Powerhouse of Timekeepers

Swiss watchmakers present their latest technical achievements in the newly redesigned Baselworld halls

Calatrava watches from Patek Phlippe

Gentleman’s Armoury

If there were a fashion runway in the halls of Baselworld, these stylish watches would be the first ones to be featured.

Patek Phlippe presented a new range of Calatrava watches featuring an invisible hinge on its dust cover. The classic timepiece with reference 5227 features a small cover that shields the see-through caseback, but with a hinge that makes it invisible. The dust cover is opened via a small lip. The 39mm timepiece is fitted with the self-winding calibre 324SC, and is available in 18k yellow, white or rose gold, with matching hour markers and hands. Hand-stitched alligator straps come in chocolate brown, black and dark brown.

Day-Date from Rolex

Breguet’s La Musicale comes in a 48mm 18k white gold case, with a rotating platinum-coated dial beautifully hand-engraved with rose detail. The watch, fitted with the self-winding movement incorporating an escapement as well as a balance spring both made in silicon, plays a crystal toned version of “The Thieving Magpie” overture by Rossini, either on demand or at a desired time. The patented mechanism has a disc carrying the pins instead of the traditional music box cylinder and alternately acts on the 15 metal teeth of the comb.

A metallic glass membrane, engine–turned by hand, placed beneath the movement and serving to amplify the frequencies required to emit the tune, sets the finishing touch. The back of the watch’s case, protected with Liquidmetal, is drilled with several openings designed to ensure optimal sound transmission. The model is also fitted with magnets isolated within a cage to eliminate background noise.

Rolex presents six colourful versions to the Day-Date range, across three different gold cases, and with matching leather straps. The cases come in 18k yellow, white or Everose gold, with green or cognac matched with yellow gold, blue or cherry with white gold and chocolate or rhodium for the Everose models. The watches come at 36mm and are powered with the automatic calibre 3155 with instantaneous day and date displays.

Breguet’s La Musicale

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