Malcolm Lakin, Managing Editor: "One of the important elements about BaselWorld that we journalists often forget is that the watch companies are here to sell ... and 2006 appears to have been a fabulous year. There is a buoyant atmosphere here and it's almost a pleasure to stagger around just to see the smiles on the manufacturers' faces.

"As of today, my impression is that as far as 'Eureka' style innovations
are concerned, they are few and far between. The year seems to be more one of continued evolution of existing lines, with elegant, refined changes and developments. Of course there are numerous new models that will keep hundreds, no make that thousands, of watch aficionados happy for years to come, but you have to hunt for them.

"Over the last twenty-four hours I have seen some exciting new additions to existing lines at Breitling, TechnoMarine, Omega, Bell & Ross, DeLaCour and Voltime. In addition, this morning I was given a tour of the latest music boxes/clocks/tabatiers creations at Reuge by the brand's CEO Aldo Magada. To be honest I knew very little about the intricacies of these works of art, so I was overwhelmed by the precision and workmanship behind their creation. Looking to the future — Reuge are working on a musical wristwatch and that will certainly be worth following up.

"If you're looking for 'bling,' then you should check out Mark Ecko's timepieces with wildly contrasting creations ranging from US$100 to US$1,000. And if you want fashion watches, Guess have an amazing range of eye-catching models. Another brand, make that two, Delma and Delbana, also have some superb pieces for all tastes at very reasonable prices.

"Finally, I had a few minutes with Philip Klingenberg, Century's CEO, and Matthias Studer, the brand's marketing man, and discovered a 'Eureka' that is going to be launched later this year. I have no intention of revealing the secret, suffice it to say that it's a man's mechanical watch that will definitely win many new friends for the brand - and I hope to get exclusivity on writing about it in Europa Star.

“That's it for now, 'til soon ...”



Keith W. Strandberg, contributing writer: "Big news from Mondaine is that the Swiss brand, famous for its Swiss Railways partnership and line of quality product, has purchased a 50% stake in American watch brand Luminox.

"'I am happy with the arrangement,' said Ronald A. Bernheim, director, Mondaine.
'We were working like horses. We were growing brands, never buying anything, so this is a new step business-wise. As a result of this partnership, Mondaine will be more involved in the US market.' Luminox will also benefit from Mondaine's extensive distribution network throughout the world.

"'I believe that this partnership will result in a multiple win situation,'
Barry Cohen, president, Luminox Watch Company, said. 'I get a partner with a wonderful infrastructure and a tremendous just-in-time build philosophy, along with logistics that are second to none. It will allow us to serve our customers, both our retailers and our distributors, better than ever. We will be able to ship more merchandise quicker and it will satisfy our domestic reps with on time product. I get a complete team of people to work with on product development and design. They will eventually be making all our product.'

"Luminox introduced the first pieces manufactured by Mondaine, the Black Ops, at their stand in BaselWorld.

"I spent some time with Ernst Benz watch company this morning and this brand is an up and comer. Last year, the entire Ernst Benz company was purchased by the US distributor, who also owns Universal Watch Repair in Michigan, and since then they have expanded the brand and produced some really interesting watches. They are certainly a brand to watch in the coming years.

"Lambretta Watches, with the design coming from Sweden, bases a good bit of its look on classic Lambretta scooters and the watches are really fun and interesting. Very affordable and of very good quality, the watches feature the Union Jack, images of scooters and other eye-catching designs.

"I had a great meeting with NHC, founded by Vincent Calabrese and run by his daughter, Tina, where I saw some really interesting watches with unique complications — flowers around the dial that change every hour, optical effect watches where the dial disappears when the watch is viewed from a certain angle and more. NHC is worth a look by anyone who loves fine watches.

“Anonimo introduced a great new diving watch, the Professionale Chrono, which is water resistant to 1,200 meters. It is housed in a fascinating, very architectural case and is really a striking watch. Right now, Anonimo makes 4,000 watches a year and their target, in ten years, is 10,000 to 12,000. Anonimo also introduced new models in the Dino Zei by Anonimo collection, which will be sold through very exclusive dealers.”