Top 10 Reasonably Priced watches from Baselworld 2013

You would've already seen/read quite a number of "top 10" lists from Baselworld 2013. But the problem with these lists is that they're quite often without rhyme or reason. Put all the watches on the dartboard and you too can come up with a similar top ten list.

This is why you've come to the Sydney tarts. I didn't put together a top ten list earlier (even though I could have) to cash in on the rush, but then there would be no point. I wanted to think through the choices, not not just most hyped/popular pieces. I didn't want to do a list just because. The list need to serve a purpose.

Granted the list is not exhaustive as Baselworld is massively huge and since I'm not there personally I can only rely on press releases and coverage from people who have made the trek. But out of all that I've seen, I believe these are the best 10 watches from Baselworld this year that are affordable. Relatively speaking. It's easy to cram in ten dozen complications into a watch and charge six figures for it. The problem is that most of us will never ever see them in the flesh let along truly appreciate them as they should be appreciated. Ie, strapped to the wrist. I believe that it is much more difficult to make a truly desirable watch at an affordable price point.

For this top ten list I have set a price ceiling of $5000 as this seems to be the upper limit of what a "reasonable" person will be willing to spend on a good watch. However, majority of the watches on the list cost much less. I've tried to find pricing info for all the watches. Where pricing is not available I've done my best to guesstimate. The list is not in any order.

1. Tissot Luxury Automatic
USD850 on strap, USD895 on bracelet

Beautifully designed. Simple and elegant. With an in-group movement to boot (I say in-group as the Powermatic 80 movement is also used in Certina watches) this Tissot is extremely great value for money. Gorgeous case work, stunning dial, this dress watch delivers in spades. The 80 hour power reserve is very practical, as you can take it off Friday evening after work, and it'll still be running when it goes back on your wrist Monday morning. At 41mm in diametre it is quite wearable and as usual, for an extra $45, get the bracelet variant then stick the watch on a strap if you feel like it to give it that extra dressy look/feel. This watch makes the Fossil way overpriced...


2.Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase
From 2650 Euro

We've already raved about the watch here. Not much else to add, really. Just a really really beautiful watch with an in-house movement at a great, great price. It's definitely on my shopping list.


3. Mondaine Vintage II Automatic
950 CHF

The classic Swiss railway watch, with a great automatic movement (ETA 2892-A2) at a great price. This is for all those movement snobs who just can't bring themselves to getting the quartz version of the classic Mondaine. But you might have to be quick as these are limited to only 500 pieces worldwide.


4. Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer Automatic Chronograph
USD 1845

Good thing about Hamilton with the might of the swatchgroup behind them is that they are able to offer brilliant watches for very low outlay. I think ETA is also doing more customising for each of the brands within the swatchgroup now that they don't have to produce massive amounts of movements for the rest of the Swiss watch industry. This watch gets a modified Valjoux 7753 to a bi-compax layout and an increased 60-hour power reserve. It's a very well done modernisation of a classic 70s Khaki pilot with the case size updated to a still-versatile 41mm. One small gripe. WHY THE DATE WINDOW???


5. Mühle-Glashütte Teutonia II Tag Datum
From 1790 Euro

This is another clean, simple and elegant dress watch, and great for someone who wants something outside the Swiss Made repertoire. Perfectly symmetrical and balanced dial with day at 12 and date at 6 and powered by a Sellita movement (which is, ahem, Swiss). At least the name is a mouthful, and passer-bys wouldn't have a clue what it is. And that is exactly what you want. Otherwise you would have gone for the Tissot...


6. Alpina 130 Heritage Chrono
Guesstimate $3000

A lot of brands are celebrating anniversaries this year eh? Swatch is 30, Alpina is 130, Tissot is 160, Jaeger-LeCoultre is 180... Anyway I digress. Again, this is another watch we raved about. The more I look at it the more in love I am with the watch. Just goes to show you can make a fantastic looking watch with a great movement (looks like a modded Valjoux 7753) for not a lot of money. And many brands from Basel are doing just that- great value for money is definitely another trend we're seeing.


7. Sinn T1/T2
Approx. 3000 CHF

The ultimate tool watch. The weapon of choice for those of you whom the watch is actually used than babied. This is definitely not a safe queen since that would be just a waste. You can read the in-depth here on Horologium, but the two watches are essentially the same, just differ in their sizes, and you can choose from a leather strap, rubber strap or a bracelet. Extremely legible, by day or by night, and the updated case also makes it much more comfortable on the wrist.


8. Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver
2900 CHF

Maurice Lacroix is a highly underrated watch brand and they deserve to be more noticed. This watch could do the trick. It is a proper diver's watch with a compressor case, similar to the style used by Longines in their Legend Diver. Comes with an internal rotating bezel as well as a helium escape valve. Although how often desk divers uses this is up for debate. This is another watch with a very clean dial, the date at 6 makes it more symmetrical, although I would've preferred a white on black date wheel. Powered by a Sellita movement (ETA 2824 clone) it's bound to be highly reliable, and can be had on a soft nato style leather strap or a bracelet.


9. Bell & Ross 123 Sport Vintage
Guesstimate $2800

The 123 Sport Heritage is the one on the left

That's right Bell & Ross makes watches other than those funky square cockpit instrument watches. Even if that's what they're known for these days. The 123 Sport Vintage is a welcome addition to the range, complete with a vintage look/style. It pays homage to the sports watch style of the 60s and I think they've done a brilliant job. Yes there is a date window but at least it's quite subtle, so I don't mind it and it doesn't detract from an otherwise clean dial with great legibility. Instant classic powered by the venerable ETA 2892 movement. There is also a limited edition "Falcon" version of said watch named after the Dassault Aviation model. Based on the pricing of the B&R 123 Original, I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess the Sport Vintage will retail around about $2800



10. Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue
4200 CHF

The final piece on this list is also the most expensive. Even then it's still a relative bargain. I actually prefer the blue version from this year over the previous black/grey/orange version from a few years back. Partly because I don't have a blue themed watch, but I also think it looks cleaner. The quality should match the previous model, meaning it's very well made. Movement is an ETA 2892 with a chrono module, but you wouldn't pick it from the outside as the pushers and the crown lines up perfectly (module chrono movements tend to have the pushers on a different plane to the crown as the module sits on top). I believe this movement is exclusive to Tudor. And yes, I'm going to mention the dial and date window position. It's perfect. The dial is extremely clean (especially when compared to its big brother's tendency to write paragraphs on the dial, and the repetition of the name in case you forget...)

Baselworld 2013 - Fossil Swiss Line Automatic

Fossil watches. It's not really the type of watch one associates with watch collecting. However, if you have a look at their designs, they are quite classy and on point. Better than some of the more established watch brands. The designs are so good in fact that many of them sell out. That's right. Sell.Out. Of course, there is also the argument that they're a fashion brand so they aren't going to produce a lot of something if it's just going to be out of fashion next season. Well, yeah, but stick with me.

Many of their designs are based on proven yester-year styles and of course, the whole 'vintage' look these days is always in. However, up until quite recently, they've only dabbled in the value-oriented, quartz powered watch category. No longer.

At Baselworld they presented the Swiss powered range. And true to their design language the first model off the rank is a classic looking watch, simple time only with date, (with the date wheel colour matching the dial!) clean and no-nonsense with choice of strap or bracelet. At 38mm in diameter it might be considered on the small side in today's size-obsessed world, but 38mm is quite easy to pull off and it is a very versatile size. There's really nothing to not like about the watch, apart from maybe the price, starting at US$895.

The only problem is that people may not be willing to spend that kind of money on a Fossil branded watch, even if it has higher Swiss made quality. Ah, the joys of trying to take a brand upmarket! However, a realistic 'street' price could bring it down to around the $5-600 mark would make it a lot more reasonable, but we shall see how they go.

Movement is the Swiss automatic STP caliber 1-11 with 26 jewels, 28,800 vph and a power reserve of 46 hours. (Yeah I don't know them either, but going off the images the movement looks like an ETA2824 clone)

I believe that there are talks regarding the quality being not quite up to scratch for a supposedly Swiss made product, so perhaps a proper hands-on experience is needed to better judge the product.

Baselworld 2013 - Moonphase trend continues...

We mentioned a trend that was happening during SIHH this year in January - the triple date moonphase trend, and this continues on in Basel with Vulcain AND Maurice Lacroix both releasing a triple date moonphase in the classic layout (ie day and month just under 12:00 and moonphase at 6:00).

Vulcain 50s President's Moonphase have certain done a very good job with it, and personally am very happy to see the slate/anthracite grey dial used on a stainless steel entry level model. The movement is ETA based, with a calendar/moonphase module stacked on top. Given the price range of the Vulcain range, I wouldn't expect the RRP to be all that unreasonable. At 42mm this is quite wearable, and definitely plays well above its price grade. The difficult part would be to actually find one to look at and try on in Oz. Unless you're willing to buy sight unseen... The 42mm case can be had in rose gold or stainless steel, with sapphire crystal front and back, powered by an automatic Vulcain caliber V-58 (base ETA).

Maurice Lacroix's Masterpiece Tradition Phases de Lune offering is also quite conservative and traditional in appearance, however, you do have your choice of colour combinations and bracelet/leather straps. The stainless steel case is 40mm in diametre, with sapphire crystal front and back, 50m water resistant, powered by ML Calibre 367 (base ETA). The dial can be had with guilloche finishing or lacquered mirror finish.

Baselworld 2013 - A Tale Of Two Squelettes

If you're after a skeleton watch, with a diametre of 43mm, powered by a 17 jewel, 18,000vph manual wind movement with a power reserve of around about 45 hours, well, you're in luck! At Baselworld 2013, you have 2 to choose from, depending on the thickness of your wallet. It's been a right royal pain to find pricing information this early on, so I am taking educated guesstimates on them.

Maurice Lacroix

First up, we have an offering from Maurice Lacroix - The Masterpiece Squelette Manual Wind. This is based on the ETA6497 movement, but re-branded to caliber ML134. The skeletonisation is beautifully done, and featuring grand colimaçon (spiraled) decoration and sandblasting on the main bridge, in black or rose gold PVD execution. If the price for previous skeleton watches from ML are any indication, I'd hazard a guess and call this at around the $8000 mark.

Maurice Lacroix

If that's too  much to swallow, how about this offering from Tissot, The T-Complication Squelette? Obviously the finishing is not as nicely done as the ML, but the Tissot does have that industrial feel to it, and I'm sure that will appeal to some more than the fancier ML finishing. Exactly the same basic movement, so I guess some of that extra $$$ could be allocated to the finishing work done on the movement (Labour intensive = more $$$) I'm going to guesstimate the Tissot at around $2000. Not bad for one quarter the price of the ML. Not bad at all.

Tissot

Tissot

Baselworld 2013 - Alpina Startimer Pilot Chrono Big Date

If you loved the aesthetics of IWC's 2012 release Top Gun Miramar pilot's watch, but cannot stump up enough greens for this green machine? Fear not! Alpina has heard your cried and brought their own versions to the Danger Zone. It features a choice of subdued military colour scheme, for (I'm guessing) 2 less zeros in the price tag.

IWC Top Gun Miramar Chrono

Bear in mind that the Alpina range is quartz powered, but then again, when you're in a rush to feel the need for speed, who has time to wind their watch up before blasting past Mach 4? But just because it's quartz doesn't mean it's not a good watch. You still get high quality 44mm case in steel or PVD coated, AR coated sapphire crystal and a highly legible and balanced dial. Don't be such a movement snob. In life, we can at times do without the added complication. But if you must be a movement snob, There's always the Startimer automatic. You just have to go without the military styling. Or hope that Alpina makes one sometime down the track.

Baselworld 2013 - Bell & Ross WW1 Regulateur

I've always had a thing for regulator style watches. Never managed to get one, mind you, but it remains high on the shopping list. (A very long list with constantly changing priorities...) Unfortunately the state of my current watch budget means I'll need to let this gem slide as well. Unless B&R makes one in steel? Pretty please? I mean sure, the steel version won't exude the same elegance as this pink gold version, but the lack of budget is really more of a personal issue than anything else...

This a very classical looking watch, and even though B&R is probably best known at the moment for their flight instrument inspired watches, (that'll be the square cased ones) they also make some very elegant vintage style watches.

I'm loving the simplicity of the design. Round case, 'wire' lugs, and just simple black lines for indicies. I hate to say this but the placement of the brand at 3:00 kind of ruins the balance of the dial. I understand fully that the product needs to be branded, but I'm sure there's a way to do it subtly, and would also prefer if they also had a circle around the seconds display, just to make it even more symmetrical.

Those little gripes aside, it is still a great looking watch with beautifully blued hands and running an exclusive movement from Dubois-Depraz. At 42mm in diametre this might be erring on the side of "too big for dress watches" for dress watch purists, but I think the size is just right. Plus it's limited to only 99 pieces I'm sure they'll sell every single piece the make. So it might be a good idea to register your expression of interest with your favourite B&R AD ASAP...

Baselworld 2013 - Alpina's Retro Charm in the 130 Heritage Pilot Chronograph

I think we have good o' Baume & Mercier to thank for their leadership in using "mood" photography on their watches when they began their Hampton lifestyle inspired campaign. (ie, with other items in the background and looking like it was shot on location rather than a studio with a light box) Quite a few brands have taken this road for their latest press release photos and they certainly are a welcome change from the boring soldier shot on white or black background.

Of course, retro in the watch world is always in. There are many decades in which to take styling inspirations from and you know what they say, they don't make them like they used to. Alpina certainly has been around long enough (they're 130 this year!) to be able to dig into their archives for some retro stylin'. One that seemed to work quite well is the 50s chronograph. Longines have done it. So has Baume & Mercier to name but a couple, and now, Alpina has launched their version this year at Baselworld 2013. They've even gone to the trouble of using retro font for the brand name.

Now I'm normally not a yellow gold kinda guy, but somehow, on this model, the yellow gold works for me. Maybe I'm just really taken by that vintage belt the watch is posed next to. (For a brief moment I thought that was the strap that the watch came on!) The gold is most likely plated, which is perfectly fine by me as that will make the watch priced much more reasonably than actual 18k gold. They've certainly done a great job with this number. All-retro everything but with modern manufacturing techniques and quality and a modern, Valjoux 7750 clone- the Sellita SW500 but in a bi-compax layout. All the colour combos work in my mind, so it's a definite winner!

Wonderfully classic design, completely legible, balanced dial, (no date window to ruin the dial) love the cross hatch details on the pushers, even the AR coated sapphire crystal is made to mimick acrylic, just great attention to details. Now how's about including that brown belt with the watch?

Baselworld 2013 - Swatch brings disposability to Haute Horlogerie via SISTEM 51

Swatch brings disposability to Haute Horlogerie via SISTEM 51

First of all let's get all the headline features out of the way. It is an 100% Swiss made, mechanical automatic movement of 51 components, 90-hour power reserve made from ARCAP (alloy of copper, nickel, zinc), highly antimagnetic with an accuracy of 5 seconds a day and will retail for just over 100 Swiss Francs.

Also, let's just say this idea isn't brand new either. Here's a really good article written by Jack Freedman back in 1998, talking about Tissot's experiment with their all-plastic, mechanical and non-serviceable "Astrolon" watch. Amazingly some of the points are even more relevent now in light of Swatch's big reveal.

We at the Tarts have discussed this before about it being only a matter of time before the whole movement assembly became fully automated, given how the technology these days can manufacture items down to the nano level. I personally don't think this is as big a deal as everyone are making it out to be. I mean, the technology is there. Someone just had to apply it to mechanical watches and find a way to make it work, at a reduced cost.

However, a disposable mechanical watch? What is the point here, really, apart from "cuz we can?" Yes, it's accurate to within 5 seconds a day, but I thought the whole idea of having a mechanical watch is because you appreciate the craftsmanship that's gone into the making of the movement? The romantic notion of some grey-haired lady/gentleman in a white lab coat, hunched over a table in a little sun-lit attic somewhere amongst the Swiss Alps, putting together the tiny wheels and cogs and screws that never tell the time quite as accurately as your iGalaxyBerry but it's all ok because it's hand-made? It's about the history and the story and the warm fuzzy feeling you get when you wear your watch?

Granted, we know deep down that the vast majority of the mechanical movements are made by machines, with only the final finishing and assembly done by hand with the aid of some machinery, and only the extremely high end and the odd independent still make watches the old fashioned way. Is this a wake up call from Swatch, dragging all of us back to reality, to something we've always known, but refused to acknowledge? That the cost of servicing these mechanical wonders are no longer worth doing, and it's cheaper to just replace them? These days many of the mechanical watches with run-of-the-mill movements may be 'serviced' but in reality, the movement is taken out and a new one inserted in its place, and nothing is spoken of the old movement.

SO Swatch ushers in a new era, where one openly admits that the watch will work for  say, 10 years, more if you look after it. After that, you simply toss it away for a newer, younger, prettier model, all at the same time you can proudly boast that your watch is a 100% Swiss Made automatic mechanical watch. Pretty much what people do today with Apple devices. Anyone who's seen the tear-down reviews of the latest Apple products will know that once it's broken, you get a new one. They don't even design them to be serviceable/parts replaceable any more, and this is what Swatch has done. Again. (After the Tissot flop decades earlier, and the quartz version of said disposable watch)

I think, it's also a challenge to the rest of the Swiss watch industry, one that Hayek Senior has already shaken up by restricting movement supplies from ETA. To show that not only is it possible to make your own movements, but to do it on the cheap. Well, maybe if you have a lot of $$$ in the bank to roll the R&D.

It is quite likely versions of this movement will slowly make their way to power the lower end product range of other swatchgroup brands such as Tissot/Hamilton/Mido where in their case, the backs can be opened and the movement replaced, just as they are now, but for Swatch, a much, much lower cost, and hopefully, the savings passed on to the consumers. I suppose we'll be hearing a lot more about this new 'revolutionary' technical savoir-faire and more and more discussions/arguments about what this will actually do to the watch industry as a whole. (Not just the Swiss watch industry as this will direct affect the Chinese made mechanical movements)

Maybe the question that should be asked is not whether a disposable swatch automatic watch has a point (because Swatches has always been disposable), but rather, would you buy a watch with a Chinese made automatic movement when the Swiss made version is the same price, if not cheaper?

Baselworld 2013 Dark Side Vs Black Shield - A Battle of Ceramic Proportions...

DarkSide Vs BlackShield - A Battle of Ceramic Proportions...

Looks like black ceramic chrono is still in vogue this year. Over the years we have seen many brands release their version of the black ceramic chronograph, from the very high end to the ultra-affordable. This year we see two more brands joining this already-crowded market place of ceramic cased chronographs.

We talked about the good points and bad points about ceramic cases here so that's the technical aspect out of the way. Let's talk about the watches.

The new Tudor is quite possibly my absolute favourite release from Baselworld 2013. Even better is the fact that it'll be relatively affordable, compared to some of the other offerings out there. Tudor is on a roll lately following their most recent re-relaunch of the brand back in 2010 when they released the brilliant Heritage chrono. this was followed up last year by two even more brilliant watches, the Black Bay and the Pelagos. And this year, we have the Tudor Fastrider Black Shield Chronograph. This is a continuation of the model based on their Ducati partnership, and I think what Rolex should've done for their anniversary Daytona. But you don't see me complaining. IF Rolex did do a ceramic Daytona, not only will I not be able to get one (assuming the price point of Rolex + Ceramic), I'll most certainly not even have access to one (it'll be extremely limited production and sought after and a queue longer than the one for Laduree macarons).

You know, I think Rolex has been incredibly smart in doing this, ensuring Tudor gets back on everyone's radar. Rather be seen as the poor man's Rolex, the brand now has the strength to stand on its on two... hands... ahem. See it doesn't matter what Rolex releases, people will buy them regardless. Tudor, on the other hand has been struggling and their current direction for Tudor could not have come sooner.

For me, this watch is essentially a Rolex Daytona in a ceramic case, and with a ETA7753 movement inside. It could do with perhaps slightly less writing on the dial, but that's kinda  Rolex thing isn't it? My pick would actually be the black/vintage light tan version over the Black/red version. If they price this around the CHF5k mark, they have a major winner.

And for around twice the price, you get the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon ceramic chrono with the in-house movement. For some reason I can't help but feel they delayed the launch of this watch to distance themselves from the Transformer movie...

It's an amazing looking watch. The movement though is of slight concern as the Planet Ocean chrono before this has the same movement and it is very, very thick. A good friend who owns the Planet Ocean chrono said that once it's on the wrist, you don't notice it, but... hopefully the overall proportion and balance will be good, but this is something I need to see in person.

Other than that both models have excellent dial layout and symmetry. The Tudor is perhaps slightly less so due to the date window at 4.:30 but that doesn't really bother men. Omega has a bi-compax layout but with both hour and minute display on the 3:00 sub dial, and the date window at 6:00 makes for excellent dial symmetry and balance. Both have a tachymetre on the bezel (not that you'll use it much) and although you're not likely to confuse the two, I guess it's nice to know there's a stealthy ceramic sports watch for whatever your watch budget allows.

Baselworld 2013 - Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase

Frederique Constant has produced in my opinion, an absolute winner this year at Baselworld. A simple and elegant slim line moonphase watch with an in-house movement. At first glance you might be forgiven in thinking that you've seen it before. It's almost as if they took a Girard Perregaux 1966 triple date moonphase, took out the day and month and the second hand to arrive at a very clean and fresh rival to the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon. For me personally, Frederique Constant has always flown under the radar. They make some elegant watches, but I think the brand recognition still has some ways to go.

This piece SHOULD get more recognition. And if the pricing information on the interwebs is correct (starting around $3500) And starting at 2650 euro (going off the Frederique Constant website and assuming VAT is included) this is an absolute bargain given it's about a third of the price of the JLC, but with pretty much all the looks. At this price you really do need to ask yourself, what prices the brand image and history? In fact, I may even prefer the FC over the JLC. Both are "slim", both powered by in-house movements, moonphase at 6:00 with date around the aperture... you do the maths. However, the FC may have one over the JLC in that all the functions are integrated into the 3-position crown where as there are separate pushers for the moonphase and date on the JLC. It's just much easier and more convenient to operate everything from the crown.

The JLC Master Ultra Thin Moon is one of their best sellers ever since it was launched in SIHH 2011 so I have no doubt that the FC will do just as well. I think it's a classic dial layout that you cannot go wrong with. It is a fairly big watch at 42mm (in dress watch terms), compared to the more manageable and versatile 39mm of the JLC, but proportionally it works quite well.

The watch actually sparked a conversation/debate between Horologium, Initial J and myself, and you can have a read of Horologium's perspective here. However, we are all in agreement that it is a stunning piece, and it is so refreshing to see a watch with an in-house movement for this sort of price. Once I recover from the shock of the price, I'll pick my jaw off the ground and get myself in line for one of these beauties.

If you're still not convinced, here are more images to whet your appetite. Click on the image to enlarge.
Now I don't know how much of these images are the actual watch and how much are photography skills and post editing, but regardless, these are simply stunning and achingly beautiful!