If you’ve attended Baselworld over the last few years, you’ve likely heard tell of an “Eric Singer sighting” – catching a quick glimpse of the watch-crazy rock drummer who plays with Kiss as he hurries from booth to booth checking out the new watch offerings. I had a chance to catch up with the horophile musician after Baselworld 2017 to get his personal list of the top ten watches he saw at the fair.
The year 2017 wasn’t just good for both interesting and exciting new wristwatches at Baselworld: I’d go so far to rate it as a vintage year. This article started as a pure Top 5 rundown, but the sheer number of superb watches soon had us reaching for our “Special Mention” over spill. And that’s all without the really big surprises. So without further ado, welcome to our team’s top picks of Baselworld 2017.
Alec Monopoly was announced as a new collaboration for TAG Heuer in its art & music universe. Now, opinions have been divided on the cooperation with the famous graffiti artist so let’s take a closer look at what makes this particular collaboration a potential turning point in the modern history of TAG Heuer.
The Quill & Pad panel reflects on watchmaking’s biggest night: the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, often described as the Oscars of watchmaking. In this segment, we chat about what we liked and what we didn’t like, which watches won and why we think they did.
We also express a bit of dismay at times.
Quill & Pad’s early 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève predictions in which the team picks favorites and explains why. In contention this year are the Tudor Black Bay Dark, the Eberhard & Co. Scafograf 300, Montblanc’s TimeWalker ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph Limited Edition, the TAG Heuer Heuer Monza Chronograph, Ressence’s Type 5b, and the Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbillon.
If Apple sold 10 to 12 million smartwatches in its first year, as estimates show it has, the revenues generated would be around $4 to $5 billion. This figure comes close to Rolex’s revenue, the number one watchmaker in the world! Does this make Apple one of the biggest watchmakers in the world? Not quite.
Among the many highlights of SalonQP 2015 was the “Inside a Second” exhibition of chronographs presented in partnership with the Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie. The exhibition included the George Daniels co-axial four-minute tourbillon with Daniels’ compact chronograph mechanism. And that would have been enough chronograph for me all by itself, but there were many more highlights.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an automotive pilgrimage; it is to cars what Glastonbury is to music. My father and I have often made the journey from our respective homes in Sussex and Oxfordshire to meet on the Friday, the opening day of the festival, to see the amazing spectacle that takes place at this hill climb. And, of course, what watches did I see at the event?
I thought that the Mille Miglia was absolutely crazy and was amazed that an event like that could be held at all. Only in Italy . . . or so I thought until recently when I learnt more about the insane Carrera Panamericana.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race is legendary among motorsports enthusiasts, and I was overjoyed to have been Chopard’s guest during what is for many the most famous motorsport race in the world. At this year’s event I counted a great number of watch brands in attendance in some way including Rolex, Chopard, TAG Heuer, Rebellion, and Franck Muller.