The prevailing financial atmosphere may be pointing toward Spartan classicism in some areas of life, but fortunately for us the worlds of art and beauty – which include haute horlogerie – still express joyful color.
Enjoy the bursts of vivid hue in these five time-telling rainbows we found at Baselworld 2016.
Kari Voutilainen Kaen
This is without the shadow of a doubt one of the most beautiful watches ever made.
Even if you are one of those fashionista types currently hanging on the season’s signature pairings of black and navy blue, if you are a watch aficionado to any degree at all, you are bound to fall in love with the beauty of this vibrant one-of-a-kind timepiece.
The eye-catching dial of Kaen by Kari Voutilainen
The key to loving it – if you didn’t fall for it at first sight like I did – is to understand that it possesses something as rare and beautiful on the inside as on the captivating outside: the stupendously finished Voutilainen Vingt-8 caliber with its double escape wheel direct impulse escapement clothed in a classically sized white gold case and topped off by a dial embellished by a micro mosaic kaleidoscope of color by the Unryuan studio in Japan.
The movement of Kari Voutilainen’s Kaen is as superlatively decorated as the dial
Turning the watch over, you will also discover some of the colorful beauty of this exquisite work of art on the flip side as well. And, yes, this watch is unisex.
Resident collector GaryG named the Kaen one of his “Objects of Desire” from Baselworld 2016.
For more information, please visit www.voutilainen.ch/kaen.
Quick Facts Kari Voutilainen Kaen
Case: 39 mm, white gold
Movement: manually wound Vingt-8 Voutilainen caliber with direct impulse escapement and two escape wheels; German silver and titanium base plate and bridges with decoration by Unryuan studio; pink gold wheels
Dial: micro mosaic by Unryuan studio in Japan
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
Limitation: one unique piece
Price: 220,000 Swiss francs
Ulysse Nardin Diver Black Sea
Funky color combinations just swam up at Ulysse Nardin in the form of this new Diver Black Sea with a rubber-coated case and bright yellow ceramic elements and dial.
Ulysse Nardin Diver Black Sea
Even the joyful black-and-yellow rubber strap seems to agree!
For more information, please visit www.ulysse-nardin.com.
Quick Facts Ulysse Nardin Diver Black Sea
Case: 44 mm, stainless steel with rubber coating and yellow ceramic on the bezel; water-resistant to 200 m
Movement: automatic Caliber UN-26
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds; date, power reserve indication
Price: €14,800
Lady Fabergé 36 mm
This new addition to Fabergé’s ladies’ collection represents a relatively affordable entrance to the world of this high-quality jeweler/watchmaker. The colorful dials, leather straps, and case bands decorated with lacquer make these egg-shaped timepieces (get it? Fabergé egg!) not only pieces of jewelry that tell the time, but also instantly appeal to a new generation of watch wearers.
Lady Fabergé 36 mm in the happy colors of blue yellow and orange
Available in bright, summery yellow, blue, and orange, a more haute horlogerie version with a flinqué dial (not pictured here) is also available.
For more information, please visit www.faberge.com/1681_lady-faberge-36mm-18-karat-white-gold-orange-dial.
Quick Facts Lady Fabergé 36 mm
Case: 36 mm, white gold
Movement: automatic Vaucher caliber
Functions: hours, minutes
Price: $14,000
De Grisogono Retro Lady Baguette
De Grisogono’s interesting retro TV screen design had already caught my eye in its bigger “men’s” size rendition at Baselworld 2015. For the 2016 edition of the fair, the new watch’s sized down proportions were made even more attractive for the feminine wrist with the addition of well-chosen gemstones and a luscious galuchat strap in the matching color.
Powered by an automatic movement, four colors of the Retro Lady Baguette are available featuring four different precious gemstone schemes: ruby, emerald, sapphire, and diamond.
De Grisogono Retro Lady Baguettes in ruby, diamond, emerald, and sapphire
For more on this watch and the four others I chose as my top picks for the female wrist from Baselworld 2016, please see Best Of Baselworld 2016: The Top 5 Ladies Watches. Despite me calling it out as a ladies’ watch (I definitely see it as one), you might be happy to know that de Grisogono describes it as “androgynous” in its press materials.
For more information, please visit www.degrisogono.com/new-retro-lady.
Quick Facts De Grisogono Retro Lady Baguette
Case: pink gold, set with 70 baguette-cut white diamonds (approx. 3.4 ct), 70 baguette-cut rubies (approx. 8.2 ct), 70 baguette-cut emeralds, or 70 baguette-cut sapphireMovement: automatic Caliber DG 10-91 (base movement not specified), blackened, 40-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes
Price: 135,000 Swiss francs (sapphire); 140,000 Swiss francs (ruby); 145,000 Swiss francs (diamond), 230,000 Swiss francs (emerald)
Chopard Imperiale Joaillerie
Chopard is known for its fabulous work with diamonds and colored gemstones, but who would have thought that something this colorful, unique, and exquisite might emerge in a “down” year like this?
The Imperiale Joaillerie comprises a veritable rainbow of 581 sapphires totaling 47.98 carats in weight, which needed more than 1,000 hours of work to select, cut, sort, and set.
The absolutely dazzling Chopard Imperiale Joaillerie
Graduated hues of purple, green, blue, red, and yellow dazzle the eye just like a kaleidoscope – a kaleidoscope of fiery, shimmering gemstones that even hide the precious pink gold of the case.
For more information, please visit www.chopard.com/baselworld-imperiale-all-the-colours-of-the-rainbow.
Quick Facts Chopard Imperiale Joaillerie
Case: 40 x 10.6 mm, pink gold
Movement: automatic Chopard Caliber 01.03-C with 60-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: one unique piece
Price: $652,500