Broad horizons (part 1)

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Broad horizons (part 1) - Baselworld 2014
2 minutes read
As we head towards Baselworld 2014, the first previews already available on certain new releases testify to the constantly renewed diversity of contemporary watchmaking.

It’s soon party time for the watch industry again, with Baselworld 2014 opening on March 27th and once again hosting hundreds of brands from a wide range of backgrounds. Bedat&Co. will be introducing its reference 384 model, a diamond-set ladies’ watch imbued with the Art Deco spirit entirely in tune with company history. The same goes for Boucheron, which is offering a new take on its stellar Reflet watch. A rectangular model regularly interpreted for over 20 years in a variety of sizes, materials and gem-set variations, the Reflet watch made its mark on its era thanks to an interchangeable strap system. It returns in a series of versions including a slim and tall variation equipped with a self-winding movement and featuring a blue sapphire at 12 o’clock, a gemstone also picked up on the crown. 

 

TNT Royal Retro 43

 

"In a classic vein..."

In a similarly classic vein, Raymond Weil is presenting its Toccata, a slim and understated 1950s style range-entry model perpetuating the in-house tradition of giving its models musically-inspired names. On a more extravagant yet still vintage note, the Historiador Flameante by Cuervo y Sobrinos turns the spotlight on its dial with a radiating (flameante in Spanish) guilloché pattern. Swiss traditions meet the French renaissance spirit with Julien Coudray. Its 1588 is the brand’s first sports watch and first automatic model. Its in-house produced case, bracelet and movement are made of titanium and red gold, while its finely crafted hand-wound movement will rub shoulders with a number of horological complications. Complexity and refinement are also the name of the game in Armin Strom’s Tourbillon Gravity Fire, equipped with a micro-rotor based automatic winding system entirely made by Armin Strom in Bienne. Louis Moinet has chosen an even rarer theme for the exterior of its Qatar Tourbillon, named after the Qatar 001 meteorite from which the 12 dials of this limited edition have been fashioned. 

 

Armin-Strom-Gravity-Tourbillon-Fire

 

"In the world of the crazy..."

We then enter the world of the crazy, innovator makers of horological UFOs. Pierre DeRoche unveils a 43 mm version of its TNT Royal Retro, with its dial-free design revealing the mechanism driving its six-times retrograde seconds display. HYT continues to bring us time in a bottle – or rather in a tube. Its H2 introduces a new blue fluid accentuating the cool strength of its titanium and white gold case. Meanwhile, there are also some treats in store for ladies and all those keen on gem-setting. Hermès presents the Arceau Temari associating diamonds with onyx, white mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli or opal marquetry, in accordance with a Japanese inspiration that we will examine in more detail at a later date. Finally, in this initial roundup, Backes & Strauss takes the diamond theme to its ultimate conclusion with its full-pavé Piccadilly Princess Royal Colours. Yellow, cognac, green, orangey and even pink diamonds, appearing in pear, brilliant-emerald, navette, Ascher, heart and other cuts: the brand combines a truly stunning array of all-natural shades and shapes in this Piccadilly Princess offering a panoramic view of the expertise cultivated by the English diamond specialist. 

 

Hermes-Temari

 

Click on the large picture at the top of the page to view the slideshow.

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