At first glance, the Aikon Mercury appears to be a normal watch, with central hours, minutes and small seconds at the six o’clock position. With the slightest tilt, however, the hour and minute hands spin freely, abandoning their chronometric duties. Hold the Aikon Mercury upright, and the hands fall back and give correct time. 

The highly anticipated party had a particular signifiance this year. On the one hand, WorldTempus celebrated its 18th anniversary, on the other it was the last time that GMT and WorldTempus brought together the entire watch industry on an evening in January, since the SIHH will be held in April from 2020. Event organizer Brice Lechevalier thanked all the guests for attending, as well as the sponsors of the evening: Asia Tatler, represented by Sébastien Lamunière, Watch Your Time, represented by Eric Dumatin, Lambert Fils & Filles, represented by the entire family, as well as main sponsor JD.com, represented by Belinda Chen. During his short speech, Mr Lechevalier also thanked the work put in by the entire WorldTempus team, mentioning the rude health of the digital influencer on luxury watchmaking, concluding the year 2018 with a record audience of 3.2 million unique visitors, who consulted 14.5 million pages for an average visit duration of 3.2 minutes.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Ferdinand Berthoud. The sister company to the Chopard group, personally managed down to the smallest details by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, is proceeding steadily along the same path. Today it continues to reap the benefits of its first movement, which drives the FB 1 chronometer. 

This is not an adaptation of an existing man’s watch but a wholly new model. Quite simply, the Fiji Floral Seconds has been designed by a woman for a woman. 

The winners will be contacted individually by e-mail. If we do not receive a reply within 7 days we will draw another winner.

The Admiral 45 Bronze has been sailing the watchmaking seas for just over a year, displaying its patinated bronze case, teak pontoon dial, and iconic pennants, arranged around the twelve-sided bezel to display the hours befittingly for lovers of water sports, ocean-going races – and appealing to everyone who enjoys an assertive, sporty style. 

What is your response after announcing your decision to Baselworld last summer? 
We have had a kind of mini-revolution internally. Our entire planning and product cycle had always been organized around Baselworld. It was the time of year when we presented our new products and partnerships. So all of a sudden we had to adapt quickly to be ready for early January. 

Where does our passion for watches come from?  The answer to this fundamental question is often linked to our childhood, to the people who have influenced us and no doubt to our education (in the wider sense). I learned to love watches indirectly, not through the object itself but thanks to my dad’s interest in pens. As a family of immigrants, learning had always been important in our family and the pen was to some extent a kind of magical object.

If there’s one thing that everyone will remember from the SIHH 2019 it’s Code 11.59. It’s a rather strange name for a watch collection. The 11.59 is supposed to signal the arrival of a new day, although for an Anglo-Saxon audience it could just as easily be the minute before lunch time. But the SIHH is now over, the new day has begun and it’s one minute after midnight. Time to look ahead…

André Lüthi was managing director of Switzerland’s Globetrotter Travel Service from 1992 until 2012. Since 2013 he has been Chairman of the Board of Globetrotter Travel Service and CEO of the holding company, Globetrotter Group, with annual sales of over 250 million Swiss francs. He sees travel as a way of understanding people and learning life lessons.

In 2018 Baselworld became the Brexit of the watch industry. Brands had to choose whether they wanted to be in or out. A number of brands decided to take back control of their own marketing and exhibition budgets by leaving the show, resulting in an exodus that left cavernous spaces in the exhibition halls. It seemed that the situation on the ground floor would not be too bad, until the industry learned on a quiet Sunday morning over the summer that the entire Swatch Group would be leaving the show. Given that most of the Swatch Group’s brands had left their stands in place, this led to some hectic toing and froing between the watchmaking valleys and Basel to recover furniture and fittings. 

Baselworld ?
We are proud to be amongst the brands to participate in the upcoming Baselworld and excited to see how well the concepts and new ideas that the fair management has proposed lately will be implemented and perceived by the public. Watch enthusiast around the world  may definitely expect innovative technologies, highly functional complications and outstanding design paired with unique tradition from Carl F. Bucherer.