The best of Baselworld 2017

Basel, Switzerland—One word I learned at last year’s Baselworld, the world’s largest watch and jewelry trade fair, was the French word chouchou (pronounced as if you were shooing something away or showing off footwear). It’s a term of endearment, meaning sweetheart or darling, but the man using it was referring to his favorite watch among the collections he was showing me, so you can tell how much he loved it.

Advertisement

Following in his linguistic footsteps, I would like to present a few of my chouchous from this year’s collections.

Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special 40mm

For some reason, Zenith watches always look spectacular on my wrist. This year is no exception. While I liked the Defy El Primero 21, this year’s talking piece—I mean, I love skeleton complications—the Pilot Extra Special in its three-handed simplicity is extra special. Maybe because it has a burgundy version (and mustard, khaki, and blue). And its 40mm case is the perfect size for my wrist. The case is made of aged steel, giving that hip, retro vibe, and the dial is grained-finished, its texture a nice visual match for the case. Large beige numerals are made from beige Super-LumiNova, so not only do they look good, you can be sure to read the time in the dark. While the Pilot Extra Special was inspired by the classic Pilots, it’s a modern in-house automatic movement that powers the watch. It’s resistant to 10ATM, and has the old Zenith logo engraved on the caseback.

On another note, I think the Pilot Extra Special models perfectly matched the macarons served during the presentation. The said pastries were in similar hues. I figure the watches won’t taste as good though.

Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 5131/1

From the hallowed booth of Patek Philippe, it’s a toss-up between this world time watch and the gorgeous Calatrava Skeleton watch because, hello, skeleton. But I have such wanderlust in my heart (which sadly does nothing for my wallet), that the Ref. 5131 won by a margin. Patek Philippe always combines mechanical know-how with exquisite artistry and craftsmanship, and that is obvious in this timepiece. At the center of the dial is a view of the earth from the North Pole—and it’s a realistic view, depicting a diminished pole, thanks to melting polar ice caps. The earth is done in cloisonné enamel, with the artisan forming the land masses with fine gold wire, then painting the enamel on with miniature brushes, before firing it up in a kiln.

Of course, being a world time watch, it’s easy to see the time in any of the 24 time zones around the world via the city ring encircling the dial. The day/night indication also helps you make sure that you don’t mistakenly call anyone up in the middle of the night. The case and gorgeous link bracelet are in platinum, giving it a nice subtle sheen.

Chopard Happy Ocean

The Happy diamonds by Chopard, dancing across the crystal in between the dial and sapphire crystal, have become in icon in the jeweled ladies watch segment. While pretty, I always thought they were too girly-girl for me. This year, however, Chopard has finally come up with a model that I would love to have on my wrist—the Happy Ocean.

Make no mistake. It’s a technical dive watch that can reach depths of 300m. It’s a fab 40mm of stainless steel (a good size for me), topped by a useful unidirectional bezel. The bezel is where I unobtrusively get my girly-girl kick. You can choose between a blue-turquoise bezel or a blue-raspberry one. The dial is a deep blue that sets off the glowing white hour markers and hands. The minute hand is also outlined in either turquoise or raspberry to match your bezel, as are the rubber straps (or you could go for a navy blue NATO strap for something subtler). Of course, the five Happy diamonds float their merry way around the dial.

Victorinox I.N.O.X. V

Not one of my usual high-tech picks, but a pretty, practical one. While its 37mm is too small for my usual taste, the I.N.O.X. V had me with its gray-pink combination. And the fact that it (along with its bigger brothers) has gone through the “handbag challenge,” one of the 130 durability tests that all the I.N.O.X. watches go through (the others involve getting run over by a steam roller, getting tossed in a washing machine for a couple of hours, and being dropped from great heights).

It’s a standard three-hand watch, albeit with a pretty pink second hand to match the accents in the paracord strap. Which is another selling point for me (I am such a sucker for a good brand story). In case of emergencies, you can unravel the paracord and use it to lash yourself to a mast of a ship in the midst of a tempest, or secure yourself to a rock face, or go fishing to stave off starvation. Alternatively, you could use it to tie up your kids and preserve your sanity, or even separate the cord into individual strands and use it as floss (there are many a situation that can be saved by a flawless smile).

Breguet Marine Equation of Time

Of course, no watch fair would be complete without falling in love with something complicated. Breguet steps up and provides the romance this year with the Marine Équation Marchante 5887. It has—get your notebooks and pens ready, class—the days of the week; months and leap year cycle; retrograde dates; running equation of time; perpetual calendar; and a tourbillon. And it’s also self-winding. And it has an 80-hour power reserve, which is 10 times more than any energy reserves I have.

Of course, being a Breguet, the finishing of the watch is exquisite. All components are hand chamfered, the edges gently and precisely rounded and polished. The dial features two different kinds of engine-turning, one of them creating the distinctive wave pattern. The bridges and barrel—visible through the caseback—are delicately engraved.

That’s just the aesthetics. Lack of space keeps me from going on and on about the tech that goes into all those complications. But in typical Breguet fashion, the entire watch is understated, even if the case comes in 43.99mm rose gold or platinum. It’s one of those watches best appreciated by those in the know.