INTERNATIONAL - At the Baselword fair, such luxury brands as Rolex, Bulgari, Tag Heuer, Patek Phillippe, Omega bring their best wares for the new year.
The Rolex GMT Master-II Pepsi Dial in Stainless Steel
This unexpected release from Rolex has been one of the stars of the show. This GMT style of watch (Greenwich Mean Time variation allows wearers to track time zones) debuted in the 1950s in stainless steel, with a combination red-and-blue bezel to distinguish between day and night. Rolex stopped making versions of the watch in 2007. The model, beloved among collectors, was revived by the brand in 2014 in white gold. It's now available in the original stainless steel, a boon to Rolex fans because, at $9,250, it is roughly a third of the price. Expect waiting lists for this one to extend for years.
Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg
Announced earlier in March at the Geneva Motor Show, Tag Heuer created this handsome chronograph in partnership with sports car brand Aston Martin.
Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg
The Fifth Element by MB&F and L'Epée 1839. This four dials on this desk clock—which separately reports time, temperature, humidity, and air pressure—are removable and can stand on their own. Only 18 will be made in each of three colorways; you can get one for your desk for a mere $55,000. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg
The Gucci G-Timeless. While mechanical watches by Swiss brands tend to be the stars of such shows, fashion houses that include Chanel, Gucci, Calvin Klein, and Dolce & Gabbana showcase designs that don't take themselves as seriously. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg
Patek Philippe WorldTime Minute Repeater. Created for a Grand Exhibition Patek staged in New York, the 5531R WorldTime Minute Repeater combined a hand-painted dial, a world time complication, and a chiming function. This version, new for Baselworld, features a different image on the face. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg
The Citizen Satellite Wave GPS Super Titanium. This solar-powered quartz watch from Citizen automatically connects to a GPS satellite to maintain accurate timekeeping. The brand has sold a version of it since 2011, but this year's model is made in a metal Citizen calls Super Titanium. It's thinner and lighter than previous iterations. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg
The Bell & Ross BR-X1 Skeleton Tourbillon. Bell & Ross debuted new, limited-edition versions of this $480,000 watch in six different colors. The blue model will be sold exclusively through mrporter.com. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg
The Nomos Autobahn Collection. This new collection from German watchmaker Nomos features the brand's first-ever curved dial. It will retail for $4,800. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg
The Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture. This looks like a mechanical watch—and it is—but it's also a smartwatch—delivering analytics on steps, sleep, heart rate, and more to an app on the wearer's phone. It also measures the watch's own precision and consistency, reporting this via the app. Photographer: Chris Rovzar
The Arnold & Son Globetrotter. This World Time watch stood above the crowd for its dramatic, domed design and rotating Earth. It will retail for $16,995. Source: Arnold & Son