Baselworld 2016 was shining in it’s brightest colors this year! Not only virtual reality oriented gadgets, limited editions and one of a kind pieces were presented at one of the world’s biggest watch and jewelry fair – also rainbow editions were quite a topic and some novelties in terms of diamond creations. I spent a great time in Basel, together with clients, friends and my team from Forbes. I got to see some really unique pieces, which I want to share with you, of course. Take a look at my highlights of this year’s Baselworld and stay tuned for some more features of these brands throughout this year!

CHOPARD, Precious Couture Collection

The Precious Chopard collection is one of my favorite Chopard collections of all times, that I can imagine wearing on my next red carpet event. It showcases jewellery watches along with matching necklaces, earrings and rings. The collection and every single piece of it are as refined as they are spectacular. Just as Haute Couture, it utilizes only exceptional fabrics which are giving life to this collection. Only the most beautiful colored stones and diamonds were used – and this you can definitely see and feel. 

DEGRISOGONO, Walk of Icons, Allegra Necklace

HERMÈS, Arceau Pocket La Promenade de Platon

Hermès’ brand theme this year is “Nature at Full Gallop” and Baselword 2016 was all about their three stunning “One-of-a-kind” pieces (pocket watches), which – of course – were already and immediately sold to some lucky collectors. The pocket and wrist watches were created out of unique materials and wildlife imagery.

HARRY WINSTON, The New York Companion

Harry Winston celebrates the female accessory from the 30ies and pays an homage to its hometown: New York. With its first high jewelry clutch including a hidden watch, Harry Winston created the perfect companion for a real New York High Society Woman. The design offers various elements of the city to play with, such as light, structure, day and night. “This stunning three-in-one creation, offering women a high jewelry evening bag with a timepiece and vanity mirror, captures the intrinsic spirit of Harry Winston’s New York universe and reflects his passion for luxury and impeccable quality.” (Harry Winston).

HUBLOT,  Classic Fusion Berluti

When your shoes match your watch and vise versa… And when your watch comes in a very chic shoe care kit.. That’s the new Berluti collaboration HUBLOT came up with. Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of HUBLOT says: “Style or nothing. After jeans and lace, we wanted to carry on exploring ways to dress our dials and bracelets with legendary textiles. Leather is a standard material in watchmaking for straps, but we wanted to go beyond the traditional approach to leather and work with THE most emblematic leather there is. Working with Berluti was a natural choice. One of the major difficulties was the dial. Using a living material in a sealed case is very complicated. Finding the perfect balance between the nuances of the dial and the strap is also a challenge.”

GRAFF Diamonds, Princess Butterfly

Known for its dazzling butterfly creatures, Graff this year presented my personal favorite of all times. This beautiful secret watch: a combination of different colors of diamonds and sapphires illuminated with fine gemstones, looking like natural water drops on a matching colored satin strap. With an easy click the butterfly opens and transforms to a precious watch underlined with a mother of pearl dial set.

CHANEL, Boy.Friend Diamonds

This year CHANEL unveiled the BOY.Friend Diamonds collection, consisting of four Boy.Friend Watches, which bring the masculine style to a women’s watch. A beautiful time piece that plays with male and female attributes with bright sparkling diamonds and golden elements. And whoever wants to see a very unique Men’s watch, the Monsieur de Chanel,  that CHANEL has unveiled at this year’s Baselworld, can read it here in my colleague’s article on: FORBES.