I think it's fair to say that the days and weeks prior to the opening of this year's BaselWorld were full of trepidation. Doubts as to the success of the world's most important watch and jewellery trade fair were rife because a few exhibitors had already pulled out for economic reasons, retailers were not enjoying the best of times and many buyers had already made a pilgrimage to Switzerland and possibly spent money in January at the SIHH. To this you must add the fact that with very few exceptions, the watch companies had continued to create and produce timepieces because the process for this year's crop certainly began well before the word disaster became attached to the economy. Anyway, watches are their raison d’Être.
I’m not really into statistics, but here are three that encapsulate this year's BaselWorld compared to 2008:

2008 vs 2009
Exhibitors2,087 - 1,952
Total visitors 106,800 - 93,900
Overseas visitors 67,924 - 63,945

Given the prevailing economic climate, the overall picture was far from the gloomy predictions of the industry’s alarmists, whilst at the same time it effectively endorsed BaselWorld’s business strategy of improving the fair’s ‘look’ and making it a more glamorous yet business-like event. If we add to this the programmed extensions of the infrastructure, BaselWorld has to be the place to be as both an exhibitor and a buyer, now and in the future.
This leads inevitably to the continuing saga of having two major horological events in Switzerland with merely ten weeks separating them. In Geneva at the SIHH, there were 17 exhibitors, 13 of them being a part of the Richemont group, plus four independents – Audemars Piguet, Parmigiani Fleurier, JeanRichard and Girard-Perregaux. At BaselWorld 359 watch brands participated, many of which sell what is probably the average retailer’s bread and butter merchandise. So, unless retailers sell only the Richemont group’s products, BaselWorld is basically an essential tool for any enterprising retailer.
So what’s the answer? Think about it for a while and I’ll come back to the subject later on in my roving review when I chat with RenÉ Kamm, the Director of Exhibitions in Basel.

And so to business
My assignment was to rove around BaselWorld through the tantalizing thirty-odd kilometres of aisles that make this the world’s most challenging marathon. On Press Day I took a relatively quiet stroll around the various Halls to sneak a preview of some of the latest watches on show, discover who was where, who in the intervening year had failed in their fight to stave off the debt collector, and, given the time, try to attend a couple of the time-honoured press conferences.
In no particular order, here is a very personal view of what I saw, what I thought and what grabbed my attention.

de Grisogono
At the stunning stand of de Grisogono, despite talk over the last few months of financial problems within the company, the stand was as busy as ever. I learned from Marco Cacitti, the Commercial Director that last year’s talking point - the Meccanico dG, a mechanical timepiece that combines digital and analogue readings is made up from 651 pieces for the movement and another 70 for the case – is now being delivered to the hundred or so people that ordered them. There was also the new Grande Open Date on show, a watch which we previewed in the last issue (Europa Star 2/2009), but it was the new Fuso Quadrato that I found the most intriguing and the most original.
The Fuso Quadrato introduces a new concept in second time zone timepieces. Using a diaphragm mechanism actioned by a slide on the case flank on the opposite side to the crown, the diaphragm’s twelve titanium blades can either be open to reveal the second time zone beneath or closed to display the hours and minutes of the local time. The Fuso is in 18 carat pink gold and houses a DF 21-90 self-winding mechanical movement with a 42-hour power reserve. Bold in appearance – 47mm x 58.5mm with the four mobile lugs, the second dial beneath the titanium blades has a Clou de Paris finish with Roman numerals and hour markers.
The Fuso Quadrato is one of my favourites for this year, however I’m sad to say the price tag of CHF 32,000 (Euro 21, 150) puts it out of my league, although given it’s originality and superb mechanism it will appeal to many a monied aficionado.

FUSO QUADRATO by de Grisogono - de Grisogono’s BaselWorld Stand

TAG Heuer
Two of the important ‘happenings’ were at TAG Heuer: Jean-Christophe Babin, the brand’s CEO, chatted ‘live’ via satellite with Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne, Australia and the launch of the Monaco Twenty Four Concept Chronograph.
Prior to what was to be his controversial Formula 1 race, Lewis Hamilton, looking immaculate in his role as a TAG Heuer ambassador, chatted good-humouredly with Jean-Christophe Babin and in a single phrase summed up his very raison d’Être with: “My whole life is dictated by time!”
Hamilton was also wearing the latest TAG Heuer creation, the Monaco Twenty Four Chronograph. This high-tech concept has a unique tubular design with extreme shock-protected components inspired by Le Mans endurance cars. As they say, why re-invent the wheel, so here’s how TAG Heuer describe the timepiece: ‘The TAG Heuer Calibre 36 movement “floats” inside the oversized (40.5mm) black PVD-coated case, suspended within a steel-tube housing very much like a race car’s driver’s protective cockpit cage, and visible through the dial face and the sapphire crystal caseback. The components are further insulated against shock and torque by a new “composite filter” material used in aerospace and auto racing. Custom built in industrial-grade tungsten, the three arrows of the oscillating weight echoes a GT car's chrome mags. The large-faced, black-textured dial bears an oversize “24” at 12 o'clock, in honour of the 24 of Le Mans, and the iconic blue and orange livery of Gulf Oil – the same colours TAG Heuer Ambassador Steve McQueen wore in his 1970 film classic, Le Mans.’
The Monaco Twenty Four Chronograph is, in my humble opinion, not only a superb timepiece technically, but also one of the most beautiful watches that TAG Heuer has ever created.
A final point for all watch aficionados – and for the V4 sceptics amongst us: working production models of the brand’s V4 Concept watch were on the wrists of at least three of the TAG Heuer personnel!

MONACO 24 concept WATCH by TAG Heuer - BaselWorld Stand - Lewis Hamilton

Pilo & Co.
I must admit that I have a soft spot for Pilo & Co. because Amarildo Pilo, the brand’s founder, has created and built-up his watch brand from the most modest of beginnings. Originally criticized as being too inexpensive (that’s right too inexpensive) for the original mechanical watches he was producing, Pilo has persevered in his unswerving belief that his collections had a positive future.
Pilo then added good-looking Swiss quartz watches to his mechanical range and has slowly and efficiently developed his international markets and, rather surprisingly, recently created a new inexpensive brand of eye-catching watches - David Van Heim (DVH). In today’s difficult economic climate, Pilo & Co. watches meet the demands of both men and women looking for an elegant and efficient Swiss watch at a truly affordable price and even less expensive good looking models with the DVH Collection.
Visiting the stand you always receive a warm welcome from both Amarildo (named after the famous Brazilian footballer) and his brother Gjergji who works with him. Coffee and mineral water were served as I looked at the latest model in the Tempo Collection, a very stylish watch in stainless steel with a guillochÉ dial. Equipped with an ETA 2846 automatic movement, the watch features hours, minutes, seconds and date, has a screw-down crown and sapphire crystals front and back.
In a more bolder approach, there’s a superb looking timepiece in a new collection called Corleone. A stainless steel watch (39mm x 53mm) equipped with an automatic ETA 2846 movement with a day/date aperture at 3 o’clock and a central mother-of-pearl section of the dial that takes on a kaleidoscope of colours in the varying light. There are two oversized numerals – 12 and 6 – and nine elongated arrow-shaped indexes that combine elegantly with the rectangular form of the case.
As if watches weren’t enough, since BaselWorld there has been a further addition to Pilo & Co., but this time it’s a beautiful little daughter called Arianna. The latest news is that mother, father, brother, uncle and daughter are all doing fine.

CORLEONE by Pilo & Co. - Pilo & Co.’s BaselWorld Stand

Rolex & Tudor
I visited Rolex with my Editor-in-Chief to catch up on the latest additions in their collections (See The key words in the current economic crisis: price, quality and authenticity by Pierre Maillard).
Although Rolex don’t give any sales figures whatsoever, it is clear that the brand is suffering from the economic downturn, so much so that for the first time that I can remember we were given an in-depth presentation of the latest Tudor watches.
Purchased by Hans Wildorf in 1926, Tudor watches are inexpensive compared to the Rolex models, but they are clearly made with the same attention to detail and mechanical precision as their elder brothers. The Tudor brand has its own ‘look’ and the sports watches and chronographs are excellent value in the CHF 2,500 to 3,600 (Euro 1,650 to 2,380) price range. And to keep up with one of the horological trends, there is a superb stainless steel and ceramic model at CHF 2,350 (Euro 1,550).
The only blip to the occasion was the absence of Dominique Tadion who, after so many years as their ‘voice’ had all too discreetly left the company.

GLAMOUR DATE-DAY by Tudor - OLYMPIA AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH by Schwarz Etienne

Schwarz Etienne
Founded in 1902 as watch designers and assemblers, Schwarz Etienne within a few years began to make their reputation as movement manufacturers. In 1992, after having created some of the famous ‘names’ such as the Venus de Milo watch and supplying movements to companies such as Dunhill and Mauboussin to name just two, the company changed their focal point and became a brand.
Today, the company is headed up by Marc Barrachina, who explained to me that their goal is to create an incomparable collection of watches using in-house movements – in short to become a genuine ‘manufacture’. The brand’s first creation in this domain is the BSE1325-A automatic movement with an off-centre micro-rotor and an 80-hour power reserve. With the exception of the Straumann hairspring all the parts are manufactured to their specifications.
The brand now has an impressive six collections – named after cities that the company believes underline the styling of the watches: Roma, La Classica, (round watches); New York, The Quartet (square watches); Olympia, The Sporty (round and robust); London, The Style, (tonneau-shaped); Barcelona, El Design (round) and La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Haute Horlogerie, (complications such as tourbillons).
In addition to a new automatic chronograph in the Olympia Collection with a date at 4.30 and a 24-hour second time zone with a red hand, there’s a very impressive looking model called the Rex, a stainless steel watch that uses a base ETA 7750 movement with a Schwarz Etienne module and a 48-hour power reserve. The timepiece has hours and minutes functions, a retrograde seconds counter set between 7.30 and 10.30, chronograph minute and hour counters at 9 o’clock and 6 o’clock respectively and a retrograde date indicator. The dial is available in black or guillochÉ with an outer chronograph seconds ring. The Rex is water resistant to 50 metres and comes with a crocodile leather strap in black or brown.
The collections are both impressive technically and aesthetically pleasing and should win them many friends, whilst their overlying philosophy of ‘a future based upon tradition’ will ensure that their goal is not affected by ‘ephemeral fashion trends’.

Wyler Geneve
The good news at Wyler Geneve was the introduction of a new model – the Code S Chronograph. Instantly recognizable as of the same parentage of the Code R, the Code S watches differ in as much as they are slightly smaller and have a bezel, which for all watch enthusiasts means that gemstones from baguette diamonds to sapphires can be used to great effect and the ladies can enjoy the bold Wyler look.
There are seventeen different models ranging from stainless steel to 18 carat red gold with various dials from black and white to mother-of-pearl. My favourite is the stainless steel model with a white rubber strap and a white mother-of-pearl dial, 140 white diamonds on the bezel, equipped with a self-winding, Swiss-made mechanical chronograph movement with date.
The disappointing news is that Bruno Grande, who had navigated the Wyler GenÈve to its current success left at the end of April. The new man at the helm is Ryan St. George, who joined the Binda Group in 2008 as the international Marketing Director.

CODE S CHRONOGRAPH by Wyler - Wyler’s BaselWorld Stand

Gc
The only crisis on the Gc booth was having enough people to handle the hordes of visitors that appeared there each and every day of the show.
Gc watches are distributed worldwide by Sequel AG (a Timex Group company), a Swiss company established in 2007 and based in Zug. A member of the Swiss Watch Federation (FH), Sequel AG sold around 400,000 pieces in 2008 and Cindy Livingston, the brand’s vivacious CEO, informed me that sales were already 25% up during the first quarter of this injurious year. “The culture of the company is to go for it,” Cindy explained. “Other brands may be having problems, but our strategy is to keep going ahead. With the current worldwide economic problem, we are in a good position to move forward given that our average price for one of our Swiss made watches is around CHF 750 (Euro 500). We see the global downturn as an opportunity for the brand.
“I’m particularly excited about what’s happening with Gc because we have re-invented ourselves to become a Swiss company with Swiss made watches and we’ve already achieved a very important market share.” At this point Cindy modestly placed the brand within the top ten Swiss brands in volume, although based upon those figures, Gc is probably closer to being in the fifth or sixth position.
“We are opening up our own boutiques, the most recent being in London and we are adding extensions to our current lines of watches, jewellery and leather goods. Our forte is that we have fabulous design with a twist and it’s our vision of offering an affordable luxury that includes quality with a touch of fashion that is making our brand so successful.”
If we take a look at the new ladies’ Gc S-4 series of watches (prices range from Euro 450 to 1,200), it’s clear that a stainless steel Swiss watch with the sophisticated elegance of 18 Top Wesselton Full-Cut diamonds and a three-dimensional mother-of-pearl dial at a genuinely reasonable price is going to find its way onto the wrists of today’s modern women.
For the men, there’s a series of chronographs of which the Special Edition Automatic Chronograph is but one. In stainless steel with a rose gold PVD bezel, the 44mm chronograph is equipped with an automatic Valjoux 7750 movement with date and a 42-hour power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock. There is a carbon fibre dial with hand-applied bevelled indexes and hands coated with SuperLuminova, hours, minutes and seconds counters, a screw-down crown and Côtes de Genève decoration on the oscillating weight. The chronograph is water resistant to 100 metres and comes with an alligator strap with a deployment buckle and a special black lacquered presentation case.
Given the sales figures, the number of people vying for attention on the Gc booth and the reception the CEO and her employees received at their cocktail, the brand’s obviously doing something right.

Guess’ BaselWorld Stand - Cindy Livingston - GC-1 AUTOMATIC by Gc

Blu
Bernhard Lederer founded Blu in the year 2000 in order to realize his dream: “our goal is to craft stunning timepieces whose beauty is complimented by their timekeeping, not over-shadowed by it.”
In other words, Lederer creates timepieces that are horological works of art but whose raison d’être is the beauty of the mechanical passing of time not the more mundane reading of hours, minutes and seconds. And he does it brilliantly.
Take, for example, his latest masterpiece, the Limited Edition Majesty Tourbillon MT3. Devoid of a dial, indexes and numerals, your eyes instinctively follow three tourbillions, each orbiting endlessly in their 360° world, each functioning as a time indicator for hours, minutes and seconds, and each perpetually linked: the semi-flying 60-second tourbillon is housed inside the flying 60-minute tourbillon and both are set within the 12-hour flying tourbillon.
The case features 12 pillars supporting the apparently free-floating bezel play a dual role as hours markers, but they open an architectural perspective and give a three-dimensional aspect to the passing of time. The MT Calibre BL707 manually wound movement has a 72-hour power reserve provided by larger than normal twin barrels.
The case (43mm) is available in either white gold or red gold and comes with an alligator leather strap with an 18 carat gold deployment buckle and cylindrical rotating lugs that rotate for comfort purposes. The Majesty Tourbillon MT3 is water resistant to 30 metres.
“The whole concept of this watch is to make it look beautiful,” Lederer confides. “I’ve elim-inated all of the ‘heavy’ stuff in the movement. Mechanisms and aesthetics are very closely linked. In fact, I would say they are totally inseparable in my watches. Both elements are vital from the outset of a new concept or watch design, and are the key ingredients to finding new, fascinating and inventive ways of displaying the continuous flow of time.”
One thing is for sure, when you put the Majesty Tourbillon MT3 on your wrist you physically unwind to the point where you appreciate the beauty of watching time pass without the usual stress of worrying about the time. As Lederer says, “Of course, if you want to know the time, it is there to see, but it doesn’t yell at you - it whispers.”

Ewa and Bernhard Lederer - MAJESTY TOURBILLON MT3 by Blu

Bell & Ross
In addition to the new Bell & Ross watches that were highlighted in the previous edition of Europa Star (2/2009), the brand launched its talismanic Instrument BR 01 Airborne.
Directly inspired by a historical military symbol, this new timepiece in the BR 01 Collection is a tribute to the men who fought in the toughest army corps and in particular the US Airborne divisions. Born during World War II, the paratroppers were the first to be exposed to danger and enemy fire and, consequently, the first to face death. Their motto was ‘Death from Above’ and was symbolized by a skull that was a reminder to them of both their power and vulnerability. Since that period, the symbol has been used by other regiments and appears on uniform patches and on fighter planes not only as a constant reminder of death, but also as an attempt to both defy it and intimidate the enemy.
The 46mm watch is in glass bead blasted steel with a black carbon powder coating and is equipped with an automatic mechanical ETA 2892 movement. There is a black dial with photo luminescent hands and skull for optimum night readability with an anti-reflective sapphire crystal. Fitted with rubber, leather or heavy-duty fabric straps, the watch is water resistant to 100 metres. At night, the luminous green skull should also keep away any roving wailing banshees.
The BR 01 Airborne is therefore not merely a talismanic timepiece, but also a tribute to the bravery of soldiers facing death to defend their country.

Bell & Ross’s BaselWorld Stand - DEATH FROM ABOVE by Bell & Ross

Bedat & Co.
Recently acquired by Luxury Concepts, a Malaysia-based distribution company within the watch industry, Bedat & Co. has, as the brand cites, gone ‘Back to Basics’, which simply means it is focusing on the ‘core elements’ which made the brand successful under the Bédat family management team.
The ‘core elements’ to which they refer are the emblematic No. 3 Collection for the ladies and the No 8 for men and despite the import-ant changes that have taken place within the company, 8,000 watches were sold in 2008 – 75% of which were ladies’ models. (See Sophie Furley’s article Ladies’ timepieces – innovation in unusual places in this issue.)
The aptly named Tiffany Cartier-Millon, who has the thankless task of dealing with the press, was very up-beat about Bedat & Co.’s prospects especially since their European markets - and in particular France - are now developing. “The company is credible in the watch industry,” Tiffany elucidated, “and our customers were pleasantly surprised about the sale and the fact that we are keeping everything in Switzerland.
“The soul of the brand was Simone Bédat and it is due to her efforts with the ladies’ watches – using the best materials and top quality workmanship – that the brand was successful, consequently our key strategies will remain the same.” The luxury market may be having a tough time, but Bedat & Co. look to have established themselves in an elegant niche.

Bédat & Co.’s BaselWorld Stand - M112 by Marvin - N° 27 by Nina Ricci

Nina Ricci & Marvin
Tucked away in a delightful little street about three minutes from the show, Nina Ricci and Marvin, both designed and marketed by Time Avenue SA of Switzerland, had an intriguing selection of new watches.
In addition to the Nina Ricci tourbillon models we wrote about in Europa Star 2/2009 (CHF 3,660 / Euro 2,430 in stainless steel and CHF 5,150 / Euro 3,400 and CHF 9,600 / Euro 6,350 with 90 or 190 diamonds) there is a very appealing ‘ingot’ collection (No27) in stainless steel or gold PVD, with or without diamonds, a white mother-of-pearl dial, sophisticated ‘Vendome’ attachments and an intriguing selection of original straps. The watches are fitted with a Swiss made Ronda movement.
Perhaps the most intriguing of all however, were Marvin’s M104 and M112 watches shown to me by Cécile Maye, not particularly because they are Swiss made with mechanical movements, good looking and relatively inexpensive, but more because they have been designed around the Marvin watch that Che Guevera owned and that can be seen in a museum in Santa Clara, Cuba, alongside his revolver, dictionary and camera.
Much has been written about Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevera the guerrilla fighter, revolutionary and Marxist. Whether you agree or disagree about what he stood for politically, how he achieved notoriety, whether or not he should be con-sidered as a terrorist, or because you simply like the stuff of legends and the poster of him in military fatigues and beret, like it or not, he has become an iconic hero since his death in 1967.
This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, so for you revolutionary aficionados, you’ve now got a watch.

Mido
In all the years I’ve been attending Basel, until this year I hadn’t visited the Mido booth. Mistake! Founded in 1918, now a part of the Swatch Group and headed up by the President, Franz Linder, Mido sells through 1,600 retail outlets in 50 countries with Asia and Latin America being their most important markets (it is the best selling Swiss watch brand in Mexico).
A few facts now: 1934, the Mido Multifort, the world’s first automatic, anti-magnetic, water resistant and shock resistant watch; 1936, watches with the first unbreakable springs; the first Centre Chronograph (all chronograph hands were in the centre of the dial) in 1945; the smallest automatic ladies watch in 1967 and in 1995, the brand produced the first analogue world-timer watch.
The Mido Commander (1959) introduced the revolutionary single shell case, which improved a watch’s lifespan, and with the ‘Aquadura Crown Sealing System’ in the 1970s, Mido became recognized as a leader in waterproof watches. This sealing system of the vulnerable crown area using a specially shaped and treated piece of natural cork is still used in many Mido collections.
Franz Linder patiently showed me all the new watches in the Commander, Baroncelli and Belluna Collections. There are two new Baroncelli tonneau-shaped models, one for the ladies and one for the men, both with ETA 2824-2 automatic movements and both classically elegant. In the Belluna collection there is a stainless steel model for both the ladies (with an ETA 2678 automatic movement) and the men (equipped with an ETA automatic 2836-2 certified COSC movement) both with day and date indications.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Commander, there’s a stylish 18 carat rose gold version for the men equipped with an automatic ETA 2836-2 COSC movement with day/date indications and a central seconds hand and a stainless steel model with diamond indexes and mother-of-pearl dial for the ladies.
Unfortunately it’s impossible to show you all the models, so I’ve gone for the Belluna Lady with its intriguingly formed apertures for the day and date, diamond highlights on indexes and its delightful blue colouring on both the mother-of-pearl dial and the matching calf-leather strap. For the ladies looking for adventure they can even try it out underwater since it’s water resistant to 100 metres.

Mido’s BaselWorld Stand - BELLUNA LADY by Mido

Century
One of the most original Swiss watch manufacturers, Century continues to surprise and delight with its unique use of facetted sapphire cases. I’ve sung the brand’s praises before, so I won’t repeat myself, suffice it to say that this year Century produced some truly exotic, eye-catching models.
For once, I’m going to let the models speak for themselves – with just a brief technical description of the two that had the ‘wow’ factor. The first is the elliptical Karisma, a ladies’ model in 18 carat red gold set with 101 diamonds (0.68 carats) with a Century sapphire with 60 facets. There is a Chinese lacquer dial and the watch is equipped with a quartz movement and completed by a black satin strap. For the male of the species there’s the Prime Time Egos Chronograph. In stainless steel with a dodecagonal case in Century sapphire with 12 facets, it is equipped with a self-winding COSC mechanical movement with a 48-hour power reserve and has a day/date aperture at 3 o’clock and a transparent caseback. It is available with either a black, anthracite or white dial. Need I say more?

Century’s BaselWorld Stand - KARISMA by Century

Louis Erard
Since Alain Spinedi took over the Louis Erard brand in 2003, he has remained faithful to his original perception of creating mechanical timepieces at affordable prices. As he says, “It was my dream, which I have now realized, of leading Louis Erard into the world of complications. I didn’t want to simply reproduce the movement, rather transform it into a superior product in haute horlogerie. Consequently I chose Soprod.
“Some people thought I was crazy when I embarked on this project. They said there was no room for mechanical watches in an access-ible price segment. I have now proved the contrary. But what is important to us is not so much a dramatic increase in production as safeguarding our freedom of choice and remaining faithful to our values.”
As BaselWorld, Spinedi has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he has achieved both his dream and his goal with the latest collections that attest to his capacity to adhere to his long-term strategy.
So let’s take a look at the latest models in the 1931 Collection. The 1931 Power Reserve is a handsome 42mm timepiece equipped with a hand-wound mechanical ETA 7001 RM 10 Calibre movement with a power reserve complication that Louis Erard developed with Soprod. The case comes in stainless steel or black sand-blasted PVD, the dial is either silvered or black with sapphire crystals front and back.
A new 1931 Regulator, the 42mm 1931 Regulator Power Reserve is another model Louis Erard has developed with Soprod using a hand-wound mechanical ETA 7001 RE as its base. The watch indicates minutes with a central hand and hours in a half-moon aperture at 12 o’clock, with seconds at 6 o’clock and the power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock. There are the same colour options as for the Power Reserve model.
There is also a superb 44mm Retrograde model with an ETA 2892/9094 Soprod automatic movement with transparent caseback. With either a silvered or black dial the stainless steel watch has a day indicator at 9 o’clock, a retrograde date at 3 o’clock and a retrograde power reserve at 6 o’clock.
Finally, a new shape and a new collection – the 1931 Open Tonneau Moon Phase in stainless steel. Equipped with an ETA 2824 Calibre with a Dubois Dépraz 9000 module, the watch functions are hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, month and moon phase. The dial is available silvered or black and the transparent caseback allows a view of the Côtes de Genève decoration.
Louis Erard has grown steadily from its first year of production, 1,000 pieces in 2003, to 17,000 pieces last year. Proof that Alain Spinedi, with his innovative thinking and finely tuned mechanical timepieces, is doing the right thing at the right time.

1931 AUTOMATIC by Louis Erard - Alain Spinedi

Vo!là
Not so long ago, companies from Hong Kong and China were accused, usually rightly so, of copying watches designed and manufactured in Switzerland. Since Vo!là has been on the international scene, and they decided to produce their watches in Switzerland rather than in Hong Kong their home territory, it seems that they could justifiably claim that they are being subjected to the same fate … except this time we’re talking about the Swiss copying.
No names, no pack drill as they say, but last year at BaselWorld, Vo!là introduced The Beijing Dream, an innovative watch based on the award winning ‘bird’s nest’ concept of the new Olympic Stadium in Beijing which I wrote about and illustrated in last year’s Europa Star. Seven months later, in October, an important Swiss watch company introduced an almost identical watch and there wasn’t even a murmur about copying – despite the fact that Vo!là had a patent out on the design. It wasn’t the first time they’d been copied either, it was about the third time one of their models had been ripped off by other watch companies.
But Roger and Serena Khemlani, the people behind this very creative watch company, didn’t fan the flames as they could have done, they simply brought out a new collection … of fan-shaped watches called Oriental Breeze. There are four Asian themed collections for the seasons: Cherry Blossom (spring); Dancing Peacock (summer); Wild Orchid and Golden Dragon (autumn and winter).
The case is in stainless steel with a facetted sapphire crystal, and there is a delicately hand painted enamel dial. The watch is equipped with a Ronda Calibre 1032 Swiss quartz movement and there is a hand-woven genu-ine Shantou silk strap with a calf leather lining.
The Cherry Blossom version illustrated is available with either pink sapphires or diamonds at prices from Euro 590.
If you’re not one already, these watches could make you a Vo!là fan!

Roger and Serena Khemlani, Vo!là - CHERRY BLOSSOM by Vo!là

Pierre DeRoche
Hall 5.1 has an amazing assembly of talented watchmakers and the Pierre DeRoche company is one of them. Pierre Dubois, the CEO, took some time out to show me the latest creations and in addition to a very elegant Full Black version of the SplitRock chronograph, there is a very impressive 47mm timepiece called the Grandcligg TNT Royal Retro, which has a subtitle of ‘6 x 10, the arithmetic of seconds according to Pierre DeRoche’.
According to Pierre Dubois, the brand has “… created the first movement able to house six retro-grade seconds mechanisms. While this compli-cation has been introduced to provide an element of fun, it also reveals a totally original approach: all the retrograde hands in this model are driven by gears rather than cams and, thanks to a strip-spring that has replaced the classical balance-spring system, return to their initial positions after ‘passing on the baton’ to the next retrograde hand. This innovation facilitates adjustment and enhances shock resistance.”
The GrandCliff TNT Royal Retro case has a black PVD titanium middle, steel bezel, 18 carat pink gold horns and a crown-shield and crown. Equipped with an automatic, exclusive Dubois Dépraz calibre, the watch has an engraved 22 carat gold oscillating weight, a 12-pivot central bridge and 6 chamfered and satin-finished seconds bridges in 18 carat gold, moving retrograde hand indicators, a minute wheel with logo, a hand affixed by a transversal pin, 6 retrograde seconds hands on gears, a strip-spring return and the date at 6 o’clock. The functions are hours, minutes, retrograde seconds in six 10-second. For aficionados of complications, this is a beauty of a collector’s item.

TNT ROYAL RETRO by Pierre DeRoche - TECHNOGRAPH DISCOTIME by Paul Picot

Paul Picot
My annual pilgrimage to meet up with Eric Oppliger at Paul Picot is always a pleasure and this year was no different - in fact I found the new collections stunning.
To start with there is the new Atelier Tourbillon, an 18 carat gold watch with retrograde date function, power reserve indicator, second hand on the tourbillon and diamond indexes. A magnificent looking timepiece that retails at CHF 120,000 (Euro 79,300).
Then there’s a whole series of watches in the C-Type Collection, their bestseller, ranging from a new round titanium version with a compass to a square Chronograph. The C-Type Collection was launched 19 years ago and took a little stick for being too large. Today, everyone and their brother is in on the act as bold, big and brazen is worn as an everyday timekeeper. The latest all-black model is a very wearable 48mm.
“We’re continuing to develop our in-house movements,” Oppliger told me. “We are developing both our own complications and our own parts with the objective of designing exclusive and original Paul Picot complications in the haut de gamme sector. Just look at what we’ve achieved with the Technograph …”
And with that out came the new, vibrant Technograph Discotime. A kaleidoscope of masterful colouring to aid the reading of both the real time and the chronograph timing function, this timepiece gives the already established Technograph an entirely new look that will appeal to both aficionados of watch complications and any one looking for a modern, trendy eye-catching watch. The Technograph Discotime in stainless steel (44mm) is equipped with a self-winding Valjoux 7750 base movement with rotating discs for the small seconds and the minute counter of the chronograph. The dial has Clou de Paris decor-ation with a date indicator at 6 o’clock that always highlights the actual time in red. This Limited Edition of 300 pieces comes with leather or rubber options for the strap and is water resistant to 100 metres. The price? An affordable CHF 8,600 to 8,900 (Euro 5,670 to 5,880) considering the complexity of this mechanical timepiece.
After a coffee and a well-earned glass of sparkling water it was au revoir to Eric Oppliger and Paul Picot and hello to the Director of Exhibitions.

René Kamm, Basel and SIHH
BaselWorld is just one of forty-odd shows held annually at the exhibition centre, but it’s by far the biggest. By the time I met up with René Kamm, the show was successfully under way and he was looking relaxed because sales were proving to be better than expectations.
The planned new building extension of the current facilities has been delayed by a year and will now be fully functional in 2013. Nevertheless, BaselWorld is still a far cry from the days when booths with sausages, wine, pots, pans and läckerli were all to be found scattered amongst the watches and jewellery. The old guard at what was then the Basel Fair was reluctant to make any changes despite the obvious need and the fact that Alain-Dominique Perrin, Cartier’s CEO at the time, badgered them incessantly to do something about the smell of barbequed schublig and French fries that drifted constantly onto the only two-tiered stand, made little difference. Perrin envisioned the Fair as an elegant showcase for watches and jewellery and after five years of pleading, finally threatened to leave the Fair if nothing was done.
Perrin’s pleas and threats went unheeded and in 1991, Cartier, Piaget, Baume & Mercier, Gérald Genta and ‘newcomer’ Franck Muller inaugurated the SIHH in Geneva. Quickly joined by Audemars Piguet and the expanding ‘Cartier Group’ as the Richemont Group was then called, the SIHH offered the perfect setting for both buying and selling and there wasn’t a sausage in sight.
It wasn’t until the much younger and energetic René Kamm and his team took over the reins in Basel that any major changes to the show came about. Today, BaselWorld is what Perrin had envisaged, only more so. Two storey stands are the norm now and elegance is brilliantly united with a go-ahead management team that has made BaselWorld the event to attend.
I asked René Kamm over lunch whether or not he could cater for the seventeen exhibitors of the SIHH if they suddenly wanted to come back to Basel.
“The SIHH has already been booked in Geneva for next year, but if they did come to me looking for space for next year we could certainly find a temporary solution. If we were asked to integrate them into the 2011 show, we’d find a definite solution,” Kamm said with a smile. “What you have to remember is that our interest is in the industry as a whole and personally I think that it would make more sense to have everyone here in Basel together.”
I then mentioned a couple of the reasons cited by exhibitors both past and present for choosing Geneva over Basel – the problem of hotel rooms and restaurant facilities. With a wry look he replied, “There are more hotel rooms in Basel than there were in 1991. However, that’s really not the problem because there is not one more retailer or one more journalist than in the old days. The same number of retailers and the same number of journalists from around the world attend and therefore, as far as I can see, the only problem would be for their staff members, and that is something I’m sure could be resolved.
“However, I believe that today the most important element is the cost factor. Attending BaselWorld would be far more cost effective for the SIHH exhibitors since first of all they would no longer have to pay for their clients expenses as they do in Geneva since visitors pay their own way in Basel, and secondly, the space rental and stand construction would certainly be far less at our show than is spent in Geneva. There’s another point I think some of the SIHH exhibitors would appreciate: it would make more sense if the SIHH exhibitors were not all placed together in the very same setting with exactly the same décor. In Geneva all the brand’s look the same from the exterior, they don’t have the opportunity to project their own image as do the exhibitors at BaselWorld.”
And so ladies and gentlemen of the jury, what’s your verdict? Do you think that in the interest of the Swiss watch industry the ‘big boys’ should make life easier for all concerned by concentrating their substantial and valuable offerings in one venue, or should they continue to make buyers travel to Geneva in January and then spend more money when they are almost obliged for business reasons to travel to Basel a couple of months later?
Given that the industry is going through a difficult time, my personal feeling, for what it’s worth, is that all you decision makers out there should forget your ‘pride’ and simply sit down and thrash things out over a beer or two and, in a friendly and business-like manner, agree to put the show on in one venue. Why not make life easier for both yourselves and the retailers, after all they are your bread and butter.
In short ladies and gentlemen, as far as BaselWorld is concerned, nobody does it better.
SO GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!

Source: Europa Star June-July 2009 Magazine Issue