Expect everything from piece uniques and special editions to grand complications and completely new timepieces.
Baselworld definitely missed out this year when the entire Swatch Group took their business elsewhere. Specifically, the group’s top six luxury brands Omega, Breguet, Blancpain, Harry Winston, Jaquet Droz, and Glashutte Original staged the first ever Time To Move event. Where is it, you ask? All over Switzerland – and that includes Glashutte Original, which is a German brand.
Presenting their novelties at their respective manufactures, with the exception of Glashutte Original who took the opportunity to stage an exhibition at the Starling Hotel in Geneva, each of the six found different ways to showcase their unique savoir-faire
Breguet’s amazing guillochage capabilities, Blancpain’s heritage-rich manufacture, Harry Winston’s undeniable jewellery crafting know-how, Jaquet Droz as the world’s leading authority on the art of automata timepieces; Omega’s spanking new state-of-the-art manufacture, and Glashutte Original’s almost scientific approach to luxury watchmaking.
Here are this Robb Reporter’s top picks from Time To Move 2019.
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50thAnniversary Limited Edition
Limited edition to 6,969 pieces, this is one of the many Speedmaster this year commemorating the 1969 moon landing. With a small seconds sub-dial featuring Buzz Aldrin stepping out of Apollo 11 and that famous footprint on the case back, it has a beautiful flat-link bracelet and unique Moonshine gold bezel with ceramic insert.
Jaquet Droz Magic Lotus Automaton
The latest automaton complication from Jaquet Droz brings the lotus to life in various forms, complete with a moving pond underneath, populated by carps and dragonflies that move with astonishing realism. Naturalistic scenes are a part of Jaquet Droz heritage. Captivating beauty found all over the watch thanks to the manufacture’s perfectly mastered metiers d’arts.
Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra Plat Squelette 5395
Taking the Classique Tourbillon Extra Plat and skeletonising it is what Breguet has done with this model. Not only that, the manufacture removed 50 per cent of the entire movement and decorated the remaining half with micro-guillochage which is extremely difficult. Requiring a diamond paste to achieve the level of sharpness required, only Breguet can do traditional guillochage at such levels of precision.
Harry Winston Histoire du Tourbillon 10
For the first time ever, an Histoire du Tourbillon with four tourbillons. These astounding rotating devices complete a full rotation in 36 seconds rather than the standard 60 seconds, and are connected with three differentials mechanisms.
Blancpain Air Command
Completely new to the Le Brassus manufacture is this military-inspired timepiece intended for the air. This is indeed the first time in a long while that Blancpain has made an aviation watch. It is said that CEO Mark A Hayek has the historical piece in his presumably very large personal watch collection.
Glashutte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon Limited Edition
Flying tourbillons are a specialty of the Glashutte region in Saxony, Germany, and Glashutte Original does it beautifully in this high complication piece. But there’s more, the manufacture has enhanced the tourbillon regular with a stop seconds device, so it stops moving when the crown is pulled out. And not only that, it has a return-to-zero mechanism that resets the entire carriage to the 12 o’clock position. How’s that for innovation?
More Time To Move stories to come
