By Jovan Krstevski
I’ll admit that I was excited for Baselworld 2016 with those beautiful innovative timepieces which are presented every year. For me, this year’s been enthralling thanks to all the updates that have been made to existing watches. We can’t wait to see what innovative pieces will come next year. We’re all horology fans here so we love watches no matter how they come, so here’s a list of our top 5 favourites from this year’s show.
5. Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Chronograph Master Chronometer
What makes this timepiece very special is, of course, its aesthetics and build quality. If you know Omega by heart you’ll somehow see the classic moonphase Speedmaster on this timepiece but what this one touts is its METAS certification. It comes on a tough 44 mm stainless steel case featuring a nice bezel insert made of ceramic and some Liquidmetal composition. The blue dial is very traditional sporting ambient hues all around it making time reading more fun. It’s powered by Omega caliber 9904 movement with time, 12-hour chronograph, date, and a new moonphase indicator. The caseback is also a joy to behold but what I really like about this Omega is its METAS. omegawatches.com
4. Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
This high-end timepiece sports a 45 mm large case made of an impressive 18k white gold case while holding a Fairmined certification supporting the miners in Latin America. The design is amazing sporting a lovely dark theme for the elegant lugs, traditional bezel, chrono pushers, crown and solid gold disc dial. It also sports Chopard’s first in-house Calibre 3.10-L movement based on the chronograph movement from the L.U.C 1963 chrono wristwatch upgraded with a perpetual calendar mechanism. chopard.com
3. Seiko Credor Fugaku Tourbillon Limited Edition
First of all, this is a limited edition made by Seiko’s high-end arm Credor and it is also a pioneering Seiko tourbillon so I guess we’ll see more timepieces like this from Seiko. It sports an ultra-thin Caliber 6830 which Seiko claims has the world’s smallest tourbillon by volume. Well, this claim has to be tested but I’m not really interested in this figure so I’ll just leave it alone. The 37-hour power reserve can also be made better. Nevertheless, design wise I like the watch. It features a Hokusai-inspired engravings on its dial making it so nice to look at and surprisingly legible considering the artwork. seikowatches.com
2. Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
This is, of course, Rolex’s stunner for Baselworld 2016 with new bezel and dials. The fact is everybody wants it because it is a thing of beauty that is if you’re really into horology. This Rolex comes with ceramic bezel for utmost toughness. The case design is lovely with a combination of light and dark colors which is perfect for this Daytona. Nevertheless, we see the same 4130 automatic self-winding movement which is a certified chronometer movement that is reliable as ever. It is capable of operating up to 72 hours without the chronograph being active. This is a lovely Rolex watch that blends traditional reliability with perfect style. rolex.com
1. Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire
First, on our list is the incredible Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire watch. It is a thing of beauty belonging to the elite band of two brothers, Bart and Tim Grönefeld. Besides its amazing looks, what it really shines for is its remarkable technologies that has survived the tests of time. Its movement sports a series of gears and springs that provide a constant amount of power in a clockwork mechanism that effectively removes the ever decreasing amounts of torque exerted when the barrels unwind. This translates to 36 hours of power reserve with a stop system – it’s a cool feature for this wonder dress watch to have. Moreover, its bridges are also made of solid stainless steel resulting in rigidity and cool looks for the movement that can also be seen through the sapphire caseback. Whether you’re in for pure business or for some pleasure, this watch is also rated up to 30 meters just in case you need a quick splash. gronefeld.com
JOVAN KRSTEVSKI – FOUNDER, PROPRIETOR & EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Jovan Krstevski has been collecting watches every since his father bought him an Omega Seamaster back when he was just a teenager. He launched Watchgeek back in 2011, which is now known as WristReview and is one of the most widely read watch blogs on the Web. He quotes ’WristReview is a site to help people find, explore, discover and enjoy wristwatches.’ Besides WristReview, he also writes for a number of publications. Read his articles here
