Bulgari gets smart, Nomos Glashütte and Romaine Jerome have time for fun

Wearable tech has put the watch industry on its toes. At Baselworld, Bulgari’s smartwatch looked the smartest.

WISH 1 May 2015

Bulgari Diagono Magnesium

The atmosphere at Baselworld this year was less watch trade show and more boxing match before the big fight. Why? Because stepping into the ring with the entire Swiss watch industry in the “fight for the wrist” is the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world: Apple. Everyone from brand CEOs to Basel taxi drivers had an opinion on the Apple Watch, and how much impact it will or won’t have on the world of Swiss watchmaking.

On the whole the industry is putting on a good game face, with many veterans who cut their teeth on the “quartz crisis” of the 80s — when cheaper and more accurate Seiko quartz watches decimated the Swiss industry — claiming to be unfazed.

Some, such as Breitling vice-president Jean-Paul Giardin, think the competition will actually offset other challenges to luxury watches, including a cooling Chinese market and an uncertain European economy: “The ‘fight for the wrist’ is actually a fight to have anything at all on the wrist. If people continue to wear things on their wrists then traditional watches will survive.”

Many variations on the “smartwatch” theme were being touted at Baselworld. Frédérique Constant announced its MotionX powered self-quantification platform weeks before the fair. This is essentially a quartz watch with luxury looks and “Fitbit” type module inside. TAG Heuer, lacking an actual product, announced a formidable partnership with Google and Intel. Breitling’s on-brand B55 allows wearers to control their chronograph functions through a smartphone app and interface.

But it was Bulgari that delivered the sneakiest blow: an intelligent concept watch that avoids gimmickry, short battery life and technological obsolescence. The Bulgari Diagono Magnesium offers unique functionality in an equally unique looking package, while maintaining the mechanical engine that luxury lovers like so much.

Bulgari has teamed up with Swiss data storage and security company WISeKey for its connected device. Embedded in the otherwise 100 per cent mechanical watch is a Near Field Communication chip and antenna that acts as a key for the Bulgari Vault, which could store your passwords or unlock your home. Batteries are not included because they’re not required. This sidesteps a major hurdle for competitors, Apple Watch included.

The watch is just as futuristic as the technology inside it. While it’s powered by a conventional automatic movement, the case is made from a hybrid of magnesium, steel, ceramic and hi-tech polymer, and coated with motorlac, a lacquer found in F1 engines. It’s exactly the sort of bold design you’d expect from Bulgari, which hopes to have the watch in stores before Basel next year. POA.

Nomos Glashütte Minimatik

Very few watch brands can truly claim the coveted status of being a “manufacture”, which can produce a complete watch, including the highly precise escapement (consisting of balance wheel, balance spring, escape wheel and pallet, the true beating heart of a mechanical watch) without using external parts suppliers. The number of brands that have achieved this outside Switzerland is smaller still. Nomos Glashütte is a member of this elite group. And somehow it is the only one to routinely offer this level of watchmaking at an accessible price.

Last year the small German brand made waves when it announced its in-house “Swing System” escapement — the result of an investment of €12 million and years of research. It’s a development that frees the brand from the supply shortages that plague the industry. And with 30 per cent growth last year it’s an investment that’s paying off.

This year Nomos has stepped up the pace, announcing a new, elegant calibre, the DUW3001, and a brand new model called “Minimatik” to house it in. The automatic, chronometer-grade movement comes in at only 3.2mm thick, allowing Nomos to produce the sort of slender timepieces that its pared-back aesthetic suits. With a 35.5mm case the Minimatik is aimed at ladies’ wrists, though it would certainly suit those men who prefer a more classically sized timepiece, and the dial, while clean, is surprisingly colourful with ink-blue numerals, Bordeaux red hands and tiny gold hour markers.

The Minimatik, like all Nomos’s watches, is breath of fresh air in the world of watches: it’s a serious timepiece that doesn’t take itself too seriously. RRP $5300.

Romain Jerome Steampunk Auto

You can tell a lot about a brand by their Baselworld booth. Romain Jerome’s is all about fun: they had a popcorn machine, ball pit and watches in arcade-style skill tester machines. But that doesn’t mean its watches are sideshow confection. Romain Jerome is famous for its bold statement watches, innovative movement architecture and “retro-futuristic” designs.Take the Steampunk Auto, a toned-down (!) version of the brand’s earlier steampunk-infused models. The gunmetal bezel is hand-brushed for a rough, worn finish. POA.

Produced by Time+Tide, the official watch partner of WISH magazine.