Welcome to the 2015 Quill & Pad Baselworld “awards,” in which we highlight a few of the watches and ancillary Baselworld potpourri 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!
Here I get the chance to talk about something that our readers probably know I love all too well: a jump hour watch. But not just any jump hour watch, this time it’s the four-handed Speake-Marin Jumping Hours, a piece unique. I was extremely excited, not to mention anxious, to get my hands on this piece, but the wait was worth it.
When I first saw photos of the Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumière I liked the technical aspects and thought it an audacious design likely to ignite heated debate in the passionate Angelus collectors’ community, but I wasn’t won over by the watch itself. I liked the fact that it existed, but it wasn’t really to my taste. But after I had seen and handled the U10 Tourbillon Lumière “in the metal,” I got it.
Many have heard of the famous Fabergé eggs. But why are they so famous? The answer surely lies in where the eggs came from (and, no, they didn’t come from the Easter bunny). Celebrating its “rebirth” at Baselworld 2015, Fabergé introduced the first egg of the new era as a unique pieceand is calling the incredible Pearl Egg “the first egg created in the ‘imperial class’ since 1917.”
In 2015, the AHCI celebrates thirty years of existence. This is a genuine milestone for any organization, and is really a grand, grand accomplishment for a loose grouping of more than 30 artisans of varying nationality, background, and level of accomplishment. Here we present five beautiful watches by AHCI members we saw at Baselworld.
The bright spotlights of Baselworld 2015 lit up a plethora of eye-catching watches of every shape, color, and complication. However, it was only when the lights were turned down or off that a few of the timepieces showed that their dark sides were actually quite bright. Here are a few of the best lume-outfitted watches from Baselworld 2015 from Patek Philippe, Romain Jerome, Chopard, Valbray, Bell & Ross, Bulgari, and Glashütte Original.
Ulysse Nardin founded his company on the precision required for marine chronometers. So supporting a challenger for the 35th America’s Cup as its official partner more than makes sense, and supporting Artemis Racing makes the most sense of all.
The Vanguard Gravity checks all the boxes for Franck Muller awesomeness. It begins with the now-famous Cintrée Curvex case and the way that the curved case stands so proud yet feels so comfortable on the wrist, setting Franck Muller watches apart and doesn’t end with its triple-axis tourbillon’s amazing size.
The dead beat seconds complication was developed so that the second hand on the wristwatch would move in the same way as a high-end, precious clock might. Dead beat seconds is a fairly rare addition to a watch movement in the modern age. In fact, it is almost never seen. Nevertheless, we found five watches outfitted with dead beat seconds at Baselworld 2015.
The Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower incorporates a rare mechanical element that the brand is famous for: the automat. The astonishing automat is a surprising touch that delights and entices, once again reinforcing the original thoughts of the very creative Pierre Jaquet Droz. Prepare to be amazed.