Market Report

Market Report : BaselWorld 2013

By Keith W. Strandberg, International Editor – Arabian Watches & Jewellery Magazine

The new and improved BaselWorld opened on April 24, 2013, and the change was dramatic. Halle 1 was grander and more expansive, providing a luxurious environment for the brands still in Halle 1. Halle 1.1 and 1.2 were all new as well, with bigger booths and more open space, making for a more pleasant show experience.
 
As every year, there were some discernible trends at this year’s BaselWorld.

Watch Trends
 
Vintage is still a hot style, with more and more companies entering the already crowded marketplace. Striving to strike a chord or to work in an area of timeless design, companies have been mining their own archives or co-opting vintage designs.
 
One high profile example of this is the debut of Shinola, a new entry-level brand that is assembled in the USA. With a beautiful booth in Hall 1.2, Shinola announced to the world that it is here and its watches are “Built in Detroit.”

A partnership between Swiss movement maker Ronda and Bedrock Manufacturing (founded by Tom Kartsosis of Fossil fame), Shinola fuses vintage designs with modern attention to detail, and the first collections from the company, the Runwell and the Brakeman, are good looking and priced very well.

Classic and Elegant continues to be a strong segment of the business. Due to economic difficulties, the thought is that consumers are looking for watches that will stand the test of time and not be outdated in a few years. Some companies, like Patek Philippe, Girard-Perregaux and Chopard, have been doing this all along, while others turned their attention to classic, elegant and traditional designs, with great effect.

Unique and Different: In order to stand out, newer companies are forced to do things differently. Having a unique design, a new display, unusual materials and more can help a brand stand out. Making a “me too” watch is no longer enough, so new brands have to shake things up with cutting-edge thinking.
 
Pink/Rose/Red gold seems to be precious metal of choice. Though for many years we have been hearing about the return of yellow gold, it was nowhere in sight this year. The real story this year was the dominance of copper-hued gold.
 
Omega introduced its new pink gold alloy, Sedna (Sedna is a trans-Neptunian object, almost a planet, that is the reddest and brightest object in the universe]. This new alloy is more resistance to oxidation – the red gold color will take longer to go back to yellow gold (and all red gold eventually will).

World Time Watches
 
This year’s BaselWorld was the year of the world time/GMT watch. Many companies released world timers, but the most exciting were the watches from Citizen (Satellite Wave-Air), Omega (Aquaterra GMT), Seiko (Astron Limited Edition), Nixon (the Passport), Hautlence (the Destination) and Jacob & Co. (the Ghost).

Innovation is an area where Swiss companies excel, and there were two main ground-breaking innovations this year:

TAG Heuer MikroPendulumS

This double tourbillon uses the magnetic escapement first introduced in TAG’s Pendulum concept system. There was a problem with the Pendulum, as it wasn’t stable in varying temperatures. TAG Heuer has solved this problem and put the pendulum system to work in a new double tourbillon concept watch. One tourbillon regulates the operation of the watch, while the other tourbillon handles the chronograph.

Omega Non-Magnetic

While TAG Heuer was introducing magnets, Omega was fighting against magnetic forces, with its new Seamaster Aqua Terra >15,000 gauss. This new watch which can withstand magnetic fields greater than 1.5 tesla (15,000 gauss), far exceeding the levels of magnetic resistance by any watch movement previously. A true breakthrough, working to solve a problem that has plagued watches forever.
 
Swatch 30th Anniversary Watch

To celebrate the anniversary of the first Swatch models introduced in 1983, Swatch is doing it again. The new Swatch Est. 1983 is housed in a transparent plastic case with a skeleton dial that showcases the mechanical movement inside. The word “Celebrate” is printed twice on the golden driving wheel and around the dial are all the years from 1983 to 2013.
 
The Independents continued to amaze and impress. Many were gathered in the Palace are of the show, but others were sprinkled throughout the show. The most impressive watches from these innovative thinkers were:

The Christophe Claret Kantharos – a chronograph with a minute repeater gong when the pushers are actuated. Seems like a simple idea, but Claret is the first to implement it.

The Spero Lucem La Clemence – inspired by the codes of traditional Geneva watchmaking, this beautiful minute repeater is the foundation of what should be a solid brand.
 
The Arnold & Son Royal TrueBeat 88 – reintroduces the dead beat second (which they call True Beat) as a complication.
 
The Breva Génie 01 – the first mechanical watch to include atmospheric display.
 
The De Bethune Imperial Fountain – inspired by a fountain in China’s Old Summer Palace, this limited edition set of 12 timepieces beautifully integrates the métier d’art of engraving and Grand Feu enamel with the high watchmaking for which De Bethune is known.
 
The Devon Tread 2 – a smaller version of the ground-breaking Tread 1. The company also introduced the Exoskeleton version of the Tread 1. Seriously cool.

The Hautlence Destination, mentioned above, and the cool new HL 2.3 keep this small brand moving forward strongly.

UK-based Bremont announced a new timepiece called the Codebreaker, based on the efforts of the UK to crack Axis’ messages during World War II. More info will be available after the watch’s launch at the end of June.

Finally, one of my favorite watches from the fair is the Maurice Lacroix Mysterious Seconds. This watch combines the elegant designs of Maurice Lacroix with a true magical movement -- a fantastic combination that really catches the eye.

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