Baselworld 2014 Pt.II: Some watches that made me do a double take & some pricing info on Omega

you won't see a ton of watches being shown because i'm not interested in many of what i've seen but some watches i do like of course and some make me do a double take... 

first up the Kari Voutilainen 28 Oukamon 

One of the greatest lacquer studios of Japan, Unryuan, under the guidance of Mr. T. Kitamura, create works of lacquer art that stand at the pinnacle of Japanese tradition, bringing a craft that has existed for hundreds of years into the present, exemplifying the passion to preserve the soul, spirit and identity of traditional Japanese culture as expressed in the Edo period. This superlative work engages us immediately on a physical level and one can only stand in awe at the commitment, patience and dedication required to create these works of art. The dial shown here, using the techniques of lacquering with Saiei Makie and Somata zaiku takes several months of work to complete. The raw materials for its creation are: Kinpun (gold dust), Jyunkin-itakane (gold leaf), Yakou-gai (shell of great green turban) and Awabi-gai (abalone shell from New Zealand).

This symbiosis of Japanese tradition with the Swiss haute horlogerie creations of Kari Voutilainen represents an all-embracing mechanical and visual work of art that unites the East and West in perfect harmony.

a very pretty Japanese lacquer work... & it's a piece unique... just one piece made

Movement Mechanical hand-wound Voutilainen Vingt-8 calibre, direct-impulse escapement with two escape wheels, main plate and bridges in German silver, gear-train wheels in pink gold, 21 jewels, free sprung balance wheel with timing weights, 18,000 vib/h. 37mm white gold 

next is a reissue... the double take was because i like it's vintage looks but not sure if there is any reason to buy this over the actual vintage which was 39mm and well has it's rustic charm :) this be in 42mm

Press text: In 1960, Eberhard & Co. presented an automatic chronograph that would become an emblem of its era thanks to its innovative attributes combined with remarkable precision: the Contograf. Over the years, its twin counters, its broad instant-jump date window, as well as its water-resistant pushers have established the watch as an indispensable daily companion. Eberhard & Co. now celebrates this legendary chronograph through a new Contograf. While most of the original identity codes have been preserved, such as the minutes counter also measuring the phone clicks that used to occur every three minutes in the 1960s, vintage details rub shoulders with some interesting novelties. The Contograf 2014 is thus equipped with an elegant ceramic rotating bezel as well as the Chassis® metal bracelet completed with its patented Déclic folding clasp.


& some omega pricing... 

SEAMASTER 300 MAKES A COMEBACK

ranges from S$8,550 for steel on steel black dial, ti on ti S$11,650, Steel with Sedna gold S$16,300, Ti with Sedna gold S$19,400

SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL APOLLO 11 45TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION S$9,950

Finally! Rolex Pepsi GMT Ceramic... in White Gold :( A quick and dirty take on some watches at Baselworld 2014... Steel Patek anyone?

i've been waiting for this for awhile now... the pic below was posted on my blog in Jul 2008 LINK and then the wait began... wait wait wait... 

and 5+ years later, Baselworld 2014 swings around and there it is! Rejoice! and it's in white gold... elation to deflation. in steel it would have been in the low teens(for SGD) perhaps retail, in white gold you're looking at probably 40s retail(USD 30s)... sigh. but what a looker it is :) 

why white gold... why... 

wwwwwwhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy... also for folks thinking they will release this bezel in steel in future, it's doubtful. eg other sports gold models don't get issued in steel because the owner of gold piece would be pissed. eg. blue white gold sub, white gold daytona dials are not reused in steel brethren etc

Rolex patented the 2 color ceramic bezel making process... 
why white gold why... 

what else we got... let's see. a proper proportioned sea dweller upgrade... 

very nice! (so said borat)

and tudor came out with a nice update to the black bay... the blue steel look (a la derek zoolander ;) [theres a tudor ranger out there too you can google pics for if u want to check it out]

 EDIT 27Mar14: me likes this more and more...  

glow baby glow

tudor has done really well in these last couple of years

some quick mentions... patek steel bracelet 5960 is a pass for me... i never took to the fonts on this updated dial. but die hard patek collectors will own it for sure 

omega seamaster 300 updated... nice lookin piece and it sports the anti-magnetic movement! the full watch can be seen on their site... seen some grumblings around the net on faux-tina... more choices the better i say :)

and there's a blue version too! in platinum. limited to 357 pieces with a blue enamel dial

new longines heritage piece... i have a feeling one of their heritage pieces be making its way to my watch box in the future... smart vintage looking dress watch here and in some of their past releases

but the one i want to buy right now just based on press pics? 'it's a Rolex' to quote Ellis :) the new milgauss has got my attention. hope that it rocks in the green sapphire! so blue so nice... just don't pay a premium ;) haha.. may have to wait awhile then... it's not a definite buy of course. have to see it in the metal and check if there's enough coins saved up in the piggy bank...

come to papa

nice and colorful piece...

wif their usual tough as nails movement you won't see much off :)

that's it for now... looking forward to more reveals at basel. some sites out there are quick to the draw and have live pics so google and enjoy as we see more new interesting offerings.

cheers

a very busy time... and not having sevenfridays week on week

been ultra busy of late... to say i've been busy is like saying thor needs a haircut... work work and more work. ok enough of my woes. let's do a quick take on what's happened in watch-dom...

SIHH 2014 - too many big and pricey watches touting to be the next big thing. for me a number of the offerings looked very similar as well which is not good. i think easily the best of the lot and unaffordable to the masses were the Greubel Forseys, Lange(Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar Terraluna) and the JLC(Duometre Unique Travel Time) pieces. kudos on the standouts. not many watches in the <$10k range though

and i happened to be too busy to pop down to the sevenfriday singapore carnivale they had recently.  red army watches sent over a wooden box though... is it a message? naw, it contained some cool swag :) much thanks to the fine folks at red army watches and sevenfriday for it!

"All SevenFriday Singapore Carnivale guests also took home with them a pack of Wrist Essentials, containing a SevenFriday World Tour – Singapore edition wrist band, a Zulu watch strap and a Muse bracelet to complement...

  the SevenFriday they own." great pic of the one i own from sevenfriday

Press Release: SevenFriday Singapore Carnivale 2014

19 February 2014, Singapore – The much-awaited SevenFriday World Tour arrived in Singapore on 18 February 2014. Singapore was the fourth stop of the Asia leg of the tour which started in the Philippines and ended in Malaysia. The local event was held at the Barber Shop by Timbre, located in the historic building of the Old Parliament House. Local SevenFriday fans gathered at the intimate and cosy setting to meet Daniel Niederer, the man behind the brand which has created a stir in the social media community.

Leveraging on the pivotal role that social media has played in SevenFriday’s success, the Singapore event was kickstarted with a contest, where followers of SevenFriday Singapore on Instagram were encouraged to post creative and stylish shots of their SevenFriday watches to win attractive prizes. On the day itself, SevenFriday Singapore Carnivale saw guests mingling and chatting freely with Niederer and each other. To add to the carnival atmosphere, the popcorn and kacang putih (traditional nuts seller) men also made an appearance, dishing out packets of nibbles to go with the drinks that were flowing freely.

Guests were shown a short clip showcasing the background and milestones of the SevenFriday brand before Niederer took centrestage where he shared his experiences to date and took questions from the floor. Fans were eager to know when to expect the next SevenFriday release. Niederer gamely treated those who were present at the Barber Shop with a preview of the new SevenFriday model, the M series. Further information on the M series will be embargoed until BaselWorld 2014.

Apart from getting to chat with and hear from Niederer, guests had the opportunity to check out the works of local urban artist, ClogTwo, who created a 70-piece limited edition printworks for the Singapore event. Leather straps from J.Myers & Co and unisex beaded bracelets from Muse, all local artisans, were also available on display and for event-goers to try out. The casual and fun ambience was further ramped up with music from local band, The Common People. To top off the evening, prizes were awarded to the three most stylish guests and winners of the Instagram contest. Eight out of the 70-piece limited edition artworks, incorporating SevenFriday elements, by ClogTwo were given out as prizes. All SevenFriday Singapore Carnivale guests also took home with them a pack of Wrist Essentials, containing a SevenFriday World Tour – Singapore edition wrist band, a Zulu watch strap and a Muse bracelet to complement the SevenFriday they own.

For one evening, 100 over likeminded SevenFriday enthusiasts in the Merlion city were brought together to share their passion and to have an up-close-and-personal encounter with SevenFriday founder, Daniel Niederer. Keep an eye out for the launch of the M series later this year at all authorised dealers of SevenFriday Singapore.

the current range on display at the event