By Rebecca Doulton
In the few days before Baselworld 2015 opens its doors to showcase novelties from the world's leading watch and jewellery houses, let's take a look at some of the men's watches the top brands have been using as teasers.
Cars and watches make great bed partners so when it came to finding a perfect match for Britain's mythical E-Type Jaguar, launched in 1961, England's very own Bremont watches was a natural choice. To capture the essence of the E-Type's soul, Bremont zeroed in on the dashboard, using details from the speedometer and the tachometer for its racy Bremont Jaguar MKI and MKII watches. The MKI, with hours, minutes and small seconds, and the MKII, with chronograph functions, both feature the same red quadrant that appears on the Jaguar speedometer and the Jaguar logo, just above the date window at 6 o'clock. Both of these new Bremont watches are presented on 43mm stainless steel cases with transparent casebacks, so you can admire details such as the miniaturised E-Type, three-spoke, perforated steering wheel on the motor with the famous Jaguar Growler emblem.
Read about Bremont watches' starring role in the film Kingsman here
Breitling watches has earned its fame high in the sky, supplying pilots with professional instrument watches such as the Chronomat and the Navitimer, which could compute all commercial airlines in the 1950s with onboard chronograph instruments.
One novelty we'll be seeing at Baselworld is the handsome Chronoliner, inspired by a model from the 1950s and 60s and dubbed the "authentic captain's watch". Decked out with a high-tech rotating black ceramic bezel with prominent ceramic white numbers to read the third time zone in 24-hour mode, the chronograph counters in white contrast with the sleek black dial for optimum legibility. A red-tipped arrow distinguishes the second time-zone hand, and the indices and hands are coated with luminescent material. Powerful and masculine, the prominent 46mm stainless steel case is attached to the wrist with a handsome steel mesh bracelet.
One most unexpected newcomer, precisely because it is being presented by Gucci - the Italian fashion house that echoes its catwalk collections with quartz movements and accessible prices - is the new Gucci dive watch. The 45mm stainless steel or rose gold case with black PVD is waterproof to 300 metres and, unlike countless dive watches on the market, it has passed the strict ISO 6425 standards that certificate the watch as a diver. This upgrade in mechanical quality at Gucci watches is owed to the incorporation of an automatic Girard-Perregaux movement (both brands are under the Kering luxury umbrella), while the design quotient remains irresistibly Italian.
