Like every year, Baselworld 2017 was more than just a fair full of timepieces. Retailers and watch enthusiast from all over the world have been religiously visiting it for many year and so did Team Johnson Watch Co.
Before we go in depth here are the top 10 luxury watches of Baselworld 2017: • Breguet Watches - Tradition Dame 7038 • Harry Winston Priemere Silk Collection • Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary • Chopard Happy Ocean • Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic • Zenith Defy El Primero 21 • Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Collection • Tag Heuer Connected 2 Modular 45 • Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph • Rolex Skydweller
*Not by ranking
The annual trade show, Baselworld that brings together the biggest names in the watchmaking and jewelry market this year saw the likes of Gucci, Chanel, Omega, Chopard, and Rolex showing off their latest and greatest wares. From bottom to top, our list might be little biased but trust us, it’s one of the toughest list for a timekeeper since 3 generations to choose best amongst best.
1. Breguet Watches - Tradition Dame 7038
Breguet Tradition Dame 7038
Dedicating it’s this year’s launch to women, Breguet presented a beautiful yet very impressive featureful watch With 68 brilliant-cut diamonds on its bezel and a watchmovement jewel bedecking its crown. Walking the line between high end jewellery and haute horology, this watch stole many hearts at the show. Its offset dial is made of natural white mother of pearl, and the signature open tipped Breguet hands consist of rose gold.
2. Harry Winston Watches – Premier Silk Delicate Collection
Harry Winston Premier Silk Collection
This year Harry Winston watches bring some of its most iconic collections with a profound Art Deco design aesthetic. Exploring the origins of luxury and fusing together the ancient art of silk weaving and embossing, with a dash of noble inspiration from Europe’s royal houses, Premier Silk delicate collection mark, for the first time, the artistic marriage of silk and the art of embossing. Presented on satin straps, the gold ardillon buckles are also set with 17 brilliant-cut diamonds. Each model is a limited edition of 30 pieces.
3. Omega Watches - Huge Range
Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary
Omega, this year, had a very large number of compelling new watches in almost every collection. Like every year this year too the overlap in their collection is very much visible. To be precise, we mean the brand this year has way too many similar timepieces to offer at similar price range. This allows consumers to easily choose the product that is right for them. Moreover, on a regular basis they come out with new versions of their watches.This in turn even makes some Omega lovers complain about not being able to make a purchase decision. Ever been to a Baselworld that hasn’t introduced a new Speedmaster collection timepiece? The answer is certinly no. This year there were certainly more than a couple as it is the 60th anniversary of the Omega Speedmaster family's beginning. While the Apollo Moon missions made the Speedmaster famous, the origins of the collection are actually in motorsports (hence the name). The 2017 Omega Speedmaster Racing CoAxial Master Chronometer introduces refinements more than novelty, but refinements that make good watches even better.
4.Bvlgari Watches - Octo Finissimo Automatic
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic
With jaw dropping record-setting thinness and a new micro-rotor automatic movement, the 2017 Bulgari Octo Finissimo might be the watch that really puts not only the brand but the modern Octo collection too on the map. Offering practicality and a lovely form in a thin profile that you can't wait to put on your wrist to appreciate. Eschewing the dial and case finishing that people were previously familiar with, Bvglari introduces this new watch in a novel way. Also the titanium bracelet makes the watch feel incredibly light.
5. Zenith Watches Defy El Primero 21
Zenith Defy El Primero 21
A sophisticated blend of contemporary skeletonized aesthetics and technology, with a price that won’t make eyes (of seasoned watch lover’s) bulge, the new Zenith Defy El Primero 21 is a beautiful watch. Based and built on the iconic 5Hz El Primero automatic chronograph, the El Primero 21 adds a 50Hz second regulation system to control a 1/100th-of-a-second chronograph adding an element which features some compelling new technology. Coming in a new modern and masculine case, this is truly the Zenith watch of today, that ideally contains what people loved about the Zenith of yesterday. The Zenith Defy El Primero 21 comes in a few styles, priced at $10,600 in non-skeletonized titanium, $11,600 in skeletonized titanium, and $12,600 for skeletonized black titanium.
6.Jaquet Droz Watches - Petite Heure Minute Collection
Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Collection
With a whopping price tag of $30,000 to 40,000, the beautiful Petite Heure Minute Collection just awes the watch lovers. Ofcourse the cost is justified by the labor behind every piece. JD expanded their Petite Heure Minute collection, inside which tiny paintings (made by hand) of a lion, flamingo and koi carp stand out against black Grand Feu enamel. This is a case study in magnificence, and the brand has not neglected the watches' insides. Each of the 28 pieces in the three lines has a self-winding mechanical movement and features a 68-hour power reserve. Due to the labor behind each piece, prices range from $30,000-40,000.
7. Chopard Watches - Happy Ocean
Chopard Happy Ocean
Diving with diamonds? No? Chopard decided to go otherwise with its latest chic-as-you-like women’s watch, unveiled at the Baselworld 2017, watch fair in Switzerland. The Chopard Happy Ocean is a dive watch in the classic mold, with a uni-rotating bezel, luminous hands and hour markers for clear visibility when submerged, and a depth rating of 300 metres. Floating like oxygen bubbles underwater, however, are five brilliant-cut diamonds. “Happy” diamonds have been a mainstay of Chopard’s women’s watches for decades, including the Happy Sport range – though never in a watch as truly sporty, and set for the summer, as this $7,700.
8.
Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45
Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45
We have extensively talked about this watch on our previous blog. Visit here to know about this beautiful watch.
9.Hublot Watches - Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph
Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph
Turning 70 this year, Ferrari with its watch partner Hublot has have joined hands with design studio to Flavio Manzoni, the marque’s revered design overlord, for a Hublot watch with a very new look. Inspired from a supercar’s lightweight chassis and a case that forms a skeletonised frame around a dial. The brand’s in-house tourbillon chronograph engine, meanwhile, is on full show. The Hublot Techrame Ferrari 70 Years Tourbillon Chronograph launches at Baselworld, with variants in titanium, forged carbon and “magic gold” (Hublot’s scratchproof alloy), limited to 70 editions of each.
10. Rolex Sky-Dweller Watches In Two-Tone Steel & Gold
Rolex Skydweller
Released in 2012 as the brand's first totally new watch collection in over 10 years, Rolex Skywalker, at the time of the release this was major news. The only and most important reason was that it was a completely new reference from the brand. It not only included a new movement with a new complication for Rolex (Annual calendar and GMT) and till date it remains Rolex's most complicated watch. This year Baselworld 2017 is a refreshed model in gold and steel with some tweaks to make the dial sleeker. Available at less than half the cost of the previous versions, which will open the line up to a whole new market. To sum up, according to us 2017 was certainly not about novelty in the watch industry. It was more about refinement and product family expansion. We saw a lot of amazingly improved watches but very few actually new watches – especially among “very high end” price ranges in the $3,000 - $10,000 category which is the sweet spot for the majority of luxury watch consumers.