This year's BaselWorld is the place to see what is new in the wide world of watches, and in 2012 both women and men have plenty to look forward to with a wide range of choices as the biggest names in the horological world will be descending on Basel with their finest timepieces yet.
Baselworld is the world's biggest watch and jewellery show. Vast halls that stretch as far as the eye can see house a world of watch and jewellery wonders. The big brands erect entire buildings of marble, glass and even wood to showcase the new arrivals in the most opulent settings. This is also to come and buy loose stones and pearls as an entire hall is given over to an Aladdin's treasure trove of all the sparkles, shimmers and shines.
Almost every big name in both watches and jewellery is here and to mark the tone, Rolex and Patek Philippe flank the entrance to the main hall. The Swatch Group straddles the hub of the vast hall with its brands that include Omega, Breguet, Longines, Blancpain, Rado and Tissot to name a few. The hundreds of other booths are filled with names we know such as Hublot, Chanel, Dior, Harry Winston and Chopard. In an adjacent hall are clustered jewellery brands from big names such as Mikimoto to small producers.
For those looking for a bit of added extravagance to their timekeeping you'll see the Graff Master Graff Tourbillion with a dial incorporating 15cts of diamonds cut down from 45ct sourced diamonds, for the more discerning there is the Maurice Lacroix Lune Rétrograde, or the classic masculinity that TAG Heuer bring to each design every year, such as their latest Microgirder, that this year comes with a 1/2000th of a second timing from the new concept that TAG Heuer are proud to have at this year's BaselWorld, beating at 7.2 milltion beats every hour. De Bethune are also unveiling their new Titan Hawk to celebrate their 10th anniversary and the first in their new DB27 collection.
There are countless others, such as Bremont and this year a limited edition Breitling for Bentley GMT V8 Watch. Set to be unveiled exclusively at Baselworld, Breitling's timepiece was made to mark the launch of the Bentley Continental GT V8. With so many of the biggest icons of the horological world in one place, BaselWorld 2012 is full of many more marvels and no doubt some world first glimpses too.
But all are here with the same aim: to sell to retailers and tell the press all about their new creations. So if watches are your thing, then make sure you follow the news from the biggest watch event on the planet, or head to Basel as the event is open to the public.
