My BEST of the 2008 Shows...

- OPUS: Even if Harry Winston is not what we would define as a "Pure Bred" in the watch industry, I still tip my to their Opus Collection. If there is anybody out there fortunate enough to own the entire lineup to day, I tip my head to you too sir. Their 8th baby is quite a piece of work. Unfortunately there will be only 50. That will create some problems since many people will want to get their hands on this Opus as well. More to come soon...

- Ellicott "MACH ONE". I was not very impressed by Basel until I came across this. I had seen the prototypes before and was not taken. Now I was presented with an almost finished product and honestly, I was blown away this time. The carbon fibber composite case is way beyond my expectations. Proper pictures and more details soon...

- USB "Pen Drives": Simply awesome. No need to send 80 pounds of paper and carry heavy bags full of press releases. Leading this change was the organization of the Basel fair. Most brands were summarized into one single USB key. Some even have the capability to auto update the content and download news from the net. You just keep the brand's pen drive, plug it in at a later date and you are updated and set to go. Brilliant!

- Vacheron "Quai de l'Ile": At last. Finally Vacheron jump off their high horse and do something to create some attention. To be honest, it was about time. I guess that many diehard Vacheron followers will not be happy (actually I can hear them bitch and moan right now...) with this product, but I have a feeling this is not really meant for them. You can configure the watch via your favorite Vacheron dealer or directly on the internet. This is definitely an attempt to capture a younger crowd. A great way to do so, if you ask me. A much better attempt than Patek's last try with the colorful Aquanauts. More to come soon...

- Chopard "Strike One": This entry level "hour striker" is quite an interesting piece. The novelty is that it's titanium and not the classic gold or platinum. Smart since titanium carries the sound much better than precious metals. Titanium should be offered in all repeaters, strikers and sonneries as a default option. Plus the price makes this piece accessible to many that would have loved to have one like this but could not afford it. This one strikes only once every hour, making it more bearable and much more affordable than if it where to chime the exact number of hours at every hour. Believe me after the novelty is over you will very likely turn that function off. One strike will let you know another hour has passed yet eleven strikes for eleven o'clock in the middle of a meeting would be extremely annoying. Plus the unwanted attention.

- RM007 "Titanium": Probably the piece in the new RM collection that will receive the least media coverage yet to me is the most interesting, commercial wise of course. As far as I can recall nobody has done women's watches with a real masculine look. Most of the stuff out there is either pink or full of diamonds. Anybody stop and ask them first? This RM007 looks like the RM that many women would finally like to have. A smaller, masculine RM that might get women to finally do the jump. The previous more feminine model was not too hot with women that liked the aggressive and masculine look of Richard's creation. Many felt left out by getting diamonds slapped on the watch. The RM005 was turning to be an alternative yet it has been discontinued since 2006.

- First voices to openly critique the Tourbillon: For some time now I have been very sick of the Tourbillon overkill. It is this year I have started to hear complaints in the industry regarding that matter. Especially from guys like Journe (the man has balls the size of watermelons if you ask me) are starting to be fed up of the Tourbillon insanity... thank you! By insane I mean pieces that are priced between 100 and 200 thousand, generally made by somebody else and not really contributing anything to horology. The latest excess is a dude that could not help himself and stuck four... yes, four Tourbillons in the same watch case. Only toped by one that made a watch with two that don't even tell time. Idiots. Tourbillons with a purpose and bring a technical achievement like Jaeger's Gyrotourbillon, Nardin's Freak or any of Richard's stuff have a meaning. Many others literally "mail order" their Tourbillons, put them inside their cases and hit them with a juicy price tag. Fellas, in the mean time, if you don't come up with a proper Tourbillon for 10 thousand please don't waste our time. Right now evolved escapements at speeds of 6 hertz or above are much more interesting when it comes to achieving precision timekeeping.

- Girard-Perregaux's new "Constant Escapement": This actually looks like a real breakthrough. Should this really be so then it could be the first viable non-magnetic escapement. Compared with the previous stuff in Silicium escapements this is a completely new approach. Take a look at the note if you have some engineering background, all others take a look at the pictures... In spite it being a bit wide and could pose some problems, this escapement could actually turnout to be the real thing.

- UR-202 "Turbine Automatic": This thing, apart from looking cool, is actually an interesting feature. The twin-turbines regulate the violence at witch the rotor is being flung from side to side. By regulating the airflow via a lever on the back of the watch you can have the turbines brake the rotor to prevent over-winding as well as damage or wear. More details soon...


- Royal Oak Chrono facelift: The Royal Oak chrono is back! At last AP has decided to do something about the RoyalOak Chrono. Forgotten for some time and neglected in favor of the OffShore the faces where just begging to be a bit more than just boring. The facelift was a success although some leather straps combos would also been welcomed, maybe even having both in the box, the steel bracelet and the leather strap, would have been an interesting option.

- Rolex "Movement Day-date II": People where begging for this for years. The Day-Date is in our standards a women sized watch. Dealers have had immense difficulties selling these to man lately. Especially imposed models in full gold and diamonds had a tendency to be heavily discounted due to that. With this larger Day-Date Rolex is back on track and this could become a very attractive watch. What they have done on the outside is a matter to be discussed on my OTHER list.

- The New Creed: Guys like URWERK, MB & F, Hautlence, F.P. Journe, Richard Mille, Vianney Halter, Voutilainen, Greubel Forsey, etc... look like they are here to stay more than ever. Unthinkable only 20 years ago. There are three hard years ahead when it comes to sales, yet it seems that they will be not only capable of weathering the storm but even emerge ahead...

- Swiss Public Transportation: Again, it is a real blessing to be able to completely do without renting a vehicle. No mater in what city you are and if you have to go to Geneva or Basel... a train, a bus, a tramway, or a plane will leave you practically at the entrance of the fair. Always spot-on, on time and very clean.