{"id":55771,"date":"2019-03-27T16:03:55","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T20:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockx.com\/news\/?p=55771"},"modified":"2019-03-28T14:24:21","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T18:24:21","slug":"opinion-baselworld-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stockx.com\/news\/opinion-baselworld-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Baselworld 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago we published our Baselworld predictions<\/a> along with what to expect from the show in terms of trends and themes. As the dust settles from this year\u2019s show, we\u2019re left with a reality that has diverged from the expected path by a few degrees. As usual. Some of the biggest surprises didn\u2019t come in the form of watches released (though, there were a few of those), but rather in the overall tone and direction we see the brands taking.<\/p>\n

Overall I\u2019d call this a conservative year for the show, with no real showstopper to be found among the releases. One thing we were expecting to see was a continuing trend toward more manageable cases sizes, with a strong eye toward wearability. On that front, we see mixed results, with the most notable absence coming from Tudor<\/a>, who did not expand on the Black Bay 58<\/a> line. Additionally, Rolex<\/a> released a new Yacht-Master<\/a> but sized it up from 40mm to 42mm in diameter. Even Patek introduced a new Aquanaut in a jumbo case<\/a>. The reasons for this tap into a broad theme of this year\u2019s show.<\/p>\n

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Outside the Patek Philippe booth, credit: Atom Moore<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019ve tried to buy any popular steel sport watch from the above brands over the past 12 months you may have noticed their lack of availability through authorized retail channels. Seeing their releases this year suggests they may be intending to fill a little more of that demand before releasing a new batch of unobtanium references into the world to further frustrate collectors. Don\u2019t take that to mean it\u2019ll be easier to get sought after models, but a \u201cyear off\u201d with these new models allows a bit of that tension to be eased. This could be why we saw watches released that may appeal to a slightly different crowd, i.e. larger watches, precious metal watches, oddball watches like the P01, and even two-toned watches.<\/p>\n

That brings me to another trend that has taken another step into the spotlight this year, two-toned watches. We saw it from Tudor in the Black Bay Chronograph family, and we saw it from Rolex in the …Sea-Dweller family. You read that correctly. While the historical precedent is there, the Sea-Dweller family of watches that served as the last bastion of true tool watches from the brand. No polished center links, no precious metals, no fuss – all business. That\u2019s been the mantra of the Sea-Dweller, until this year. Of course, these days Rolex is interested in making luxury products that are also purpose built tools, so it\u2019s not shocking to see the release of a two-toned Sea-Dweller. References either evolve or they die. Think of it like the Viper and Z06 Corvette, one of them eventually got an automatic transmission while the other never did, and one of them is still around as a result (not that I condone the existence of the automatic Z06).<\/p>\n

Let me note here that I have not seen any of these watches in the flesh, and will reserve final judgement until I do. But not every watch had me scratching my head, there was a lot to love released by brands like Oris<\/a>, Bulgari<\/a>, Seiko<\/a>, and even throwbacks from the likes of Bulova and Zodiac. These are the watches that stood out to me this year, for better or worse.<\/p>\n

Tudor P01<\/b><\/p>\n

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Photo credit: Atom Moore<\/p><\/div>\n

This watch<\/a> is on my radar for a couple of reasons. First and foremost for what it isn\u2019t. Tudor clearly struck a nerve last year with the Black Bay 58, the fact that they remain elusive at ADs a full year later is testament to that. Because of this, I (and many others) were expecting another step in that direction by releasing more dial and bezel combination for the 58, as well as a new model built in the mold of the old Tudor Submariner. We got neither of those things. Instead, the P01 was a completely unexpected turn into a new direction, and I give Tudor credit for that. This watch has been the source of many heated discussions, and if anything it\u2019s caused people to take notice of a little known piece of Tudor\u2019s past. That\u2019s the second reason it\u2019s on this list, it\u2019s new<\/i>, as in \u201cwtf is that?\u201d new. Regardless of my feelings on the design, I admire what Tudor has done here and I hope to see elements of this watch applied to future watches from the shield (especially those hour plots).<\/p>\n

Zodiac Aerospace GMT Limited Edition<\/b><\/p>\n

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Zodiac is a historic brand that\u2019s been making some welcome moves in recent years. Their latest reissue taps into some serious \u201870s vibes done in a very approachable manner. The two colorways, one in cool grey colors and the other in navy and orange, are spot on in their execution without being overdone. Toss in the workhorse ETA 2893 which keeps the 40mm case at 13mm thick, and the price well under $2,000. The only downside is how limited they are, with just 182 of each color being produced, and yes, they are already sold out. Keep an eye out for these on StockX in the coming weeks. This is a fun, accessible watch, but the real message here is that Zodiac continues to make the right moves and is a brand we should be paying attention to in the coming years.<\/p>\n

Monta Atlas GMT<\/b><\/p>\n

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Much like Zodiac, Monta has positioned themselves as a viable option for enthusiasts with well considered designs and more importantly well considered cases. Take their latest release, the Atlas GMT for instance, the dial has depth, and effectively balances complexity with readability with just enough color in the right places. The watch features time, date and GMT complications packed into a case that measures just 38.5mm in diameter and 10.2mm in thickness. Those are seriously impressive numbers for a watch that starts under $1,500.<\/p>\n

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Chronograph<\/b><\/p>\n

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Photo credit: Atom Moore<\/p><\/div>\n

We talked about this watch on the blog<\/a> already, but this one is a stand out from the show this year for me. Not only is the overall design and case construction avant garde, but it represents the world\u2019s thinnest automatic chronograph, revealed in the year that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the very first automatic chronograph. The watch is another piece of the horological foundations Bulgari is forging and it\u2019s a refreshing presence in the midst of watch brands looking to the past for inspiration.<\/p>\n

Patek Philippe 5212A<\/b><\/p>\n

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Photo credit: Atom Moore<\/p><\/div>\n

If you read our Baselworld Predictions post you\u2019ll know that we were keeping an eye out for something new in the Calatrava family. Patek didn\u2019t disappoint with the release of a new reference 5212A, which offers a new weekly calendar complication, a steel case, and vintage good looks. Read more about the watch right here<\/a>, but this one is a stand out hit for me due to the sheer unexpected details like the \u201chand written\u201d dial, and well, the weekly complication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The show of the year is behind us, here’s what caught our eye. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":55774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"brands":[],"series":[],"verticals":[],"class_list":["post-55771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpinion: Baselworld 2019 - StockX News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read our takeaways from Baselworld 2019\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stockx.com\/news\/opinion-baselworld-2019\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opinion: Baselworld 2019 - StockX News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read our takeaways from Baselworld 2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/stockx.com\/news\/opinion-baselworld-2019\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"StockX News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/stockxdotcom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-27T20:03:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-03-28T18:24:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d15lrsitp7y7u.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Photo-Mar-19-5-24-19-PM.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1365\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Blake\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@stockx\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@stockx\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Blake\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Opinion: Baselworld 2019 - 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