New timepieces and watches from Baselworld 2018
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The newest and most exciting releases from the Swiss watch and jewellery fair
MB&F and L'Epee 1839 The Fifth Element
Avant-garde MB&F doesn't simply make watches – it makes horological 'machines' that are as much works of kinetic art as they are timekeeping devices. Following on the heels of out-there collaborations with music box makers Reuge and luxury stationer Caran d'Ache, it has once again teamed up with clockmaker L'Epee for an ambitious desktop analogue weather station. The futuristic creation combines a clock, barometer, thermometer and hygrometer (an instrument that measures the water vapour in the atmosphere) in a fantastical UFO complete with miniature alien perched in the centre.
Chanel Boy Friend Skeleton Calibre 3
Recent years have seen the iconic French brand step up its watchmaking capabilities in earnest, debuting its in-house-produced Calibre 1 in the men's watch Monsieur, followed by the Calibre 2 placed in ornate women's piece Premiere Camelia Skeleton. After three years of development, Chanel's third in-house movement gets a similarly chic outing in the form of its best-selling Boy Friend watch, first introduced in 2015. Here the dial has been opened up to reveal the elegant movement within, finished with a beige gold border to match the angular, octagonal case.
Breitling Navitimer 8 Chronograph
Last year saw one of the watch industry's most important figures, Georges Kern, depart from luxury group Richemont to take the reins at Breitling. One of his first moves has been to revamp the brand's legendary pilot's watch the Navitimer, introducing a new collection of pared-back versions that take their name from the Huit Aviation Department, an organisation Breitling set up to make aviation instruments in the 1930s. Counted among them is this classic chronograph, equipped with self-winding COSC-certified chronometer movement.
Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Complet GMT
The combination of a complete calendar – denoting the date, days of the week and the month – with a moonphase has been one of Blancpain's signature complications since the 1980s. Here, this is stepped up a level with the addition of a practical GMT function, with home time signalled via a red-tipped hand, while setting the in-house movement's many functions has become even more practical with the implementation of the brand's patented under-lug correctors.
Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Moon Black Enamel
This new release from Jaquet Droz brings together many hallmarks of the watchmaker into one classically elegant timepiece. The refined black Grand Feu enamel dial is based around the signature figure-of-eight motif, with the bottom circle concealing the watch's showpiece, a shining moon crafted from 22-carat gold that glides across the surface.
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