Referred to by Omega as Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M James Bond, the Seamaster ref. 232.30.42.21.01.001 that was released in 2011 to replace the first generation of Planet Oceans 2500 —initially released in 2005— is in our opinion the best Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M ever released. Equipped with a massive 45.5 mm case in stainless steel and powered by the in-house Omega Calibre 8500 with Silicium Escapement, this is for sure one of the best daily beaters if you’re looking for a tool watch that is not necessarily your typical Rolex Submariner.
Insider: Bulgari Octo Roma Tourbillon Sapphire. A Stunning Creation with Extreme Transparency.
Released a couple of weeks ago during Baselworld 2019, the new Bulgari Octo Roma Tourbillon Sapphire is not only a very photogenic watch but one of our favorite timepieces released by Bulgari this year. The purity of the lines of its unique case construction along with its sapphire crystal middle case and the blue tones of its strap and blued skeletonized bridges are flawlessly combined in a very attractive watch that can play well in the boardroom as it would while sailing on a mega yacht along the French Riviera.
Insider: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Carbon. A Featherlight Masterpiece.
With a mere total thickness of 3.95 mm, the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic now in Carbon is the world's thinnest self-winding watch. Setting the fourth world record under the Octo Finissimo line, the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic is simply incredible. The automatic movement equipped with a tourbillon follows the Octo Tourbillon Finissimo in 2014, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater in 2016 and last year’s Octo Finissimo Automatic. Bvlgari’s mastery of the art of watchmaking was duly acknowledged at last year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève which rewarded both the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton and the Octo Finissimo Automatic.
Experience: The Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. A Must Visit for Porsche Lovers.
If you’re as big of a fan of Porsches as we are here at WCL, a visit to the Porsche Museum and the factory is a must, at least once in your lifetime. Located 15 minutes away from Stuttgart’s city center in Zuffenhausen, the Porsche Museum is a temple for those wanting to learn everything about Porsche’s history and immerse themselves in one of the most beautiful modern architecture spaces in the world. The Porsche Museum opened its doors on the last day of January in 2009 after four years of construction. The project had one goal, to perpetuate the history of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. The firm responsible for taking on the project, Austrian —at the end of the day Ferdinand Porsche was Austrian— Delugan Meissl Associated Architects were chosen amongst 170 firms all over Europe that pitched the project.
Eye Candy: Rolex Day-Date 36 Galore. Some Wild Presidents from Baselworld 2019.
This Baselworld 2019 Rolex introduced a new generation of its Oyster Perpetual Day‑Date 36, available in 18K yellow, white or Everose gold with distinctive new dials and gem-set bezels on some versions. Without a doubt the wildest releases this year from the Rolex a.k.a. The crown. First released in 1956, the Day-Date became very popular among the elite as well as world dignitaries to then soon be referred to as the Presidents’ watch. A significant innovation at the time, the Day-Date was the first calendar wristwatch to indicate the date and the day of the week spelled out in full in an arc-shaped window at 12 o’clock.
Insider: Tudor Black Bay Chrono Steel & Gold ref. M79363N. Reminiscent of Those Vintage Chronograph Days.
The new Tudor Black Bay Chrono S&G —for steel and gold— is the newest addition to the Black Bay collection. With a two-tone look combining stainless steel and yellow gold, the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono Steel and Gold is an automatic 45-minute chronograph powered by the Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5813 which is derived from the Breitling B01 as the result of a mutual collaboration between Tudor and Breitling. Regardless, this column-wheel chronograph with vertical clutch features Tudor finishing, Tudor regulating organ and a Tudor oscillating weight. The movement provides a power reserve of 70 hours when fully wound.
Insider: Zenith El Primero A386 Revival 50th El Primero Anniversary Limited Edition. Three Types of Gold in a 50-Piece Edition Each.
As we mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the Zenith El Primero A386 in 1969, Zenith has decided to bring back the original model in its 38 mm case in a highly coveted limited edition of 50-pieces each in 18K white, yellow and rose gold. Maintaining the traditional faceted straight lugs of the iconic El Primero Chronograph A386, the watch was originally christened 'El Primero' referring to ‘the first' as it was presented on January 10th, 1969. The new Zenith El Primero A386 Revival 50th El Primero Anniversary Limited Edition is as close as you’ll get to owning the original watch from 1969. From its case proportions to the dial and even the plexiglas on it, this revival edition is as good as it gets.
Insider: Rolex Yacht-Master 42 White Gold ref. 226659. Very Nice but Something is Missing.
The first iteration of the Yacht-Master with Oysterflex bracelet was released at Baselworld 2015 sporting an Everose Gold case and in two different sizes that included a 37 mm —perfectly sized for ladies or for men with smaller wrists— and a 40 mm one. Now, at Baselworld 2019 a new iteration of the Rolex Yacht-Master makes its appearance in 18K white gold and with a 42 mm case diameter. But why go with a bigger case when even the Explorer II at 42 mm is not a Rolex favorite? Well, only Rolex knows why they do things certain way. The new Rolex Yacht-Master 42 ref. 226659 is a very casual understated looking watch that looks as good at home as it does on the open sea.
Insider: Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary. A 90-Piece Limited Edition for Each Model.
Another trio of good looking Ferrari watches released by Hublot this year. Even though the new Hublot Classic Fusion Ferrari GT was our real favorite this year at Baselworld 2019, the new Hublot Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary is not bad looking either. Available in platinum, 3D Carbon or Sapphire, this new watch celebrates the 90th anniversary of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team. Equipped with unique looking straps in either Nomex, Kevlar or Calf, all straps feature grey contrast stitching. For those of you not familiar with Nomex, this is a variant of aramid materials like Kevlar. While not as sturdy as Kevlar, Nomex has excellent thermal, chemical, and radiation resistance for a polymer material.
Insider: Chopard Mille Miglia 2019 Race Edition. Celebrating 'La Corsa più Bella del Mondo’.
Last year, Chopard celebrated three decades of partnership with the Mille Miglia race, referred to on Italian as ‘la corsa più bella del mondo’ —the nicest race in the world. The Mille Miglia is raced over a thousand mile —1,600 km— loop running all the way from Brescia to Rome and back. This partnership that reflects Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s —Co-CEO of Chopard— passion for classic cars, continues this year with the Mille Miglia 2019 Race Edition. Available in two different models, as ref. 168571-3004 in a 1000-piece limited edition in stainless steel and as ref. 168571-6002 in a 250-piece limited edition in stainless steel and 18K rose gold, this is one of the most unique looking Chopard Mille Miglia watches ever made thanks to its fully snailed dial.
Insider: Bulgari Gérald Genta 50th Anniversary. Honoring the Greatest Watch Designer of Our Time.
Bulgari was founded in Rome in 1884 and acquired by LVMH Group in 2011. While it's more famously known for their jewelry creations, its watchmaking credentials continue to rank higher and higher every year since then. The history between Bulgari and Gerald Genta dates back to the year 2000 when Bulgari acquired Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth along with their manufacturing facilities at Saigenlégier, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Sentier in the Vallée de Joux. Today, Bulgari has become a watchmaking force and the new Bulgari Gerald Genta 50th Anniversary is the result of that.
Baselworld 2019: Urwerk UR-T8 Colibri Unique Piece in Collaboration with Emmanuel Esposito. Live Pictures & Price.
Emmanuel Esposito is the creator of extraordinary art knives and the collaborator involved in the release of the new Urwerk UR-T8 Colibri just unveiled at Baselworld 2019. This unique piece that is sold accompanied by an art knife by Esposito is a very elaborate piece of horology with the most unique look. Esposito’s passion for knives started at an early age back home in Italy. He developed his distinctive and unique style over the years, using high-tech materials like carbon fiber and metal alloys along with traditional materials like gold and mother of pearl. When URWERK approached him with an offer to work together, and showed him the UR-T8, he said yes unhesitatingly and decided to create a one-off matching knife for the watch.
Baselworld 2019: Jacob & Co. Epic X Chrono Messi Limited Edition. Live Pictures & Price.
Renowned Argentinean soccer player Leo Messi was Audemars Piguet’s ambassador since 2010 and the brand released three Royal Oak Chronographs in his honor back in 2012. In 2014, Messi was still visiting the Audemars Piguet manufacture around 2014 and who knows what happened since them, but somehow that close friendship and relationship ended. All that we know, is that Messi loves watches and he is now partnering with Jacob & Co. and Jacob Arabo. Right before Baselworld 2019, Jacob & Co. presented the first watch from their relationship with Leo Messi and we were finally able to check it out during Baselworld last week.
Baselworld 2019: Breitling Navitimer ref. 806 1959 Re-Edition. Live Pictures & Price.
The Breitling Navitimer ref. 806 1959 Re-Edition is the fist time that the brand has brought back a reference from the past and do a reissue to the smallest detail possible. In 1952, Breitling developed the Navitimer for air pilots to be able to do flight calculations with an innovative slide rule positioned around the dial. The new Navitimer ref. 806 1959 Re-Edition, celebrates one of the most iconic Navitimers released exactly 60 years ago. A flawless execution that that replicates the early Navitimer ref. 806 to the smallest detail including its acrylic —plexiglas— crystal.
Baselworld 2019: Angelus U51 Diver Tourbillon 5-Day Power Reserve. Live Pictures & Price.
Originally released in 2018, the Angelus U50 Diver Tourbillon was the brand’s first diver’s watch. With a high level of skeletonization of its movement allowing for maximum transparency and an incredible view of all of its components. Now, along with the release of the Angelus U50 Diver Tourbillon Black Edition comes the new Angelus U51 Diver Tourbillon 5-Day Power Reserve in a colorful combination of orange and stormy blue. The U51 Diver Tourbillon maintains the same proportions at 45 mm as its predecessor the U50 Diver, in a titanium case that has been slightly redesigned to differentiate it from its U50 siblings.
Baselworld 2019: Bell & Ross BR-X1 R.S. 19 Chronograph. Live Pictures & Price.
Continuing with their partnership with the F1 Renault team, Bell & Ross presented the BR-X1 R.S. 19 Chronograph along with three other Renault Chronographs during Baselworld 2019 to mark the fourth year of involvement with this racing team. The new Bell & Ross BR-X1 R.S. 19 is an absolute racing inspired machine that brings the magic of an F1 racing car into a timepiece. Available in a limited edition of 250 pieces this skeletonized chronograph charged with the Renault team yellow racing color is for sure going to be a success.
Baselworld 2019: Breitling Superocean 46, 44, 42 and 36. Live Pictures & Price.
The Breitling Superocean collection is one of the most successful and representative watch lines from this brand. Now under the reigns of former IWC President Georges Kern the brand has gone through an interesting transformation, with some good releases and others we don’t like so much. However, the new Superocean Collection unveiled during Baselworld 2019 was a solid home run in our opinion. The new collection not only reflects the brand’s diving DNA very well, but also takes into consideration the so many different wrist sizes around the world and delivers a solid offering with five different sizes to please almost everyone.
Baselworld 2019: Greubel Forsey GMT Quadruple Tourbillon. Live Pictures & Price.
When we thought we’ve seen it all when it comes to Greubel Forsey, then they keep rising the bar even higher. What we can only describe as the pinnacle of the art of watchmaking, brings the new Greubel Forsey GMT Quadruple Tourbillon. Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey have chosen to revisit their second invention and to take it even further by combining it with their legendary multiple time zone display GMT. Available in a total limited edition of 66 pieces with 11 in white gold —just released—, the new Greubel Forsey GMT Quadruple Tourbillon features a case measuring 46.5 mm by 17.45 mm in thickness.
Baselworld 2019: Tudor Black Bay P01 ref. M70150. Live Pictures & Price.
A total newcomer and not just another color variation of Tudor’s Black Bay line. The new Tudor Black Bay P01 takes its inspiration from a prototype presented to the U.S. Navy in the late 1960s and that never went into production. The name of said prototype was Montre Plongeur “Commando.” The new Black Bay P01 is equipped with a bezel system that was patented in 1968. This blocking bezel system via the end link at 12 o’clock, allowed for the wearer to lock, turn or disassemble the bezel for cleaning. This watch is an interesting release for Baselworld 2019 and one that is better looking in person than in pictures. A robust and very solid watch with a sporty and somewhat military feel to it.
Baselworld 2019: De Bethune DB21 Maxichrono Re-Edition. Live Pics & Price.
The first Chronograph from De Bethune came out in 2006 and it was an instant sensation with its five central hands. In 2014, the DB29 Maxichrono Tourbillon came out and then in 2017, it was revisited as the DB28 Maxichrono. This year at Baselworld 2019, a new iteration of the Maxichrono made its appearance with the DB21 Maxichrono Re-Edition in a limited edition of 10 pieces. One of our favorite mono-pusher chronographs out there, the De Bethune DB21 Maxichrono features a mono-pusher 24-hour chronograph with five hands on the central pinion and concentric chrono totallizers that go all the way from the center of the dial to the periphery.
