NEWNESS AND NOVELTIES BEING SHOWN AT BASELWORLD

Dozens of watch manufacturers have converged on Basel, Switzerland for the Baselworld World Watch and Jewelry show (through March 30), which is chockablock with new and novelty models sure to make retailers take notice.

One of the world’s most popular brands, Tudor, is offering its new Heritage Black Bay Steel watch, which retains the lines and proportions of this popular collection, while the disc of the rotating bezel is machined from steel then circular satin-brushed for a matt appearance and a highly functional overall effect. The in-house MT5612 calibre is a high-performance movement that delivers superb precision as well as a 70-hour power reserve.

In collaboration with the David Bowie Estate, Raymond Weil pays tribute to the late musician with a limited edition of its freelancer series. Created to celebrate what would have been Bowie’s 70th birthday, the watch features a 42 mm diameter case contains a dial resembling a vinyl record clearly featuring some of the most emblematic design cues of the British artist. Among the key design features are the lightning bolt painted across Bowie’s face, which first appeared on the cover of the Aladdin Sane album in 1973, which is featured in red at 12 o’clock, while the pop art logo designed by Andy Warhol especially for Bowie and revealed on the cover of his 1974 album Diamond Dogs  also makes its mark on the dial of the watch

Another world-famous brand, Carl F. Bucherer is launching three new interpretations of its gorgeous Manero Flyback watch, with a petroleum blue, black or champagne-toned dial, framed by a case in steel or 18K pink gold.

Footwear and leather goods manufacturer Bruno Magli is showcasing its first line of watches, which ranges from the Ottantaa 1936, a high-end Swiss automatic watch with a steel case and crocodile-embossed leather strap to the Dante 1001 with a top grain Italian leather strap.

Longines is unveiling its new Conquest V.H.P. (Very High Precision) analog watch, which has the unique ability to reset its hands after an impact or exposure to a magnetic fieldr; the company is also reissuing its famed Hour Angle Watch as a limited series of 90 to mark the 90th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic crossing.

Breguet is offering a worldwide exclusive model named the Marine Équation Marchante 5887, which will display the difference between mean solar time, corresponding to civil or standard hours and minutes, and true solar time, meaning the actual solar hours and minutes.

Fossil Group‘s is displaying its vast line-up of 2017 hybrid smartwatches – connected watches with discreet notifications and activity tracking that look like traditional watches, Some models include functional side-button pushers that can be assigned to specific tasks (such as, “ring your phone,” take a selfie, track a goal or control music). The company is also unveiling its new touchscreen smartwatches, compatible with both iOS and Android phones, which feature one-of-a-kind, full-AMOLED, high-resolution screens that preserve the integrity of sophisticated watch design while enabling crystal clear illumination. Customers will be able to personalize the watch faces by choosing from millions of branded dial designs developed and programmed by Fossil Group.

Finally, among its offerings, Casio G-Shock is showcasing the Gravitymaster GPW2000-1A, the first-ever Bluetooth connected model in the Master of G series. The model, built specifically for aviation experts, features connected GPS capabilities including Mission Stamp – a function that will record time and location, transmitting the information via Bluetooth to a special Smartphone Link app, which can then be viewed in a flight log. Other premium features include a sapphire crystal for minimal scratching, carbon fiber second hand, carbon fiber insert band and a unique carbon band lock insert, which prevents loosening due to heavy vibrations.