Since 1965, Seiko has continuously pushed back the boundaries in diver’s watch technology. In 2018, two landmarks in this illustrious history are honored in new Prospex creations. In 1968, the brand announced Japan’s first hi-beat diver’s and, ten years later, the world’s first quartz saturation diver’s watch was created. Now, these two important watches are remembered in commemorative creations that bring the latest in Seiko’s high technology watchmaking to those who work in and enjoy the underwater world.

Since my article analysing social media trends during the SIHH  proved popular, I decided to use the same approach for Baselworld 2018 and the results are interesting, particularly when put into direct comparison with those of the SIHH.

Alexey Leonov, born in 1934, became the first man in the world to perform a spacewalk, on March 18, 1965. He is also the initiator of one of the most symbolic gestures in all history – an interstellar handshake with his NASA counterpart in 1975, at the height of the Cold War. While Leonov may not be the best-known of spacefarers, often overshadowed by those involved in the moon race, he was a vital pioneer, in whose footsteps they followed. 

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon

The first watch made entirely out of carbon and the thinnest ever minute repeater actually sounds pretty good, and that’s something of a surprise. Where minute repeaters are concerned, thinness is not usually an advantage. Decent volume needs decent… volume, and the world’s flattest striking movement, made by Bulgari, has so far not been too convincing in its intensity. But a solution has been found, and the answer is carbon. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon is the first watch to be made entirely out of carbon, including the dial and bracelet. In the hand, the watch is astonishingly light: 47 grams. The unusual surface of the forged carbon has a unique sheen, a bit like sharkskin. Aesthetically speaking, it’s definitely mission accomplished: this watch doesn’t look like anything else you’ve ever seen, not even an Octo, because of how the material dominates the design. On the wrist it feels very slim, which is to be expected given that it is 6.8 mm deep. And it’s surprisingly easy on the ear. This little slip of a watch produces a remarkably full sound. It’s counterintuitive, but carbon makes an excellent resonating chamber, and it’s not just because of its lightness. The first impressions (and, where a striking watch is concerned, first impressions should always be confirmed in a quieter setting) gave no hint of distortion, crackle or coldness. The sound is full and sustained. It’s a success across the board, including the price tag, which they could have pitched 50% higher, given that there is no direct competition.

In 1897, the "Tête de Vipère" stamp was applied to a chronometer for the first time by the Besançon Observatory. This high-quality metrological guarantee is a mark of the unrivalled precision and excellence of a watch. Abandoned in the 1970s, then relaunched in 2006, the "Tête de Vipère" stamp has since been awarded to just 500 pieces. To obtain this certificate of excellence, each fully assembled watch undergoes a protocol involving 16 days of testing, in five different positions at three different temperatures.

For the first time, Lvcea is presented with the iconic Tubogas bracelet, reminding us of Bulgari’s heritage as a jeweller. Caressing the wrist with exquisite comfort, five new Lvcea Tubogas models bring an everyday modernity to the Lvcea universe. The slinky links of the Tubogas bracelet add a symmetry when contrasted with the round face of the Lvcea.