There are literally hours until Baselworld 2017 opens its doors and the greatest expectations are to know if we are going to find all the brands that announced their presence. Many (generally small ones) already said at the end of the previous edition that they would not count on them this year. Others, larger ones, decided to take the step and attend the SIHH held in Geneva in January and leave Basel. Be that as it may, the truth is that the enabled area has been reduced. Gone are the times when there was a queue to find a few meters to exhibit, when anyone who left one year was not guaranteed to return for the next.
It will also be interesting to see if the trend detected in Geneva is consolidated, namely the desire to offer more affordable prices by manufacturers (sorry, Maisons) who until now only knew how to increase them. It didn't matter if costs rose or stayed the same: the reason was more marketing than economics because expensive, as we know, is good. To give a couple of examples, at the SIHH Jaeger LeCoultre surprised with a Master collection at prices below €8,000, and Girard Perregaux (one of the “defectors” from Baselworld) announced the creation of a new price segment between €5,000 and €10,000 that it did not have until now.
And the thing is, by no means, anything to write home about. The Swatch group presents itself with some serious injuries considering that its most popular brands (the ones that, in short, are pulling the wagon) have experienced significant sales declines. Hamilton, Tissot, and to a lesser extent Longines have not lived up to what was expected (what was expected by commercial management) and have to urgently recompose their strategies. The Swatch Group had been blamed for a lack of reaction to smart (or “connected”) watches and it seems that it will finally reveal news in that regard, since it has just announced a tiny chip with five million transistors! I don't know if it will be too late, because TAG-Heuer, that giant reborn from the hand of JC Biver, has already presented its second Connected which, fulfilling its promise, will unite the best of both worlds in a single watch.
It should be said that it was precisely TAG-Heuer who - without losing its rings - announced a relocation of its offer, placing it clearly downwards and once again offering watches (quartz, of course) below the psychological limit of €1,000. This year, and in view of the success of the H-01, they will present the 43mm version and the definitive version of the remake of the Autavia, for which they have already called the Press. It remains to be seen what Zenith has in store for us, with the recent emergence - literally - of Biver and his boys in the general direction.
There are two brands that do not seem to be affected by any type of crisis - at least seriously - and that also have in common that they do not reveal their new products until the opening of the fair. One is called Patek Philippe, which indulges in whims (for it they are) such as offering steel watches in a universe of precious metals. He did it three years ago and I wouldn't be surprised if he returned to the fray, because Thierry Stern – his president, son and grandson of presidents – wants to leave his own mark before… time, which is what this is about.
The other myth-brand, Rolex, is if possible even more hermetic in terms of news. And as an example, a button: at the opening of the fair (a day before, only for Press) minutes before twelve noon, one finds its exterior showcases covered by curtains that automatically go up at twelve o'clock, but not before. Years ago, in the era of paper, this did not have much importance, but knowing that today an image can be circulating on the networks in a matter of seconds and the expectation that its new products generate, at Rolex they prefer to act this way. And what will be new? Last year I got it right with the presentation of the ceramic steel Daytona (and consequent disappearance of the all-steel model), but I prefer to be asked about the weather in the Falkland Islands (or the Comoros, which doesn't matter for that matter) rather than risk making a forecast about the crown brand. What I'm betting on (come on, yes, I'm taking a risk) is because they are *not* going to present a Pepsi (GMT with red-blue bezel) in steel. The Coke (black red bezel) would be a very long shot. And the big one: looking at the latest teaser on Instagram, could we be facing Cellini's first time trial?
The one who really has me waiting is Tudor. Three years ago they realized that their treasure lay in their catalogs prior to 1970 and, although it is an unoriginal conclusion, the truth is that they are succeeding with each novelty. The last one was the Pelagos “left handed” (with the crown on the left) and I have the feeling that this year they want to make a splash. Let's see if they find an alternative way and save the small commercial failure that was the North Flag, the first model to mount its own caliber but that was not referenced in old models, or the Black Shield, which have passed without pain or glory.
Returning to the Swatch group, it remains to be seen what Omega brings beyond the umpteenth celebration of the Speedmaster (sixty years old now, the creature). Last year they presented up to 66 (sixty-six) new products and, if you have read the message correctly, this year there should be considerably less. Glashütte Original, Breguet and Blancpain continue to play in their own league, with relatively short productions (between the three they will barely exceed that of Patek Philippe, over 60,000 units) and aimed at markets in a certain state of prostration - at least the last two - they have to continue creating wonders no matter what.
The possible sale of Breitling was recently rumored, although it was not said to whom or for how much. And since their situation is very similar to two other brands that had been left without their visionary promoters and that have passed into the hands of the Kering group (and the SIHH, abandoning Baselworld 2017), I would not rule out developments in that sense.
The answer to these and other unknowns, in a few days.
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