In an earlier article we brought you some of the best watches from this year’s Baselworld. Now here are another set of watches that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Without further ado, here is the second half of our list.
HUBLOT
Classic Fusion Ferrari GT
In a relationship that first began in 2011, Hublot has produced a series of spectacular watches with Ferrari that emphasise unique designs and motorisation. The highlight of this partnership in Baselworld 2019 is the airy and elegant Classic Fusion Ferrari GT . The new timepiece integrates, for the first time, Hublot’s famous UNICO manufacture movement into a 45-mm-diameter Classic Fusion case. The second of Hublot’s chronograph calibres – it was unveiled in 2018, the HUB1280 selfwinding flyback chronograph movement, with a 4Hz frequency and column wheel that can be seen from the dial side, has a thickness of only 6.75mm and three-day power reserve.
The case body is distinctively eye-catching, with dynamic lines that make the watch look smaller than its 45mm size thanks to the way it is suspended just off the bezel structure that hold the straps and chronograph pushers. Ferrari’s famous Prancing Horse sits at 12 o’clock – it reappears on the screw-down crown as well – while the 60-minute chronograph counter is at 3 o’clock with the running seconds at 9 o’clock. Its depth of 13.15mm gives it a slim profile and the red chronograph pusher is another nod to Ferrari, as is the red thread around the sapphire crystal. This limited edition timepiece comes in cases of 3D Carbon (pictured above, 500 pieces), King Gold (left, 500 pieces) and, pictured here, titanium (1,000 pieces).
MB&F
Legacy Machine FlyingT
There is something admirable about MB&F, especially in the way the brand – ie Maximilian Büsser – has dedicated its creativity to the pure art of watchmaking. One only needs to survey the timepieces created by the since its founding in 2005 to appreciate the artistry behind its efforts to push the limits of horology. Now, after 14 years, the brand has released its first-ever three-dimensional horological art piece dedicated to women. The visually arresting Legacy Machine FlyingT features a 38.5mm round case in white gold and a high convex dome of sapphire crystal that rises from the bezel. A flying tourbillon, beating at a rate of 2.5Hz, sits in the centre of the dial.
A smaller dial of black or white lacquer sits at 7 o’clock and inclined at a 50° tilt so that only the user can tell the time indicated with two blue serpentine hand. The case is in 18K white gold and set with diamonds, while the red gold solar motif on the caseback swings in time to the automatic rotor. The elegant timepiece comes with either calf or alligator leather straps, and an 18K white gold pin buckle set with diamonds. Three versions are available, all in white gold and set with diamonds. Pictured here is the version with the dial plate and case both fully set with baguette-cut diamonds.
ORIS
Dive Control Limited Edition
Oris returns to the deep with the Dive Control Limited Edition, an evolution of the brand’s high-performance ProDiver watch made for professional divers. It features the Oris-patented Rotation Safety System, a signature Oris device that securely locks the uni-directional rotating bezel in place during a dive, ensuring that the user knows exactly how much time he has left on his dive. The timepiece features an oversized 51mm case cast in lightweight Grade 2 titanium and coated in highly scratch-resistant black DLC, and water-resistant to 100 bar (1,000m). Inside is the Oris’ Caliber 774, offering a power reserve of 48 hours.
To maximise legibility, the black dial is oversized as well, with the hands, hour markers and zero markers on the bezel all filled with Super-LumiNova. Key details are also marked with highly legible yellow as it is one of the most visible colours underwater. The 30-minute chronograph dial, for example, has a yellow counterbalance that reads off against a yellow scale, extending it to a full 60-minute display. As a final touch, the watch, limited to 500 pieces, comes in a waterproof presentation case that includes an additional rubber strap and professional strap-changing tools.
PATEK PHILIPPE
Ref 5212A-001 Calatrava Weekly Calendar
Expanding its collection of ‘useful complications’, Patek Philippe introduced a new complication to its calendar watches: the weekly calendar, a semi-integrated mechanism displaying the current week number as well as the day and date. The Ref 5212A-001 Calatrava Weekly Calendar also houses a completely new self-winding movement, the 304-part Caliber 26-330 S C J SE, which can be seen through the sapphire-crystal caseback and features several technical innovations and optimisations, particularly with regard to the winding mechanism.
The silvery opaline dial stands out with its inimitable style and legibility. The typography was designed specifically for this timepiece and reproduces authentic handwriting, and each letter and number is unique. Hours and minutes are indicated with elegant Dauphine hands in blackened white gold, while two hammershaped hands with red-painted heads indicate the day, week and month. A date aperture sits at 3 o’clock, while the day and week numbers are set using two correctors at 8 and 10 o’clock, respectively, and the date is adjusted with the crown. The 40mm steel case – the only steel Calatrava in Patek Philippe’s regular collection – is complemented with a light-brown hand-stitched calfskin strap secured by a prong buckle in steel.
ROLEX
Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 42
Rolex is extending its Yacht-Master range with a new 42mm model and equipped with the calibre 3235, a new-generation self-winding mechanical movement entirely developed and manufactured by the brand. Calibre 3235 incorporates the Chronergy escapement that combines high-energy efficiency with great dependability, and fitted with an optimised blue Parachrom hairspring that makes it up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shocks. It is also equipped with a self-winding module via a Perpetual rotor and, thanks to its barrel architecture and the escapement’s superior efficiency, offers a power reserve of 70 hours.
As with previous models, the Yacht-Master 42 comes with the distinctive bidirectional rotatable bezel that is fitted with a 60-minute graduated Cerachrom bezel insert in matt black ceramic that perfectly complements the black lacquer dial. The Oyster case, guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100m, is created from 18K white gold, a first for the Yacht-Master range. The caseback is hermetically screwed down with a special tool that allows only Rolex watchmakers to access the movement, providing optimum protection for the highprecision movement. Like all Rolex Professional watches, the Yacht-Master 42 offers exceptional legibility in all circumstances, especially in the dark, thanks to the Chromalight display on the broad hands and hour markers.
TAG HEUER
Autavia
First introduced in 1962, TAG Heuer is reintroducing the legendary Autavia as a standalone collection with a range of models that retains the versatility, ruggedness and reliability of the original, and incorporating the latest watchmaking technology to appeal to a new generation of adventurers. The stylish cockpit-inspired watch (from 1933 to 1957, the Autavia was a dashboard instrument for racing cars and aircrafts) features the rounded first-generation Autavia case and bevelled lugs from the 1960s. A bidirectional rotating bezel with a 60-minute scale enhanced the sporty look of the watch, while the hour markers and hands on the 42mm dial are coated in Super-LumiNova for legibility in any conditions.
Inside, the new Autavia is powered by the automatic Calibre 5 with the revolutionary Isograph, a proprietary state-of-the-art oscillator featuring a carbon composite hairspring and tailor-made balance wheel for high chronometer precision. With a power reserve of 38 hours, the caseback features etching of a propeller and tyre, a nod to the collection’ history. TAG Heuer introduced five models of the Autavia at Baselworld 2019 – three in stainless steel and two in bronze.
