellow gold, rose gold, bronze, stainless steel, etc.), with prices ranging from €30,000 to €50,000.
Ulysse Nardin
Ulysse Nardin’s Marine Chronometer Manufacture 2012 makes a strong statement with its 45 mm rose-gold case. The hand-made enamel dial in an off-white tone is visually soothing and offers excellent legibility for the black Roman numerals.
The UN-118 automatic movement delivers a 60-hour power reserve with an indicator on the dial, as well as a date at 6 o’clock.
Bell & Ross
The BR 01 Tourbillon collection brings together four complications: the tourbillon (to correct the effects of gravity), the “trust index” indicating when the watch is at its most accurate, the power-reserve indicator, and the regulator display, which separates the reading of hours and minutes.
Three rose-gold models are available (rose gold + titanium, rose gold with a carbon-fibre dial, and rose gold with an aluminium-fibre dial).
The 46 mm case features a transparent caseback with a sapphire crystal, allowing you to explore the hand-wound movement with a 5-day power reserve.
And to soothe the general overdose of rose gold seen across all watch brands’ collections, the BR01 Tourbillon Airborne is dressed in a black DLC (diamond-like carbon) titanium case and features a truly “deadly” dial.
Each watch is issued in a limited series of 20 pieces.
In addition to this Basel trilogy, you can already discover the spotlights on the zesty Marvin Malton duo colors, the brilliant Devon Tread 2 or the diving watch Tudor Pelagos.
