And just like any previous Baselworld showing, Baselworld 2017 has proven to be a blast. With the dust well settled, it's about time we recount our memories of the event. Of the slew of new pieces unveiled, here are Lengbeau's top 5 picks (not in any particular order), and we can't wait to explain to you why these watches in particular speak to us. What's more, we'll also name new pieces that made us go "meh." for a myriad of reasons, be it a sheer creative laziness, or simply a head-scratching idea.
Let's check them out.
#1: Hermès Slim d’Hermès L’heure impatiente
The 40.5mm wide, rose gold-cased dress watch came into existence in the form of a mechanical hourglass (that is, on top of its usual function of telling time) which serves as an event reminder that begins to start counting down exactly 1 hour before an event - supposedly something that drives its wear "impatient" about (e.g. a much anticipated date, an important business presentation etc.) - to take place any time in the next 12 hours. You activate the "impatient hour" mechanism by pressing the button at 9 o'clock and set the event time using the crown at 4 o'clock, which moves the small 12-hour subdial near 4 and 5 o'clock. Once you're within 60 minutes of the time of the event, the semi-fan shaped subdial near 6 and 7 o'clock kicks into motion, with its hand sweeping across the 60-minute scale, ending with a sweet chime as the hand lays above the musical note symbol, announcing the arrival of the big event. Now THAT's innovative. And we can't help but to feel a little mellow about how well this watch captures the human mentality of "I can't wait to (insert important event here)!".
#2: Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Chronograph
The 203-part El Primero 9004 is designed to measure lapsed time up to an accuracy of 1/100th of a second. Yes, that basically leads to a chronograph hand spinning like crazy as the chronograph function is set off, taking exactly one second to travel around the dial once, having made 100 tiny advances that the human eyes could not capture. To achieve that, the movement makes use of 2 separate sets of balance wheels, gear trains and mainsprings, powering the chronograph and timekeeping functions respectively. Everything about the edgy and bold Defy El Primero 21 screams action, and we can only imagine it appealing to anyone who craves for a little mechanical fiesta on their wrist: everyone.
(to be continued)