Baselworld: Saturday, March 29, 2014

Today at Baselworld we saw high jewelry watches, flyback chronos and a spectacular Westminster minute repeater, from brands including Bulgari, Zenith, Glashütte, Blancpain and de Grisogono.

The Zenith Transparency Premiere Universe Legend Limitation (pictured above) is a 60mm pocket watch with a case that is carved out of sapphire crystal. It houses a historical movement, the El Primero Caliber 5011K. The metal elements of the case are chased and engraved entirely by hand, with a grand feu enamel dial. It is limited to 10 pieces.

Glashütte Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date, the most recent edition to this retro styled watch, with an entirely new chronograph Caliber 37-02, a 4Hz caliber designed and built in the German watchmaker’s manufacture. It comes in three versions of a galvanized dial: blue, silver or ruthenium. It contains the brand’s signature panorama date, which designed in the ’70s.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronograph Flyback, inspired by the original 1950s models. It has a date and small seconds, a black ceramic bezel with ceramic insert, and Liquidmetal hour markers. It contains the self-winding Caliber F385, with a 50 hour power reserve. It oscillates at 36,000VpH and is equipped with a column wheel mechanism. It is water resistant to 300 meters and is anti-magnetic.

De Grisogono Grappoli, set with briolette cut gems in a choice of orange sapphire, blue sapphire, emerald or amethyst, one of four new watch collections launched this year by the company. The movement is quartz. De Grisogono head Fawaz Gruosi intends to make a special Cannes edition this year.

Bulgari Ammiraglio del Tempo (Admiral of Time), a Westminster Chime minute repeater with four hammers and four gongs. An homage to marine chronometers, the movement has a detent escapement for high accuracy and a constant-force device, which regulates the energy supplied by the barrel to the balance. One of the lugs serves as the activating slide for the minute repeater, a first in watchmaking.