Glashütte original sixties and sixties panorama date

BASELWORLD & BEYOND PREVIEW A to Z. Part 2: Glashütte Original to Oris

It is harder than ever for executives to see all the watches they might sell this year, so WatchPro has done some of the leg work for you in this A to Z roundup of what we know is launching at Baselworld and Beyond.

There will be over 500 brands to work through at this year’s Baselworld, plus Swatch Group, Fossil Group, Festina Group, Movado Group and many more are exhibiting their 2019 collections to retailers, customers and press at other events.

It is harder than ever for executives to see all the watches they might sell this year, so WatchPro has done some of the leg work for you in this A to Z roundup of what we know is launching at Baselworld and Beyond.

In this second part of three, WatchPro walks you through 2019 novelties from Glashütte Original  to Oris.

GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL
SIXTIES AND SIXTIES PANORAMA DATE

Glashütte original sixties and sixties panorama date

Swatch Group’s luxury German watchmaker Glashütte Original is following up on the success of its Sixties family of watches, which launched last year in green, with a vivid pair of orange and red models reminiscent of the Eye of Mordor in the Lord of the Rings for 2019.

There will be a three handed model and one with a panoramic date, both using bold burnt orange textured dégradé dials that the company says represents the freedom and courageousness in art, culture, politics and society of the sixties.

Starting from a golden yellow at the centre, the colour flows across the curved surface, changing to fiery orange and red before reaching the black perimeter.

The dégradé effect is highly technical and was achieved by Glashütte’s own dial manufactory in Pforzheim. Two new movements were also developed in house for the watches.

H. MOSER & CIE
PIONEER TOURBILLON AND PIONEER CENTRE SECONDS

H moser pioneer tourbillon and centre seconds low

 

H. Moser & Cie chose Watches and Wonders in Miami as the venue to unveil its Pioneer Tourbillon and Pioneer Centre Seconds timepieces that the watchmaker describes as “all-terrain models with sturdy character”.

Sturdy they may be, but they are also refined and stylish in their 42.8mm red gold cases with black DLC-finished titanium inserts framing midnight blue fumé dials.

The Pioneer Tourbillon is equipped with the manufacture HMC 804 self-winding calibre while the Pioneer Centre Seconds houses the HMC 200 self-winding movement. The tourbillon model is limited to 50 pieces.

HUBLOT
SPIRIT OF BIG BANG YELLOW SAPPHIRE

Spirit of big bang yellow sapphire 3

 

Catching the eye of burnt out buyers at Baselworld is never easy, but Hublot has given itself a decent chance with the creation of a bright yellow Sapphire Spirit of Big Bang.

The watch was previewed to a select audience in Geneva in January, but could be a star piece at the Basel fair thanks to its sunny disposition.

Hublot watches capture the “art of fusion”, the company says, and this is demonstrated best in its mastery of sapphire, which has already been used to create transparent cases in smoked black, blue and red in previous years.

Once dug out of the ground in tiny quantities, Hublot now makes large, uniform, transparent and colored sapphires that, when used in watch cases, give a 360 window into the inner workings of its movements.

The 100 piece limited edition Spirit of Big Bang Yellow Sapphire’s 42mm case houses a self-winding HUB4700 skeleton chronograph movement.

ICE-WATCH
STEELSPORTS

Ice watch steel

 

Ice-Watch, a brand best known for its soft silicon timepieces, has created its first collection in steel.

The three-handers with date come in a range of colour combinations, some of which will be familiar to Hulk, Pepsi and root beer fans, with prices ranging from €149 to €169.

The Ice Steel hits the current gender-neutral trend, and the company expects the same models to appeal to both men and women. There are 32 SKUs, all housing quartz Miyota movements.

Options include different dial and bezel colours and a choice of silver and bi-colour brushed or polished steel.

Some models also have silicon straps, coloured steel bands, and there are variations with Swarovski crystals on the dial.

GUCCI
G-TIMELESS

Gucci g timeless

Gucci is going gender-neutral in the promotion of its G-Timeless collections in 2019.

In news ahead of its presentations at Baselworld, the fashion house has unveiled a 38mm G-Timeless Automatic watch in a variety of colours that the company says enrich both the masculine and feminine offering of the automatic line. The watches are available in 18ct yellow gold or steel.

2019 will also see a range of new colours used in the 40mm collections of G-Timeless Automatics. The design has also been tweaked with the addition of a small second hand and guilloché pattern on the dial.

Numbers on the dial give way to signature House motifs such as the bee and feline head. The watches all feature sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating and are water resistant to 50m.

JEAN MARCEL
TANTUM COLLECTION

Jeanmarcel

 

Jean Marcel’s Tantum collection has an invisible JM emblem on the watch face’s crystal that becomes visible only when breathed on.

It is a unique sign of authenticity for the German business that manufactures in Switzerland.

Tantum is a broad range of watches that have slim, flat, steel cases in common.

The JM A10 chronographs, which use the ETA 2894-2 automatic movement, come in at a height of only 11mm while the more dressy JM H05 watches, at just 6mm high, use the hand wound ETA Peseux movement. A new 3-hand automatic this year, the JM A09, is 8mm thick and uses ETA‘s 2892A2 Élaboré calibre.

The watches look even slimmer because the circular cases are still comparatively wide at 42mm. The collection is priced at around €1000.

LONGINES
HYDROCONQUEST

Hydroconquest ceramic chronograph

 

Longines will unveil a revamped line of steel HydroConquest dive watches in 2019. The watches have a bezel enhanced with a coloured ceramic.

They are water resistant to 300 metres thanks to their screw-down crown and case back and count down a diver’s time underwater using the unidirectional rotating bezel.

The collection comes in a range of styles including blue, black or grey with dial colours matching the bezel’s ceramic insert and rubber strap, while the metal version combines polished and brushed steel across the case and bracelet.

They come in 41mm and 43mm models. The 2019 family has three handers with date and chronographs.

MECCANICHE VELOCI
PODIUM

Meccaniche veloci icon podium titanium e1552903737651

Meccaniche Veloci will unveil a new edition of its Podium timepiece, with its distinctive four carbon-fibre dials, at Baselworld. The lower two dials are skeletonised, allowing the technical details of the dual time zone inhouse manufacture calibre MV8802 to be admired.

The 49mm piston-shaped case comes in natural titanium for the new model.

“The Icon Podium collection adds further technical appeal to a timepiece that embodies Meccaniche Veloci’s production philosophy where not a single detail is left to chance,” the company says.

“The passion for watchmaking technology and the eternal inspiration of the world of engines combined with the certified 100% Swiss-made parts find a new expression in this collection,” it adds. The watch will retail for CHF 7,900.

MONDAINE
CLASSIC COLLECTION

Mondaine classic collection

Mondaine is maintaining its commitment to minimising harm to the planet this year and has created a fresh range of straps for its Classic collection made from recycled PET bottles.

The straps also bring a fresh look to the Classic, which never drifts far from the design of the Official Swiss Railways clocks.

Three quick-change straps are being introduced this Spring in modern asymmetrical striped designs. “These straps act as the perfect foil to the modernist pared-back dials,” the company says. The Classic collection comes in 30mm and 40mm models priced at £169.

ORIS
AQUIS

 

Oris aquis date green low

Oris will add to its Aquis collection of dive watches this year with a special edition known as the Aquis Date Relief that will raise funds and awareness for ocean conservation projects, and a striking green dialed edition with matching ceramic green bezel.

The Aquis comes in a 39.5mm steel case that protects the Oris 733 movement (based on an SW 200-1) from water to a depth of 300 metres thanks to its screw down crown and steel back plate.

It is available on a steel sport bracelet, a black rubber strap or dark brown leather strap. Retail price will be local currency equivalent of CHF 2000.

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