Baselworld, here we come!!

Together with my friend and watchbuddy Robert-Jan, who also runs a watch weblog named Fratellowatches, i’m going to visit Baselworld. Coming friday, saturday and sunday we will have meetings with a lot of watch brands. From Basel we will report about our meetings, the watch and jewelry show in general and lots of other new watches we will hopefully get to see.

Last year more than 100,000 visitors (from 100 countries) and more than 2,000 exhibitor (from 45 countries) where present at Baselworld. And almost 3,000 journalists from 70 countries reported about all the new fair which took place in a 160,000 m2 exhibition area. Ok these are impressive numbers and from what i’ve read and heard from visitors from previous years the show is overwhelming.

Friday and saturday we will have meeting s with  Swatch Group brands Blancpain, Jaquet Droz, Glashütte-Original and Omega. Since i have a weak spot for TAG Heuer i will also visit their stand, although i don’t have a scheduled meeting. I just want to see the new Monaco models i already wrote about! The Independent watchmakers, members of the AHCI, can always count on much appreciation from my side. The work they do only or in very small teams in absolutely impressive and i will visit their stands of course! To name a few i will surely visit:

• Stepan Sarpaneva with his new Korona in RG and WG
• Grönefeld, the new Dutch watchbrand with their impressive GTM6 – Tourbillon Minite Repeater with cathedral gongs
• Urwerk to see their new 103.T Tarantula
• Greubel Forsey … i don’t even know if i will survive that visit, because it’s just too impressive

And many other independent watchmakers like Christiaan van der Klaauw, Vianney Halter, Kari Voutilainen, Maitre du Temps and of course Peter Speake-Marin to see his new in-house developed caliber SM2 in the new MARIN-1! Other brands on my want-to-see-list are Favre-Leuba, Ulysse Nardin to see their Chairman (an mobile phone with automatic power source), Patek Phillipe, Gerald Genta and Chopard and many, many others. And of course i will take a look at the Rolex booth to see their well protected new watches 🙂

The first brand we have a meeting with is Jean Dunand. This brand was founded in 2003 by watchmaker Christophe Claret and Thierry Oulevay. Christophe Claret is one of  Switzerland’s leading inventors and constructors of complicated movements for prestige houses. Thierry Oulevay is an expert in watch design and marketing, who gained his experience with the highly respected house Piaget, and engineered the successful relaunch of the Bovet brand from 1995 to 2001 with an award-winning design. Click here to read an interview with mr. Oulevay.

The two men share a fascination for the work of the Swiss-born artist, Jean Dunand (1877–1942), one of the great craftsmen of the Art Deco movement, embodying one of the most style periods in post-Renais-sance times. Mr. Claret and Oulevay decided to name their new brand after thisgreat artist.  For the first Pièce Unique, Christophe Claret to develop the orbiting tourbillon – an idea many in the watch industry considered impossible. And which some now try and fail to copy. After my meeting i will report back with new information 🙂

The above photo shows Jean Dunand’s new unique masterpiece, the Shabaka.  In the mean time you can register yourself at the Jean Dunand website for more information.