Welcome to the 2015 Quill & Pad Baselworld “awards,” in which we highlight a few of the watches and ancillary Baselworld je ne sais quoi that caught our eyes at the world’s largest watch exhibition. Please accept these citations in the way they are presented: generally tongue-in-cheek, sometimes serious, always fun!

Please note that this list is based simply on what we saw and photographed; it isn’t exhaustive and we are sure that there are many great (and not-so-great) watches we missed that may have merited inclusion here. To those brands we apologize.

So without further ado and in no particular order, here’s what caught our eyes at Baselworld 2015 .

The 2015 Ulysse Nardin Freak has a date (and a host of other improvements)

All That’s Missing Was The Date: updated Ulysse Nardin Freak.

Barber at the Edwin Watch stand

Most Unusual Stand Entertainment: the Edwin Watch barber, which we discovered up in Hall 2.2.

The popular ball pool at Romain Jerome

Most Fun Stand Entertainment: the Romain Jerome ball pool, which would have kept us entertained for hours if we weren’t only given 30 seconds each. Popcorn included.

Melchior by MB&F

Most Non-Clock-Like-Clock: MB&F/L’Epée Melchoir. (For more information see Melchior: A Mechanical Robot Clock In Honor Of MB&F’s Anniversary.)

A look under the dial of the Fabergé Lady Compliquée Peacock

Best Simple Solution (Easy Once Found): the Agenhor mechanism for Fabergé‘s Lady Compliquée (see Fabergé Inaugurates Rebirth With Exceptional Lady Compliquée for more).

H3 by HYT uses fluid to indicate the time

Best Fluid Technology: HYT H3.

Bart and Tim Grönefeld had the best horologically-themed collars

Best Collar: Bart and Tim Grönefeld (see Copernicus, Alignment Shift, And The Grönefeld Parallax Tourbillon: A Nerd Story).

GoS Damascus steel watch and knife

Best Damascus Steel: GoS (Gustafsson & Sjögren) (see Gustafsson and Sjögren GoS: Swedish Independents Forge A Horological Bridge With Bifrost).

Fully-iced Hublot Big Bang

Best “Can You Ever Have Too Many Diamonds?”: This fully-iced Hublot Big Bang doesn’t think so.

Jewel-adorned hostesses at the Jacob & Co. booth at Baselworld

Most Jewelled Hostesses: Jacob & Co.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 40

Best Yacht-Master: Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yachtmaster 40.

HL Black Ceramic by Hautlence

Best Ceramic Case: Hautlence HL Black Ceramic.

Graff Ring Watch

Best Disguised Watch: this unassuming ring by Graff discreetly houses a watch − the perfect way to conceal an expensive timepiece.

Lang & Heyne apple juice spritzer

Best Branded Booth Drink: Lang & Heyne apple juice spritzer.

Laurent Ferrier Galet Square

Craziest Comparison to Panerai: Laurent Ferrier Galet Square.

Caran d’Ache Spirit of Switzerland pen; its box looks like a mountain chalet

Swissiest Pen: Caran d’Ache Spirit of Switzerland.

Limited edition Edelberg Le Chronopassion pen

Funkiest Pen: Edelberg Le Chronopassion limited edition (here in use for signing Bridging Art and Mechanics).

Moser Endeavor Perpetual Calendar with Funky Blue fumé dial

Best Smoked Dial: Moser Endeavor Perpetual Calendar Funky Blue.

Louis Moinet doesn’t use micro-engineering to make watches; it’s all chemistry!

Best Crazy Scientist Laboratory: the Louis Moinet booth.

Fabergé’s Pearl Egg opens to revealing the rare 12.17-carat grey pearl inside

Best Egg: Fabergé Pearl Egg (see Fabergé Pearl Egg For Easter: The First Imperial-Class Egg In Nearly 100 Years).

MCT Frequential One

Best-Named Second Model: MCT “Frequential One,” which follows up the Sequential One.

The best Baselworld lunch for us was the casual pizza at Armin Strom, which afforded us a much-needed break while still talking shop!

Best Lunch: casual pizza at Armin Strom.

Ressence Type 3, now with oil temperature gauge

Best Watch Update: Ressence Type 3 with oil temperature gauge and simpler winding and time setting.

Logical One Black by Romain Gauthier

Most Desirable Black Watch: Romain Gauthier Logical One Black (see Heartbeat: Logical One By Romain Gauthier and Logical One Secret By Romain Gauthier: But Is It Art?).

Stepan Sarpaneva’s shirt was as wild as his watches: what fashion sense!

Best Shirt: Stepan Sarpaneva, whose shirt was one of the few things in this universe able to make his new luminous watches look understated (see Stepan Sarpaneva’s Man In The Moon and Aurora Borealis: Stepan Sarpaneva Korona K01 Northern Lights And GoS Nordic Seasons).

Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets at Schwarz-Etienne

Best Space Flight: the Schwarz-Etienne booth was outfitted with Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets.

Schwarz-Etienne Saturn

Best Space-Themed Watch: a watch with a different planet for each day of the week by Schwarz-Etienne.

Pascal Dubois of Dubois Dépraz pouring wine during an evening get-together that happened to convene at Rudis Sylva

Best Sommelier: Pascal Dubois of Dubois Dépraz, who we bumped into during a friendly meeting at Rudis Sylva.

Speake-Marin Kennin-ji Temple Masters Project

Best Engraved Watch: Speake-Marin Kennin-ji Temple Masters Project. A dragon motif inspired by the painting on the ceiling of the Kennin-ji Temple in Japan is intricately engraved on the dial, movement case, and even the leather inside the presentation case.

The Bathys Hawaii Cesium-133: larger cuff required

Best Atomic Watch: Bathys Hawaii Cesium-133. Where to begin?

Antoine Preziuso Tourbillon of Tourbillons on the wrist

Most Difficult Mechanical Concept To Mentally Conceive: the three-way differential in the Antoine Preziuso Tourbillon of Tourbillons. Imagining how a normal two-way differential works is hard enough, but three inputs? Crazy!

Loïck Peyron (Artemis Racing), Patrik Hoffmann (CEO Ulysse Nardin), and Iain Percy (Artemis Racing) at the Baselworld announcement of the partnership

Best Partnership: Ulysse Nardin and Artemis Racing, bound to feature the excitement of America’s Cup sailing and Bermuda. That’s a win-win in our book! (See Ulysse Nardin’s First Sponsorship: Artemis Racing, Iain Percy, And The America’s Cup).

Discretion Bi-Tourbillon by Speake-Marin

Best “Bi”-Tourbillon: Speake-Marin Discretion.

Manufacture Royal Double Tourbillon: one rotates in 60 seconds, the other in 30 seconds

Most Colorful Dual-Speed “Bi”-Tourbillon: Manufacture Royal Double Tourbillon.

Urban Jürgensen Platinum 1140L

Most Important Watch For Independent Brand Under New Ownership: Urban Jürgensen Platinum 1140L.

Mr. Christophe Claret (front left) demonstrating his confidence in the water resistance of his Allegro minute repeater

Most Popular (And Shallowest) Demonstration Of Water Resistance: Christophe Claret Allegro.

Urwerk UR-1001 Titan: if a wristwatch came any bigger, it would come with an exo-sketeton suit instead of a strap (or two straps in the case of the Titan)

Best “When Is A Timepiece On The Wrist Too Big To Be Considered A Wristwatch?”: Urwerk UR-1001 Titan (see The Urwerk UR-1001 Zeit Device Goes ‘Easy Rider’ for more information).

A conundrum (that’s the official term, look it up) of independent watchmakers at the 30th anniversary dinner of the AHCI

Biggest Collection Of Independent Watchmakers in One Room: thirtieth anniversary AHCI dinner (see Give Me Five! The AHCI Celebrates 30th Anniversary At Baselworld 2015 for more information).

Fighter pilots take wristshots of their Bremonts in-flight and send them to the brand

Best Wristshots: Bremont-wearing fighter pilots publish in-flight wristshots of their Bremonts.

Bulgari Serpenti

Best Snake: The way this Bulgari Serpenti bracelet watch moves and articulates is incredible.

De Bethune DB25 Quetzalcoatl

Best Snake-Themed Watch: De Bethune DB25 Quetzalcoatl, whose head and tail are actually the minute and hour hands.

Corum Bubble All-Black on the wrist

Best Reissue Of Old Model: Corum Bubble. It’s bigger than the original and just as much fun (see The Corum Bubble Is Back! for more information).

Vincent Calabrese (inventor of the golden bridge and co-founder of the AHCI) and Elizabeth Doerr signing copies of ‘Bridging Art and Mechanics’

Best Book Signing: Elizabeth Doerr and Vincent Calabrese signing Bridging Art & Mechanics (“the unabridged story of the Corum Golden Bridge”).

The lume of the Valbray Oculus Chrono lights up the night sky, but only when the dial’s “aperture” is open

Best Lume: Valbray Oculus Chrono (see Lighting Up With Lume At Baselworld 2015. Warning: Sunglasses Advised!).

On Emmanuel Bouchet’s Complication 1 the escapement for the indications (the dark mechanism on the lower half of the dial) takes 15 seconds to move

Slowest Beating Escapement: the secondary 15-second escapement for the indications on the Emmanuel Bouchet Complication 1.

Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon

Easiest Watches To Photograph: nearly anything by Arnold & Son (thank you, Sébastien).

This stunning marine chronometer by Thomas Mercer was probably the most complicated timepiece at Baselworld 2015

Best Marine Chronometer: Thomas Mercer Observatory Marine Chronometer.

Leroy Osmior Chronomètre à Tourbillon is a simple three-handed watch dial-side, but turning it over reveals a tourbillon, chain and fusée, and a constant force escapement for good measure

Best Contrast Between Dial And Movement: Leroy Osmior Chronomètre à Tourbillon (see Give Me Five! Dead Beat Seconds At Baselworld 2015).

Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower with lotus flower closed (left) and open

Best Harbinger Of Spring: Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower (see Jaquet Droz In Bloom: The Astonishing Lady 8 Flower Automat).

Cyrus Kuros

Best Side-On Silhouette: Cyrus Kuros.

A look underneath a diamond-set Roland Iten R822 buckle

Wildest Belt Buckle: Roland Iten’s diamond-set R822 buckle. Even the underneath side looks sensational.

Slim d’Hermès Koma Kurabe watch with hand-painted Sèvres porcelain dial

Best Miniature Paintings: La Montre Hermès Slim d’Hermès Koma Kurabe pieces with Sèvres porcelain dials hand-painted by a Japanese master artisan and featuring a famous Kyoto horse race.

The Palace by Jean Dunand

Best Palace Within A Palace: The Jean Dunand Palace. The brand’s booth was located at Baselworld 2015’s Palace pavilion.

Blancpain L-evolution tourbillon and carrousel in one

Best Meccano Dial: the Blancpain L-evolution Tourbillon and Carrousel.

Breguet Reference 7087 Tradition Répétition Minutes Tourbillon: those unusually curved bars seen dial side are the repeater gongs

Best Looking Repeater Gongs: Breguet 7087 Tradition Répétition Minutes Tourbillon.

Chopard Mille Miglia 2015

Best Homage To Mille Miglia: Chopard Mille Miglia.

Bremont plane-themed USB key

Best USB Key: Bremont. Guess which brand signed a partnership with Boeing?

Nomos Tangente Automatik

Best Value For Money: the Nomos Tangente Automatik is extremely slim and powered by an in-house movement. All for just $3,780.

Maurice Lacroix Gravity

Best “Did Somebody Say Gravity?”: The Maurice Lacroix Gravity, now available in a sportier version.

Glashütte Original Senator Observer

Best Teutonic Dial: The perfectly proportioned Glashütte Original Senator Observer.

Rudis Sylva Harmonious Oscillator in black

Most Harmonious Oscillator: the Rudis Sylva Harmonious Oscillator in black.

De Grisogono Numero Uno Tourbillon

Brightest Green Numerals And Hands: De Grisogono Numero Uno Tourbillon.

If the shoe fits: gorgeous high heels on a watch exec versus Quill & Pad Converse

Best “If The Shoe Fits”: shoe selection at Baselworld is best based on the amount of walking expected. Guess which of these pairs of shoes is worn by a journalist covering 10 kilometers (six miles) a day? (Yes, we actually measured it.)

Not only does this Chopard Animal World Hedgehog look good, the back opens to reveal a watch

Cutest Garden Animal: Chopard Animal World Hedgehog.

Girard-Perregaux Three Golden Bridges Tourbillon

Most Golden Of Bridges: Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Golden Bridges.

Patek Philippe Calatrava Travel Time

Biggest Storm In A Teacup: Patek Philippe Calatrava Travel Time. Shock and horror, Patek Philippe makes a completely new model based on historical pilot watches found in the Patek Philippe museum rather than derivations of what it has done in the past!

And believe it or not, that’s all folks.