The largest, and arguably most important, trade show for luxury watches and jewelry came to a close today. Held in Basel, Switzerland, dedicated watch lovers flock to BaselWorld to see horological innovations from large, established brand names to smaller, less known creators. What trends emerged during this year's 8 day extravaganza?
It was a milestone year for many different timepieces. Omega went all out to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their Speedmaster series, creating a limited edition Speedmaster Moonwatch as well as showing off their Trilogy set. Patek Philippe honored the 20th anniversary of The Aquanaut line by creating the Ref. 5168G, a redesigned version of the classic with striking blue detail and white gold case which will retail around $39,000.
Smartwatches were out on full display, with well-established mechanical watch manufactures such as TAG Heuer or Mont Blanc integrating smartwatches into their product line. Samsung gave a nod to tradition with their Gear S3, which is a smart pocket watch.
Baselworld continued to create a more balanced picture than in the past. Luxury watch brands are re-adjusting their focus towards middle-class luxury products - while the price range seems to know no upper limit, many established brands are starting to offer lower priced but high-quality models to more mainstream buyers. The innovative German watchmaker Nomos Glashutte (one of our personal favorites!) introduced the Campus line aimed at students with an entry level manual watch for $1,500.
Whether you are a traditionalist, all about new technology, or on a budget, this year's Baselworld had something for you!
Select your timepiece well!
-DTE Team
Photo Credit: Baselworld, Hodinkee, WatchTime
