FeatureBreaking Down The Most Significant Wristwatch Trends From Baselworld 2019
Watches have entered the Bronze Age too. The alloy is fighting hard with heritage-inspiration and rainbows for the title of ‘Hottest watch trend of 2019’
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If you follow the watch industry, you know that Baselworld, the world’s largest watch fair, kicked off on a somewhat tentative note this year. There are two key reasons for this. Firstly, there were less exhibitors than usual, including the visible absence of Swatch Group brands (Omega, Longines, Blancpain, Breguet, Rado, Tissot, to name a few). Secondly, the management as well as the format of the fair are in transition, with sweeping changes expected in coming years. These are driven by a need for the fair to adapt to new ways of doing business in our digital times. Thankfully, it also means this side of things doesn’t affect collectors and buyers per se, as evidenced by the frenzy in the online enthusiast community and watch media during Baselworld 2019.
Like every year, there were an incalculable number of interesting, new watches to see. And like every year, these new releases collectively reflected a few trends that are driving the watch industry today. Let’s see what stood out.
Innovation In Mechanical Watchmaking—Still Going Strong
The debate around redundancy of the mechanical watch feels more tired with each passing year, because enthusiasts have long acknowledged it to be an art form rather than an object of pure utility. A smartwatch cannot replace the nostalgia quotient and physical intricacy of a mechanical watch. This is why watch companies, too, have continued to break barriers in timekeeping innovation.
This year, Bulgari introduced the thinnest mechanical chronograph watch in the world with the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT. The Octo collection has been making waves with successive record-breakers and its very distinctive, faceted design. This time, it’s a 6.9mm-thick chronograph with a GMT function. This has been achieved with an automatic movement, no less, by adding a peripheral rotor, which shaves off the extra rotor thickness typical for an automatic watch. The case and dial are made of sandblasted titanium—razor-sharp, razor-thin.
The LVMH Group, which Bulgari is a part of, also put their latest breakthroughs into mainstream production. TAG Heuer announced a new balance spring made of carbon composite in January 2019, with a view to achieve more stability in timekeeping, as carbon isn’t susceptible to magnetic fields and temperature changes. The new line of Autavia Isograph watches all contain these carbon hairsprings.
While TAG Heuer introduced a new material within traditional movement construction, Zenith went for something a lot more out-of-the-box. The Zenith Defy Inventor—conceptualised in 2017 through the use of a new oscillator—makes the Zenith Oscillator technology finally available to buyers. A single component fabricated out of silicon replaces the balance spring, balance wheel and lever. It oscillates at a mind-blowing 18Hz and is a visual spectacle. For comparison, most modern mechanical movements have a frequency of 3Hz to 4Hz. Zenith themselves are quite familiar with high-frequency movements right from the 60s, when the 5Hz El Primero chronograph was born and was pioneering for its time. Speaking of high frequency, Citizen also released an 8.4MHz wristwatch with a hyper-accurate Eco-Drive quartz movement accurate to one second per year!
In Hues Of Gold: Two-Tone And Bronze Watches
Two-tone watches—a term generally used when a watch has a combination of steel and gold—aren’t new. You saw them even in the 1930s, though their popularity peaked in the 1980s. They were a little less common in the last few years, thanks to the wave of minimalism and austerity, but are starting to make a comeback.
And now here’s a personal favourite that I consider to be one of the most pleasant surprises of Baselworld 2019. Carl F. Bucherer launched the Heritage BiCompax Annual—a vintage-inspired chronograph with an annual calendar and oversized date display. One of the versions of this release has a steel-and-rose-gold case, which is complemented by a salmon dial. Carl F. Bucherer is 130 years old, and in recent times—to the best of my recollection—this is the first instance of them seriously looking into their archives for a new launch. Most of their watches have a clearly modern design sensibility, but this particular watch really excites me about other things they have in store.
The other ‘shade of gold’ that’s been quite the rage is bronze. Watches with bronze cases are becoming staples in most brand line-ups now. Till just a few years ago, doing a bronze watch felt radical and was commonly seen with new brands launching their watches on Kickstarter. This year feels like a record year for bronze launches, as its status as novelty material is fast changing into an alternative for steel.
TAG Heuer’s new Autavia Isograph watches include two bronze variants, one with a smoked green dial and another with brown. Graham also launched the Swordfish chronograph in bronze with a green dial—a combination on the cusp of ubiquity, but helped by just how well the two colours play off of each other.
The distinctive MeisterSinger released a line of three single-hand bronze watches—No03, Perigraph and Metris. Each of them have a sunburst blue dial. The Metris stands out in the range due to its friendly 38mm case size and 200m water resistance. The bronze watch that I found myself really liking was the Bell & Ross Bellytanker Chronograph. The black and bronze on that watch come together just so well for a vibe that is so vintage-rich without going for predictable elements such as aged lume.
Oris has done watches in bronze before, but what they did differently this time was a big-trend mash-up of two-tone with bronze. Oris announced four new watches that use a mix of steel and bronze in their cases. The standout here is the Divers Sixty-Five with bronze bezel insert and bracelet centre links. I’ve never seen any brand use bronze in a bracelet. The hues are stunning and kudos to Oris for doing something different.
Vintage Reissues Aren’t Going Anywhere
Heritage-inspired watches aren’t a trend any more, they are the norm, really. People love vintage design cues and brands are happy to oblige. But what was different this time was the number of reissues that nailed each detail of the original they are based on. Breitling came out with Navitimer 806 reissue that is exactly like the 1959 model it takes inspiration from. Old logo, case size, number of bezel beads, handset, dial markings…you name it! The only big changes are the brand new B09 calibre beating within and the SuperLuminova. It is a great example of the way brands should answer demands from collectors who really appreciate such faithful re-editions.
Zenith, expectedly, had something in store to celebrate 50 years of the iconic El Primero chronograph. What we got were a trio of A386 reissues in precious metals—white gold, yellow gold and rose gold. While these are extremely limited in production, Zenith has mentioned something else is in store for later this year to continue the anniversary celebration. We’re looking forward to that.
Seiko on the other hand launched the SLA033, a re-creation of the 6105 diver from the 70s. That was a watch extremely popular with Seiko collectors that holds its place in popular culture as the watch worn by Martin Sheen in the war movie Apocalypse Now. In this case too, everything is kept true to the original, save for more robust, modern construction.
Collaborations And Co-Branded Watches
Timing races and underwater dives are two true-utility wristwatch applications from the 20th century. This is why, till today, watch industry associations run deep with many things automotive and marine. Add the increased social responsibility expectation from luxury houses, and you get two new dive watches from Oris and Carl F. Bucherer.
Oris has the new Aquis Clean Ocean, a limited edition watch with a gradient ocean blue dial. It is in partnership with Pacific Garbage Screening, an organisation working to collect plastic ocean waste. The caseback is made of hard recycled plastic collected from the ocean. On the other hand, Carl F. Bucherer introduced the ScubaTec Black Manta, owing to their association with the UK based Manta Trust. The ScubaTec has a case made from DLC coated titanium and comes on a strap made from recycled PET bottles. The aim of these ‘eco’ editions is to contribute a part of sale proceeds to those who support particular ecological conservation efforts the brand identifies with.
On the automotive front, we had Breitling partnering with Norton motorcycles to create the 42mm Premier Norton Edition Chronograph. It’s a handsome design with gold numerals on a reverse-panda dial (white sub-dials on a black dial). The Norton logo is found on the side of the case as well as the caseback.
What Hublot did, though, was a true collaboration. The Classic Fusion Ferrari GT totally breaks away from what we know an Hublot Classic Fusion to be. The case is instead reinterpreted with curves resembling those on a Ferrari, most noticeably when you look at the crown and chronograph pushers. This one is a smashing design success, given that it is a collaboration, since co-branding is often only superficially included. It is reminiscent of work that Roger Dubuis and Lamborghini have done together.
Over The Rainbow: Not Just Yet
In case you thought last year’s rainbow Daytona was unique and something that comes along just once in a while, this year’s releases will really surprise you. The trend had already begun at SIHH when Parmigiani Fleurier and Audemars Piguet announced watches with rainbow bezels. Cut to Baselworld and there are more.
G-Shock and Junghans had their take on rainbows too. G-Shock launched a metal-cased watch in the MTG line with a special kind of IP coating that gives the bezel a rainbow hue. Because of the way the coating is done, each piece is slightly unique in how the colours appear, making it one of the coolest watches to come out of the fair.
Junghans had the most understated take on the rainbow in their Bauhaus tribute line to celebrate 100 years of Bauhaus. The limited edition Form A has 12 different colours on the dial, one for each hour marker, giving it a playful pop. They signify the colour sphere of 12 hues that Johannes Iten used, for teaching students colour and composition at the Bauhaus school. Clearly, Bauhaus design doesn’t get enough credit for how vivid it can be.
New Stylistic Directions
This Baselworld, we also saw a few brands doing something new and unexpected in style and design terms. Nomos is on top of that list. They released two sports watches on bracelets that have 1,000ft of water resistance—the Tangente Sport and Club Sport. The bracelet is a new in-house design and is assembled from 145 different parts. The approach and details are quintessentially Nomos and yet, the watches represent something we’ve never seen from the brand before.
TAG Heuer focused all its energy on the Autavia Isograph collection. It consists of seven different 42mm watches in steel or bronze. The Isograph watches are aviation inspired, as seen from the large Arabic numerals and oversized crown. Aesthetically, this is another departure, as we typically associate TAG Heuer with automotive racing. The importance of this collection to the brand is evident, as there was no mention of the Monaco at Baselworld, even though 2019 is its 50th anniversary. So we’ll just stay tuned for more on that later in the year.
What Frederique Constant did new was more subtle and perhaps also a little subjective. The Slimline Manufacture Power Reserve speaks the brand’s classic, elegant design language and is the first use of a power reserve display by them. What I personally found more important was the introduction of some tasteful asymmetry to the dial. Frederique Constant make some really fine watches that are among the most fantastic value you can find in the market today. Yet the designs can be considered too conservative for certain tastes. The Slimline Power Reserve, with a new in-house movement, shows them taking a chance with a slightly different aesthetic and that, I feel, is great.
What we’ve captured here is merely a snapshot of the things that the global watch industry will offer consumers this year. Though you can judge from the number and sheer quality of releases, that Baselworld 2019 was as eventful as ever. In 2020, SIHH and Baselworld will be held back-to-back—now imagine what a treat that is going to be!
Amish Behl is India’s first Watch Expert, certified by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), Switzerland. He is a watch specialist and collector based in New Delhi, deeply passionate about the art and history of timekeeping. Behl is also the founder of Definitely Curry, a digital publication about modern ‘made in India’.
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BVLGARI Octo
103068
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Zenith Defy
95.9001.9100/78.R584
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Carl F. Bucherer Heritage
00.10803.07.42.01
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Graham Swordfish
2SXAK.G01A.K137T
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Breitling Navitimer
AB0910371B1X1
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Hublot Classic Fusion
526.OX.0124.VR
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Nomos Glashutte Tangente
581
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Frederique Constant Manufacture
FC-723WR3S4
