Visiting Baselworld, the definitive launchpad of luxury watches, over the years, I have developed a pattern. While my first few days are spent at the booths of fine watchmaking brands like Patek Philippe, Chopard, Breguet, Blancpain, Omega and Hublot — mostly located on the ground floor of Hall 1 — my last few are dedicated to looking for the ones who may not be as hallowed, but are willing to push the traditional boundaries of horology. Here is my pick of five exceptional timepieces for 2018 that defy the regular, both in looks and movements.
ArtyA
How about starting with some Russian Roulette? A game in which, instead of one, five of the six chambers are loaded. Yvan Arpa, the creative mind behind ArtyA, creates the powerful message of carpe diem (seize the day) with the Russian Roulette, the latest from the Sun of a Gun family. The multi-layered dial looks like the barrel of a revolver and it contains five real bullets, set by hand, that rapidly spin around the dial with your every move. The 44 mm watch, with a crocodile leather strap, comes in a steel case with lateral inserts of ArtyOr, an alloy mix of gold, zinc and copper sourced from used bullet cartridges. The high-end, Swiss-made, manually-wound Unitas movement is partly revealed through the see-through, double layer barrel holes. A third barrel is at the back, completing the pistol picture.
Chronomètre Ferdinand Berthoud
The brand continues the tradition of making exceptional timepieces whose complications, together with the quality of its construction, are dedicated to the watchmaking skills of Val-de-Travers, the Maison’s place of origin. The FB 1R.6-1 — issued in a 20-piece limited edition — is a 44 mm-diameter timepiece featuring a less than 14 mm-thick case. Composed of a steel cylinder, that houses the movement, the molecular structure of the metal has been reinforced by a thermo-chemical process (involving the diffusion of vapour-phase carbon), guaranteeing an exceptional surface hardness of 1,200 Vickers. It also has great corrosion resistance. The case features two octagonal, stainless steel side pieces, giving it its characteristic shape and two lateral portholes at 2 and 11 o’clock — so one can look into the fusee-and-chain mechanism in action. The two openings are complemented by a screw-down stainless steel back fitted with a glare-proof sapphire crystal, enabling one to appreciate the finishing of the FB-T.FC-R movement.
MeisterSinger No. 03 Black Line
I am a big fan of single hand classic watches. Very few brands make them. Some make them rarely, like Jaquet Droz, while others, like MeisterSinger, have them as their signature lines. The design principles are similar to those of historical instruments, with functional typography and double digits to indicate the hours. There are four watches in the Black Line collection, which are as instrumental as they are dramatic. The No. 03, winner of various design awards, is the new member of this family. With a diameter of 43 millimetres, its stainless steel case is coated with black Diamond-Like Coating (DLC) and sandblasted to achieve a beautiful matt finish. The imprint on the black dial is in an old radium colour, with four red hour markers and a red-tipped hand. The glass exhibition window at the back, also in matt black, provides an excellent view of the Swiss movement. In the dark, its Super-Luminova coating provides powerful illumination and the watch comes with a cognac-coloured saddle leather strap. Elaborating on the vintage look, Stefan Loges, Director Marketing, tells me, “We used old radium colour to bring back the look of the ’70s, when we needed radium to provide the glow at night. Even the strap comes with a vintage leather look.”
Corum Bubble Clown
This is by far the edgiest piece from Corum’s iconic Bubble collection. From its second collaboration with American artist Matt Barnes, the Bubble Clown is outrageous yet endearing. The centrepiece is a transfigured clown, disturbing, hypnotic, almost intrusive. To match the dial — the watch is 52 millimetres wide, offering the Clown the creative expanse he needs — Corum uses a mechanical movement that displays the hours and minutes with two red circles on the flange. CEO Jérôme Biard tells me he encourages creative freedom in their various collaborations with artists to create various Bubble models for collectors.
Franck Dubarry Crazy Wheel Collection
This collection boasts a unique style of telling time. The name pays tribute to the built-in sub counter that revolves around the dial. Running on an automatic movement, the hours are displayed on a counter that remains attached to the minute hand. The floating bridge display rotates 360 degrees around the minute markers. The use of innovative materials, such as carbon, Kevlar and grade 5 titanium, has also added a quality of finish. The hands are inspired by aeronautics design, while the tips are decorated with Luminova (for illumination in the dark). Even the strap is specially designed for an ergonomic feel, where it connects the case beneath the lug.
The writer is president and publisher of the Chitralekha Group and president, The Horologists.
