While Baselworld 2014 was not a particularly big year for tourbillons, they were still an important element in the collections of most brands and a few of them were truly exceptional. Here are just a few of the tourbillons that passed in front of my lens at Baselworld 2014.
While the two most well known German brands are A. Lange & Söhne and Glashütte Original, there are quite a few smaller German brands deserving our attention. Some with names you may have heard of, a few you may not have: Nomos, Lange & Heyne, Tutima, Kudoke and Leinfelder among them.
Resilience, Triad, Serpent Calendar, Spirit Mark II and Dragon. Those were just a few of the new models that Speake-Marin exhibited at Baselworld last year and we have heard a whisper that the brand will be presenting an even bigger line up of exciting new models this year.
For those living in the Northern hemisphere, which I guess is the majority of you, here are a few photos that will hopefully help chase away the winter chill and damp, at least for a few minutes anyway.
This New Year rings in the year of the horse, and thus a select group of horse-themed watches by high-quality watch manufacturers.
A sign of respect, though perhaps not necessarily authenticity as some crucial elements (such as the color red) are not in evidence, these ticking treasures celebrating an extremely festive moment of Chinese culture are unique heirlooms in and of themselves – mainly thanks to the rare, handcrafted work that goes into them.
While it seems that “métiers d’art” could be considered a catchword, trend or even buzz phrase in modern high-end watchmaking, the reality is that when luxury brands take the time, energy, and cost to create these unique elements, it results in some of the most magnificent artwork available in horology today.
This year’s SIHH is full of complicated revelations. And, even more surprisingly, we have found at least five perpetual calendars at the fair, all of which are very different in approach, design and even price.