The best 5 new watches unveiled at Baselworld 2017

Every year, the Baselworld convention draws enthusiasts and professionals in the watch and fine jewelry industry to Basel, Switzerland, for a week of innovation, new product reveals and excitement. All the most well-known brands attend the show and unveil their product line for the upcoming year. The show also features a wide variety of independent and global watch and fine jewelry brands.

Since we aren’t all lucky enough to go to Baselworld, Diamond Banc compiled a list of the top five new pieces unveiled at Baselworld from our favorite luxury brands.

Rolex Cellini Moonphase

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As the most well-known Swiss watch brand, it’s only natural that Rolex plays a huge role in the excitement of Baselworld. This year, the company released an updated Seadweller without the cyclops lens and added the Oysterflex rubber bracelet to classic designs. However, the piece that caught most collectors’ eyes is the Rolex Cellini Moonphase.

The Cellini Moonphase, available in 18k gold, features a crisp white lacquer dial and a blue disc at 6 o’clock that shows the lunar cycle. The blue enamel is set with a meteorite applique to represent the full moon, sourced from a meteorite that landed in the Namibian desert.

The Cellini Moonphase is astronomically accurate for 122 years — good news, considering you’ll want to pass this watch down through generations.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time Ref. 5650G

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This watch celebrates two milestones: the 20th anniversary of the Patek Philippe Aquanaut series and two new technologies from the Advanced Research lab. The Ref. 5650 has an 18K white-gold case, water-resistant strap and is water resistant to 120 meters. It also has the ability to keep time in two time zones and show the date.

The Advanced Research Lab is a collaboration between Patek Philippe, Rolex and Swatch Watch. The goal of the lab is to develop technology in horology. The latest addition to the Aquanaut series has a Spiromax balance spring, which reduces changes in the watch’s pace when the timepiece is in an upright position, according to Patek Philippe. Most watches gain three seconds and lose two seconds a day. With the new spring, the number is reduced to two seconds gained and one second lost.

The second innovation is the time zone correction, which allows the wearer to keep time in two different time zones. The new mechanism is thinner and more lightweight than other time-zone setting devices. It’s made of only 12 steel parts, while others are made of 37 parts. A corner of the time zone correction mechanism can be seen through the dial of the the Ref. 5650G.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic

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For Bulgari, Baselworld is an opportunity to break records. In 2014, the Italian brand unveiled the thinnest Tourbillon watch; in 2016, the thinnest minute repeater. Basel attendees wondered what record was left to be broken in 2017, and Bulgari did not disappoint.

The Bulgari Otto Finissimo Automatic sets a record for the thinnest automatic timepiece on the market. The movement is only 2.23mm thick and 5.15mm thick when cased, meaning the watch is about 1/5th of an inch.

The Octo Finissimo Automatic has a sleek design in sandblasted titanium. The dial, also made of titanium, has a sharp graphic design in black that stands out from the rest of the watch’s muted grey.

Omega Trilogy

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For the 60th anniversary of three of its classic professional timepieces, Omega released perfect recreations of each model at Baselworld. The 1957 Seamaster 300, Railmaster and Speedmaster have been released as perfect matches to the originals using updated technology.

It’s not unusual for luxury watch brands to take inspiration from past designs. However, the Omega Trilogy represents the closest reedition of an original watch. Even the smallest details were replicated. Omega used the 1957 watches from its museum collection to perfectly recreate the newer versions. The only differences are technological, like the adjustable clasp on the bracelet and a more precise movement.

The smallest of details have been recreated. The Omega signature on the black dial is in the original font, and even the pink packaging of each timepiece looks how it would have in the ’50s. To tailor your own vintage look, each timepiece comes with a bracelet and two extra straps: one in leather and one fabric NATO strap.

Chanel Premiere Camelia Skeleton

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Last year at Baselworld, French fashion and design house, Chanel, unveiled its first watch for men with a movement made in-house. This year, Chanel followed up with its first women’s watch with a Chanel movement, and it did not disappoint.

Skeleton movements are made by removing any unnecessary metal from the movement until only the minimum amount of structure is left. However, the designers of the Premier Camelia Skeleton shaped the movement to look like a camelia, Coco Chanel’s favorite flower. Therefore, each component of the movement had to fit within the flower’s petals.

Chanel offers two versions of the watch. One option is set with 42 baguette-cut diamonds and 52 brilliant-cut diamonds lining each petal of the camelia. In a more understated version, 104 brilliant-cut diamonds line the case and 4 baguette-cut diamonds form the watch hands. The strap is black satin finished with a diamond-encrusted buckle. It’s safe to say this watch is hard to miss.

Inspired to upgrade your watch collection?

Which of the five watches above would you chose? If Baselworld 2017 has you itching to update your collection, consider selling your old pieces to Diamond Banc. After all, that new Rolex will be easier to afford with a little extra cash in your pocket.

Our watch experts make sure you get the highest possible price when reselling your timepiece. Remember, vintage pieces are always back in style, as many of the pieces above show. Stop by one of our locations or get a quote online to find out how much closer last season’s look can get you towards your new watch.

You can get a quote on your watch in 24 hours or less. Start the process by filling out one of our simple sell forms today, or visit one of our Diamond Banc locations:

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Top 5 New Watches Unveiled at Baselworld 2017