How to Live a 4 Star Life Without 4 Star Stress: Baselworld Watches
Every Iconic Man needs to embellish his wrist with a stylish watch. A watch isn't just a functional object, it's a statement. It can make any man look more professional, successful and fashionable.
The Watch Angle: Baselworld 2019 Delivers Fantastic Anachronisms
A Watch can be as Iconic as the man who wears it.
It would be impossible to talk about the movie Apocalypse Now without thinking about Martin Sheen and his Seiko 6105-8110. The wide-bodied case was a favorite among US troops fighting in Vietnam.
Now Seiko has released an homage to the iconic watch. Like many things at Baselworld 2019, the new version comes at a high cost.
An original Seiko 6105-8110 was affordable for a regular US solider. The new Seiko SLA033 will cost you more than $5,000 USD, if you can get your hands on one at all. The SLA033 is a limited edition of 2500 pieces.
The Watch Angle: Baselworld 2019 Delivers Fantastic Anachronisms
A Watch can be as Iconic as the man who wears it.
It would be impossible to talk about the movie Apocalypse Now without thinking about Martin Sheen and his Seiko 6105-8110. The wide-bodied case was a favorite among US troops fighting in Vietnam.
Now Seiko has released an homage to the iconic watch. Like many things at Baselworld 2019, the new version comes at a high cost.
An original Seiko 6105-8110 was affordable for a regular US solider. The new Seiko SLA033 will cost you more than $5,000 USD, if you can get your hands on one at all. The SLA033 is a limited edition of 2500 pieces.
Baselworld is always an amazing event for anyone who loves watches. Baselworld 2019 was no exception and the world's biggest watch brands delivered some amazing new offerings.
Wildly Expensive Sport Watches at Baselworld
One of the big downsides to high end watches is their price tag. The new 42mm Yachtmaster from Rolex, cast in white gold, is an incredible piece. For those that have the money, the CHF 26,500 (about $26,000 USD) price tag won't be a deterrent to picking up a beautiful new iteration of an old design from Rolex.
Its worth keeping in mind that the Yachtmaster line was an outgrowth of the Submariner, which may be the world's most iconic dive watch. Once a beater watch for hardcore commercial divers (the Cartier edition non-withstanding) the Rolex Submariner has also become something that would be hard for most people to afford.
Baselworld Looks Like Fantasy Land
When I say that Baselworld looks like fantasy land, I am being anything but rude.
Take a look at the new offering from MB&F.
Called “The Legacy Flying Machine T” this new watch features a centrally located flying tourbillon, which is protected from the outside world by a gorgeous sapphire dome. The time is told by a small upward facing dial at the 7 o'clock position. Depending on which model you select, it could run upwards of $300,000 USD.
The watch is the first from MB&F that was specifically designed for women, which would explain the mass of gems surrounding what is arguably the most complex timekeeping device that can be worn on a body (a flying tourbillon).
Pieces like The Legacy Flying Machine T aren't the rule at Baselworld, but they do show how inaccessible the world of high-end watches has become.
Glorious Anachronisms
Let me preface this by saying that I love mechanical watches. Much in the same way that l like anything that doesn't need a battery, like a .357 Magnum revolver or a fully mechanical Nikon or Leica.
The problem is that technologically all of these devices have become obsolete (with the exception of the .357).
The $300,000 USD MB&F Legacy Flying Machine T can't compete with a commercial quartz watch (or a Seiko 9F) in terms of accuracy. When service costs enter the equation, these 'fantasy land' watches end up looking like amazing demonstrations of how much money can be spent recreating outdated technology (then covering them in gems surrounded by precious metal).
Patek Philippe introduced the 5520P at Baselworld this year and it is a wonderful looking watch. The company filed four new patents during the development process. The 5520P has a GMT complication, as well as the ability to track two time zones at the same time. It also has a fully mechanical alarm, which is displays the alarm time digitally right on the watch's face.
There is no word on pricing for the 5520P. As it is set into a platinum case and a part of the Grand Complications category from Patek Philippe, it is fair to guess that it will come in above $50,000 USD.
The real issue is that a G-Shock that costs less than $100 USD does everything that the 5520P can do, and a whole lot more.
On Your Wrist or In Your Pocket?
It is easy to forget that a little more than a generation ago, the most prestigious Swiss watch brands were far more affordable. Mechanical timekeeping was the only way to go before quartz changed watchmaking forever.
Today, it is exceptionally cheap to buy a highly accurate quartz watch. This leaves watch buyers in something of a bind. There is no longer any rational justification for spending more on mechanical movements, though the luxury watch industry has been successful in justifying its existence.
From my point of view, it is far better to choose a cheaper timepiece, and pocket the rest of the money. I love to see all the new watches that are announced at Baselworld. They are certainly works of art.
When it comes to buying a watch, the watch show par excellence is of little use to me. I would far rather put the extra money into something that creates value, than spend it on a fantastic anachronism.
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Nicholas Say grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan with a father that would read him the Wall St. Journal along side of other bed-time fare. He has traveled extensively, and been lucky enough to study a changing global economy in person. Nicholas spent many years in the Southern Cone of South America, sometimes in the middle of the countryside. Now he lives in the Far East, and writes on a variety of subjects.