Baselworld/SIHH

The intention of this report is to cover as much as possible of what happened at SIHH, entirely with my own photos and writing. This year’s report covers 19 brands – 15 that exhibit inside SIHH and four independents outside the fair. SIHH 2012 seemed more...  

Lange had a good year; the collection was smallish but ample. Two new movements were launched, the first being the L082.1 of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar. This is an instantaneous perpetual calendar (everything jumps instantaneously) displayi...  

I appreciate this very much! Stephen

As has been written extensively elsewhere, 2012 is the 40 th anniversary of the Royal Oak. Much of the Royal Oak range was remade. AP presented several very attractive watches were unveiled, but there was no spectacular complication. Before going into the...  

Thanks for posting all this.

Last year saw drastic and successful revamp of Baume & Mercier. George Kern of IWC took over, along with several other IWC alumni, and gave B&M a clearer identity – the Hamptons lifestyle, beaches, boating and clapboard houses. More important the pr...  

As usual Cartier had the largest collection of all, with something for everyone. From the accessible luxury Tank Anglaise to the impressive, haute horlogerie new minute repeater. The Tank Anglaise is the third major iteration of the Cartier Tank after the...  

Very thorough report SJX, Thanks! Do you know if the Tank Anglaise comes with a solid back or exhibition back?

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As has been the case for some years, Girard-Perregaux had a hushed year. All the novelties, save for the minute repeater, are variants of existing models. New to the Vintage 1945 line is the Large Date Moon Phase. The case is 36.10 mm by 35.25 mm and avai...  

Greubel Forsey unveiled three new models this year. The first, the GMT, is a new calibre, while the other two are variants of existing models. The GMT is a multi time zone watch paired with the 25° Inclined Tourbillon 24 Seconds. This is not the existing ...  

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Each year IWC focuses on a particular collection and this year it was the year of the pilot’s watches. The booth was staged to look like an aircraft carrier, complete with a flight simulator. Over dozen new pilot’s watch models were launched i...  

JLC had a fair number of novelties spread across several collections. Unlike most other SIHH brands, it had a new headline complication in the form of the Duomètre à Sphérotourbillon. This has two key features – a multi-axis tourbillon and an instantaneou...  

Friends kindly look at the JlC minute repeater, it has the makings of a watch from the Saxony region of Germany, Glashutte. The 3/4 plate, the jewels on removable screws, the removable balance bridge on screws and the sun burst guilloche on the plate. We ... 

Montblanc is a latecomer to high-end watchmaking but it has been making good progress with the Collection Villeret 1858 and the more affordable Rieussec and TimeWalker lines. Three new models joined the Villeret collection, the first being the Villeret Ta...  

Panerai had a significant number of new Radiomir watches this year. Several of the novelties use the large, manual wind P.3000 movement launched last year. Starting with the Radiomir California 3 Days PAM424. This has a 47 mm case and the P.3000. Unfortun...  

Ralph Lauren Watch & Jewellery Co. is an interesting entity. The brand is most commonly associated with clothing that isn’t that expensive but its watches are expensive. So the brand perception doesn’t quite equal its price. Yet the watches ar...  

Richard Mille had a fairly small collection this year. At the very top of the range is the RM056 rattrapante chronograph with tourbillon – cased entirely in sapphire. The RM056 uses the new RMCC1 movement, which is a significantly improved version of the ...  

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The 50,53, and 56 blow me away...all superb!

After last year’s revamp of the Roger Dubuis brand engineered by Georges Kern, the brand is proceeding to fill out its model range in four different segments. 2011 was the year of the La Monegasque, intended as a sophisticated dress watch. And so 20...  

Compared to previous years, Vacheron Constantin had a noticeably smaller collection. The big news was the new Malte collection, the launch of which marks the centenary of the first tonneau watch from VC. Four new models make up the redesigned Malte. At th...  

Van Cleef & Arpels unveiled fewer watches at SIHH than before, though there were several more shown but not officially launched. The simplest is the Pierre Arpels. Named after the man who designed it, the Pierre Arpels is a slim dress watch with the Piage...  

I will come back to them! Thanks SJX for the great pics! Fx

De Bethune always presents interesting and beautiful timepieces. This year is no exception. The DB28 of last year is now available in two new guises. The first is the DB28 Aiguille d’Or (“golden hand”) which has a gold insert on the minu...  

Franck Muller launched the Giga Tourbillon in the Cintree Curvex last year. At 20 mm in diameter, the tourbillon is the biggest in a wristwatch. Twin barrels with four mainsprings give it a 10 day power reserve. In the Cintree Curvex case the Giga Tourbil...  

Ludovic Ballouard’s second model is the Half Time. Like his first watch, the Upside Down, the Half Time is an unconventional way to tell the time but has no additional complications. That will be the guiding principle for future watches as well. The...  

Urwerk unveiled the rose gold version of the UR-110 Torpedo. Previously only in steel and ZrN coating, the front plate is now in brushed rose gold. The sheen of the metal makes the polished bevel around the front plate more obvious, and it forms a strikin...  

Now I understand why I did not see you at the SIHH. Great work! GEO

Thanks for taking the time and sharing. Best, Vte

I detected much of what I liked. Will have to digest further! Cheers and, SJX, thanks so much! Magnus

stunning photos. I would not be surprised that you would not care to see another watch for some time to come (no pun intended)! Many thanks for the coverage and at some point, we really should start a 'watch of SIHH thread' with a vote on the best watch o... 

pictures, you have a great talent to get to the heart of the matter. See you sometime in Singapore. Best, Tim

Great reports and photos as always! Respect ! Cristian

A perfect wrap-up of what we saw a few weeks ago. Thanks! Fx

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As usual, this is the best SIHH report!

...thinking about the time you spent on the whole report. Thank you so much for bringing these pieces to us in a very lifelike manner. Ruckdee

Awesome work SJX! All the new releases in a neat package. THANK YOU so much! and I am in agreement with many of your comments on the various pieces. Great work!

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Rolex as well. Khalid

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As with past reports...very informative, useful and thorough. Thanks mate Best, Horo

PuristSPro Piaget SIHH 2012 Report: Public Comment Edition by MTF http://piaget.watchprosite.com/show-forumpost/fi-881/pi-5122593/ti-770228/s-0/...  

A big thanks for the report. Stefan

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