I have never experienced Baselworld so calm.
There is an advantage of going to Baselworld on the second last day. Most of people are gone and you can enjoy the new releases of the watch brands in a less hectic way. Also, due to the fact of Swatch group not being present – there was much more room to just sit down, relax and think.
I did my fair share of thinking and want to share a few thoughts with you.
My blog is about vintage cars and watches. So attending a modern watch show like Basel is more an exception than a rule for me.
I attend mostly to find out what trends there are, and how the brands are innovating. In terms of innovation I have to be honest – last year was better than this year. The two heavyweights Patek & Rolex impressed me last year. This year, less so.
Yes, Patek brought out a new watch and innovation with the Calatrava weekly calendar 5212, that has 5 hands on the dial. But other than that it was mostly fine tuning rather than innovating. The new Nautilus annual calendar is pretty much the same watch as before except it now comes with a blue dial. The only subtle change Patek made was to make the calendar ring the same color as the dial* – before with the 5726 it was different and contrasting. Similar to the new world time from Patek with cloisonné Enamel dial – signature now on the dial (better), hour hand from a past world time in their heritage (improvement), and last a more striking color world time map (better). It is now a better watch due to fine tuning but nothing revolutionary.
At Patek I felt it was evolution not revolution this year (what else do you expect from a conservative Swiss brand).
Patek impressed me with their clocks more than watches. Their cloisonné Enamel dome clocks which they present every year at Baselworld are pieces of art. Patek has incredible strength and know how in making these cloisonné Enamel clocks, all are unique pieces and fiercely fought after by collectors. The striking colors are truly mind-blowing.
With Rolex there is only one new watch I truly found captivating. It was the white gold GMT Master with Meteorite dial. In real the watch is a true marvel. Best of all because, meteorite is material made from nature, so no two dials are ever going to look alike. For the vintage lovers, it reminds us of the elusive GMT 6542 Albino.
*(picture credit: J Dowling).
I have a few theories why we didn’t see anything sensational from any brand at Baselworld this year.
First, last year was pretty good so our expectations were raised very high, especially for the two brands, Patek & Rolex. We simply were expecting more. Secondly I have heard rumours that Baselworld as we know it, will not be the same. Some brands are pulling out and questioning the need for a global fair when brands can reach their audience over social media or their physical stores directly. Maybe brands wanted to test Baselworld one more time before deciding on really big launches and projects.
I personally think Baselworld is here to stay. Deals, partnerships and business in the high end luxury is really a peoples business. For this it is perfect.
Baselworld will need to adapt to survive though and thus it announced at a press conference on Tuesday that next year – they will have a huge section devoted to smart watches. Be prepared to see the heavyweights like Samsung, Apple dominate. Baselworld as we know it, is over. And that may not be a bad thing.
My last theory why brands held back this year has to do with the year 2020. I think many brands want to and will surprise us in 2020. After all there is a famous saying that ‘hindsight is 20/20‘ and I think brands will make use of this famous expression.
Closing thoughts
A lingerie company called Boutique Risque, taught me an important lesson on watches.
Go to brands that are less obvious and visit every booth at Baselworld, not only the obvious ones (like Patek & Rolex). A model from Risque went to Carl F Bucherer and showed the history of the brand on her instagram story. It was full of black and white photography illustrating the rich history of the brand (founded in 1888). I always thought of Carl F Bucherer as a recent watch brand (created in 2001) that simply wanted to get into the watch business, as its parent company (Bucherer AG) is the largest watch retailer in Europe.
What I did not know is that Bucherer was one of the earliest watch partners of Rolex (they established a relationship back in the 1920s already) when Rolex was a small company. As a collector and writer of Rolex watches – this information would have been interesting to see in person.
So it took a lingerie company to teach me a lesson on watches and in life in general. Go to less obvious brands – you never know what you might learn.
A few pictures of Baselworld 2019 below.
First stop Patek.
We start with the wonderful cloisonné Enamel Dome clocks by Patek. This one below most likely will go into the Patek museum.
Another Dome cl0ck with superb colors below.
To get these vivid colors (see the Flamingo below) they are fired up 7 times in the oven at over 800 degrees.
Patek has a long standing tradition and know how with Enamel on dome clocks.
I love this yellow one too.
These clocks are highly sought after by collectors. There are over 60 VIP applications for one clock allocated.
It was on to Rolex.
Rolex had the most impressive serving staff. Most came from the luxurious Palace hotel in Gstaad.
The only watch Rolex impressed me with was the GMT with Meteorite dial. Superb in real!
Breguet numerals (in white gold) and black Enamel dial works for me.
Because of Swatch group being not present – notice the much larger relaxing and sitting area at Baselworld.
The most beautiful watch I saw at Baselworld was this superb rare 1969 Zenith El Primero in white gold with white gold bracelet. Zenith was celebrating 50 years of the iconic El Primero model.
Only 10 pieces are thought to exist. On the wrist of legendary Goldberger.
Breitling had a nice storytelling theme going on.
Their ambassadors divided into sections or squadrons. Below the Explorer squadron with David de Rothschild (far left).
I hope next year turns out to be more daring and innovative in terms of watch models.
