BASELNEWS 2011

Marking time: Bell & Ross BR 01 AIRBORNE II & BR 01 TOURBILLON AIRBORNE

Created in 2009, the Bell & Ross BR 01 AIRBORNE model paid tribute to the extraordinary saga of military paratroopers, especially the US Airborne divisions that played such a distinguished role in the Second World War.Rubbing shoulders with danger on a daily basis, the young soldiers had adopted the skull and crossbones as a symbol of their courage to better defy death and intimidate their enemies. The skull and crossbones acted as a talisman during their missions and a continual reminder of how vulnerable they were to danger.

BASELNEWS 2011

TAG Heuer MIKROTIMER Flying 1000 - The 1/1,000th of a second!

At 1/1,000th of a second, a Formula One racecar at full throttle travels about ten centimeters. Over a 305 km race, this might not seem much — the length of a finger — but it can mean the difference between second place and a World Championship. The TAG Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph is the only mechanical timepiece that can precisely gauge this phenomenon.

BASELNEWS 2011

Ulysse Nardin Conquers the World of Watchmaking

Alexander the Great. World Conqueror. Ambitious Leader. Mighty King. The unconquerable hero of Greek history and symbol of strength inspires Ulysse Nardin's Alexander the Great: Westminster Carillon Tourbillon Jaquemarts Minute Repeater, an exceptional timepiece that showcases the mastery of Ulysse Nardin watchmakers.

BASELNEWS 2011

It is not a one-of-a-kind timepiece: Patek Philippe Triple Complication

The new Patek Philippe Triple Complication Ref. 5208P is yet another accomplishment that underscores the leadership of the Geneva-based workshops in the complicated watch segment. With a minute repeater, monopusher chronograph, and instantaneous perpetual calendar, it presents the most challenging degrees of difficulty with peerless perfection. And it is not a one-of-a-kind timepiece: it is a new model in the regular Patek Philippe collection, offering definitive proof that the so-called "domain of the extraordinary" is part of the everyday reality at the privately owned manufacture.

BASELNEWS 2011

Exceptional timepiece: Breguet Marine Tourbillon Haute Joallerie 5839

The Marine 5837 was introduced in 2007 as the first tourbillon watch with a silicon escapement. The use of this highly innovative material for the balance-spring, escapement wheel and lever made it possible to create a tourbillon that was light, and therefore highly shock resistant; non-magnetic; and require no lubricants. The use of titanium for the tourbillon carriage also made the entire watch lighter.

BASELNEWS 2011

COSC-certified: Breitling for Bentley Barnato und Bentley Barnato Racing

Breitling for Bentley is lining up two exceptional champions on the starting grid. Named in honour of the most famous of the Bentley Boys, who was also the first driver to win three consecutive editions of the Le Mans 24 Hours (1928, 1929 and 1930), the Bentley Barnato and the Bentley Barnato Racing chronographs are distinguished by their peerless performances and their resolutely out of the ordinary design. They feature ultra-sporty dials, including one with a highly original disc-type totalizer system.

BASELNEWS 2011

The Hublot Masterpiece MP-02 Key of Time

The MASTERPIECE collection is dedicated to complication watches and extraordinary movements, which are the fruit of cutting-edge research in the field of mechanics and engineering. The appearance of this new collection was made possible by Hublot reinforcing its manufacture's workforce in 2010 with a team of 30 staff of the highest level, entirely dedicated to Grand Complications.

A cultural bridge between East and West

Exceptional timepieces: Métiers d’Art La Symbolique des Laques

The Métiers d’Art “La Symbolique des Laques” watch series was born of a respect for traditions and for the watchmaking creativity that since 1755 has been convincing Vacheron Constantin of the need to pass on skills, art and the craftsman’s motions so they will be written on the pages of history. This is more than a conviction; it is a calling to perpetuate the skills that combine virtuosity with precision, in both the technical and decorative realms.

BASELNEWS 2011

Breguet shows the Classique 7787 Moon Phases watch

Still in the Classique collection, Breguet is presenting another new model, the Classique 7787 Moon Phases watch. This timepiece is distinctive in that it can be worn equally well by men or women, since it comes in two sizes (39mm and 36mm in diameter). It is proposed in two versions, each of which has a dial that is hand-engraved on a rose engine, one in white gold, the other in 18-carat red gold.

BASELNEWS 2011

Seductive charm of EVEROSE gold: The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust Special Edition

The new Oyster Perpetual Datejust Special Edition is more sensual and more dazzling than ever. This bold incarnation of a feminine classic, in its 34 mm 18 ct EVEROSE gold case, enriches a collection already offered in yellow and white gold. The 18 ct EVEROSE gold of the case, bracelet and bezel sets the tone from the outset: an exclusive Rolex alloy, captivating in its inherent lustre and nobility.

BASELNEWS 2011

Complication watch: Breguet Classique Hora Mundi 5717

Among Breguet’s collections, the Classiques are proud standard-bearers for the company’s traditional values and watchmaking art. They beautifully epitomise its two-hundred-year-plus heritage and the standout characteristics that are so original as to have influenced Fine Watchmaking history itself. The new Breguet Classique 5717 Hora Mundi watch introduced at Baselworld 2011 perfectly exemplifies the spirit of this prestigious collection.

BASELNEWS 2011

A unique piece: The 2 MILLION € BB

A secret project, the 2 MILLION € BB started life as a simple design hand-sketched around the table in Jean-Claude Biver's office at the Hublot stand at BaselWorld last year, as a "light-hearted confidential challenge" between Hublot's CEO and our master gemstone setters. Finished the day before BaselWorld 2011 opened, it would take no less than 12 months to bring this exceptional piece to life, made up of 637 baguette diamonds and a rose cut diamond on the crown, and featuring a Vendôme Tourbillon movement to appeal to lovers of fine watchmaking.

A tribute to art and culture

Exceptional unique pieces: Métiers d’Art Chagall & l’Opéra de Paris

Having been a patron of the Paris National Opera for the past four years, Vacheron Constantin shares with this institution the art of precision, renewal and wonder. Technical and aesthetic mastery of this art depends on a number of artistic trades. In honour of this association, Vacheron Constantin has designed an exceptional series of fifteen unique watches as a tribute to the greatest composers of all time, the very same who were Marc Chagall’s inspiration for the monumental mural on the Opera Garnier’s ceiling.

A limited edition of 100 platinum-cased watches

A Resonant Masterpiece: LANGE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME

Ludwig van Beethoven’s prodigious reputation is due in large measure to his Symphony No. 5 with its four-note fanfare opening. The fate motif now ushers in a new chapter in the history of A. Lange & Söhne: the most recent sibling in the LANGE ZEITWERK family is endowed with a chiming mechanism that is visible in its face. It strikes the quarter-hours with high-pitched tones and the full hours at a lower pitch. Played fast-forward, the result is the famous leitmotif. The LANGE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME is the first Lange wristwatch with an acoustic signature.

The most innovative art of watchmaking

The new perpetual Calendar from the swiss Watch-Manufacture ANTOINE MARTIN

The first watch collection by ANTOINE MARTIN unites the most innovative art of watchmaking has to offer within a modern, progressive case design. Inside the case ticks a fascinating manufacture movement, developed and manufactured in the company`s own workshop in the heart of Switzerland: Alpnach, located near Lucerne. An impressive number of new technical solutions can be found within the movement.