Top Most-Compelling Watches from Baselworld 2016

Breguet Tradition Répétition Minutes Tourbillon 7087

Breguet is touting its new Tradition Répétition Minutes Tourbillon 7087 (about $460,700) as the first minute repeater developed “around a predetermined sound.” Boasting completely reworked gong springs, designed to optimize sound emission, the minute repeater is the result of 10 years of acoustic research. In keeping with Abraham-Louis Breguet’s signature invention, the timepiece also features a 60-second tourbillon and comes in a 44 mm, 18-karat rose-gold case. (breguet.com)

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater

Bulgari continues to slay horological world records with the new Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater (about $155,000). Encased in titanium, the understated model boasts a fantastically thin profile—the movement, BVL Calibre 362, measures just 3.12 mm, while the overall case thickness totals 6.85 mm. “We’re building on expertise we developed a long time ago,” said CEO Jean-Christophe Babin, referring to the launch of the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon in 2014, which contains the thinnest movement with a flying tourbillon ever created. “We are primarily a ladies’ brand and we try to find the equivalent in elegance for a man, and it’s often a very thin watch.” (bulgari.com)

Fabergé Visionnaire DTZ

Do not let the rich jewelry legacy of the house of Fabergé distract you from its impressive entrée into fine watchmaking. A year after debuting its timepiece collection at Baselworld, the brand has followed up on its collaboration with the respected movement developer Jean-Marc Wiederrecht of Geneva-based Agenhor with the dual time zone Visionnaire DTZ, shown here in 18-karat white gold (about $29,500). The model’s multilayered dial construction embodies a classic-looking yet highly inventive approach to timekeeping. (faberge.com)

Glashütte Senator Excellence

The new Senator Excellence from Glashütte Original, shown here in steel (about $9,700), belies its deceptively simple good looks with a movement distinguished by its technical elegance. Powered by the new in-house Calibre 36, whose silicon balance spring enhances precision, the three-hand watch has a power reserve of 100 hours, at a frequency of 4 Hz. The point of the movement, according to the German watchmaker, was to design a timepiece for which stability is a guiding principle. (glashuette-original.com)

Jacob & Co. Astronomia Clarity Rose Gold

Leave it to Jacob & Co. founder Jacob Arabo to conceive a Gravitational Triple Axis Tourbillon and encase it in transparent sapphire. The dome-shaped crystal top of the Astronomia Clarity Rose Gold (reportedly $600,000) offers a 360-degree view of the complicated movement, which includes a gravitational tourbillon rotating on three axes. For collectors seeking a truly out-of-this-world timepiece, the Astronomia Clarity also comes in a white-gold-edition set adorned with baguette diamonds. (jacobandco.com)

MB&F HMX Black Badger

The professional collaborators at avant-garde brand MB&F have expanded their Performance Art collection with the new HMX Black Badger (about $50,000), a reinterpretation of the watchmaker’s HMX timepiece by James Thompson, aka Black Badger. A Canadian based in Sweden, Thompson, a specialist in photoluminescent materials, redesigned the cover of the engine (visible beneath the sapphire crystal) using his signature high-efficient lume. Available in three glow-in-the-dark colors—Radar Green, Phantom Blue, and Purple Reign (the latter shown here)—the timepiece is mild-mannered by day and truly eccentric by night. (mbandf.com)

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