A TIMELY SPRING Exclusively for Net2Watches, Elizabeth Doerr reflects on the spring fairs in Switzerland

Every spring the watch world puts all other interests on hold to take a look at the industry’s new timepieces, which are presented with great fanfare in Switzerland. Ten years ago, this would have been done exclusively at Baselworld. But today, Baselworld is no longer center stage. It may be the biggest stage, but it now shares the spotlight with the S.I.H.H. (Salon International de Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva, the Franck Muller group’s W.P.H.H. (World Presentation of Haute Horlogerie) in Genthod, and many satellite exhibitions surrounding the three main events in Basel and Geneva. For two weeks in April 2007, new timepieces were the topic of every discussion.   Baselworld  2007   Baselworld opened on April 12 to a fresh, springy look—aided by the beautiful sunny weather shining down on Switzerland for the duration. Inside the refurbished halls, Baselworld’s exhibitors displayed some distinct trends for the coming watch year. Fashion forward brands had at least one timepiece accessorized with the color brown—brown dials, brown straps, and in some cases even brown metal. The dials, dubbed a variety of colorful names such as chocolate and tobacco, were often paired with brown alligator, crocodile, or even rubber straps and at times rose gold cases. As far as fashion went, these timepieces seemed to be all the rage. A second trend crystallizing at Baselworld 2007 was the use of carbon fiber, a black composite material that stabilizes incredibly when woven. Carbon fiber is currently being primarily used for dials, but this year’s Baselworld saw the high-tech material in use for the first time as cases and movement parts. Tuscan designer Giuliano Mazzuoli, for example, showed a prototype watch case completely crafted in carbon fiber without a metal skeleton underneath it. Bell & Ross’s BR01 Instrument Tourbillon featured an unusual movement whose base plate is crafted in carbon fiber. Aside from such fashionable elements that make a trend in any given year, it became evident at Baselworld that the industry was taking a much-needed breather in terms of technology. The last few years have seen tremendous breakthroughs in technology at absolutely breakneck speed—apparently it was time for the brands to kick back a gear and begin to moderate the pace, which included exhibiting a number of existing models in new sizes and reworking dials for a newer look. In many cases, the movement technology was not new. The apparent slow-down made the really technical new items stand out even more. Jacob & Co. continues to introduce watch technology as if it were going out of style, presenting two extreme pieces of haute horlogerie at Baselworld 2007 in the Crystal Tourbillon and the Quadra models. Bell & Ross’s above-mentioned Instrument Tourbillon was a standout due to the amount of new, unusual technology contained within. And, of course, Harry Winston had a number of unique timepieces on display thanks to cooperations with independent watchmakers Andreas Strehler on the Opus 7 and Christophe Claret on the Tourbillon Glissière. Zenith continues down the path of extreme technology with its Xtreme line. Ulysse Nardin maintains its groundbreaking work with silicon and synthetic diamond in the movement. With just about thirty new tourbillons—among them models by Paul Picot and Cuervo y Sobrinos—many continue to rely on the aid of behind-the-scenes technicians such as Technotime to create unique specimens.

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