Independence leads to greater innovation
Some Swiss watch companies have been investing heavily in order to become as independent as possible and to be what the Swiss refer to as 'manufactures', with the ability to make most parts for their watches in-house.
This move has been brought about by the decision of ETA, the Swiss industry's main provider of ebauches (movement blanks), not to supply companies outside the Swatch Group, of which it is a member, after the end of 2010.
The conservative cobwebs that have sometimes been associated with the industry have been brushed aside as some firms strive for independence and as others seek modern solutions to the age-old problems of mechanical timekeeping. This fresh approach has captured the imagination of watch enthusiasts as they see watch escapements being radically redesigned for the first time in 250 years and as modern materials begin to play a significant role in improving the performance of mechanical watch movements.
A number of manufacturers have introduced materials such as silicon (silicium) and diamond into their escapements. It has even become possible to make components such as balance springs (hairsprings) and escape wheels from these materials. These materials are not being used to add to the cost of a watch - although they do. They are being used because they offer many advantages, not least of which is the ability to eliminate the need for oil in an escapement. Other components benefiting from the use of modern materials include the ball-bearings, which are increasingly being fabricated from ceramics, rather than steel.
Again, the advantages are the elimination of the need for lubrication, reduced wear and longer service intervals - a great advantage at a time when there is a worldwide shortage of skilled watchmakers.
Ulysse Nardin has been at the forefront of many of the innovations and yet this year some have commented that it has been 'taking a break'. Despite this, it has launched a new version of its remarkable watch called 'The Freak'. This year's version is equipped with new escape wheels that have been produced from man-made diamond that has been grown around a silicium core.
Some of the watch movements that are being developed in 2007 would have been inconceivable even 10 years ago; mechanical watches are more exciting than they have been for a very long time.
England's horologist George Daniels laid the groundwork for a fresh approach to watchmaking when he devised his Co-Axial movement. Omega adopted his concept in 1999 and has gradually been introducing it throughout its collection - with the exception of the Moonwatch, which the company intends to keep unchanged.
At the beginning of this year, Omega announced another big step forward with the launch of a new version of the Co-Axial with twin barrels in series and a power reserve of 60 hours. It is being used first in a model called Hour Vision. When production capacity has increased sufficiently, this new calibre will be introduced in other Omega models, too. Nicolas Hayek, president of the Swatch Group which owns Omega, and Stephen Urquhart, CEO of Omega, said this new development marked the return of Omega as a 'manufacture'.
Tourbillon watches are something of an enigma: they are based on a concept devised for pocket watches more than 250 years ago by Abraham Louis Breguet. In wristwatches, this complex, delicate device does little to enhance performance and yet in the past five years it has become one of the most popular complications available - and there is no sign of its popularity waning. The modern day company that bears the great man's name, Breguet, introduced two significant complications this year. One, called La Tradition Tourbillon, contains a constant force escapement driven by a fusee. This is old technology, originally developed for pocket watches, but its use in a modern wristwatch will excite many enthusiasts. The Tourbillon Messidor is the other new Breguet model, featuring a tourbillon cage mounted on sapphire discs.
This year in Basel, one of Patek Philippe's new models was a new perpetual calendar watch with retrograde date in an enlarged 'officer's style' case, with a gold dust cover to protect the sapphire crystal back.
Some collectors search for watches that are daringly different and for them, DeWitt's 2007 models are likely to be of interest. In just four years, this company has joined the small circle of pioneering fine luxury watchmaking brands. Enthusiasts are sure to be attracted by the functions offered by the different creations forming part of the Academia line. They include the Silicium Grande Date and the Triple Complication GMT, which displays a second time zone, day and night and the 'dissociated date'. DeWitt's Silicium Hora Mundi, with its 24 time zones and display of 24 capital cities, and the Tourbillon a Force Constant are also masterpieces.
The popularity of the Breitling for Bentley collection has been growing at an exciting pace and so it was appropriate that in Basel this year this special line was extended by the introduction of two new watches. There is a very stylish new Flying B chronograph in the best Breitling tradition and a slightly smaller model called Flying B No.3. Both are also available in jewellery versions with a diamond-set red or white gold case. The name 'Flying B' is a reference to the famous 'winged B' Bentley logo.
No report on men's watches at BaselWorld would be complete without a mention of Zenith. The use of the alloy it has named Zenithium, combined with some outrageously bold details, have brought the brand to the attention of more watch enthusiasts. But it is one brand that, more than any other, people either love or hate. Perhaps the ultimate models to which this applies are the huge Defy Xtreme watches that are all water-resistant to a depth of 1,000 metres.
