So Baselworld 2015 is here (think Kevin Costner’s Waterworld but more Swiss, less water and more watches… think Rodger Federer wearing a Rolex holding a Toblerone) and the world’s eyes are fixed on the Messe Basel to see how the top watch manufacturers are going to respond to the iWatch.
As we told you last week, Mondaine have already responded by announcing the incredibly beautiful Helvetica No.1 Smart (more information to be announced during Baselworld). Here on First Class Watches we’re going to keep an eye on all of the developments at the biggest watch event of the year and keep you fully updated from now until the 26th of March.
So without any further ado, let’s take a look at what’s we’ve seen on Baselworld day 1.
Citizen Announce the Thinnest and Fastest GPS Watch Yet!
If you liked Citizen’s Eco-Drive Satellite Wave F100, then you’re going to love the announcement of the Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave F900!
The Satellite Wave F100 featured state of the art technology that was able to automatically update the time on your phone in 40 time zones, so that it would display the correct time wherever you were in the world. Citizen were proud of the the Satellite Wave F100, and with good reason, with a world-record signal reception speed of 3 seconds and the worlds thinnest satellite signal watch at 12.5mm.
The new Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave F900 builds on this watch by immediately fixing the only downside of the Satellite Wave F100. The Satellite Wave F100 was never called a “GPS” watch because, although it could update the time automatically, it couldn’t tell you where you were – so you had to update the time zone yourself.
The Satellite Wave F900 uses the GPS satellites to find out exactly where you are on the planet, and it does this in 30 seconds!
As the watch is most useful for travellers they have added a feature which is essential for people who spend most of their life on the move! The watch face shows 2 time zones, so you could choose to keep an eye on the time in the UK when you are away so that you know when to keep in touch with your friends, family and colleagues back home.
Obviously, GPS technology drains the battery much quicker than usual – luckily the watch is light powered, so you’ll never have to worry about your watch losing charge. The watch tells you how much light has been absorbed too, so you know how much battery is left on your watch.
The Satellite Wave F100 was one of the best looking watches of 2014 and the Satellite Wave F900 looks just as good! It is also incredibly light and thin, with a thickness of just 13.1mm – less than a millimetre thick than the previous model despite the incredible technological advances. It also boasts scratch resistance and water resistance up to 100 meters!
You won’t have long to wait for the release of this amazing watch which is due in Autumn 2015 and will cost $2,400 (£1626.68).
Welcoming… The Ronaldo Watch!
Image: Themeplus
Cristiano Ronaldo became an ambassador of TAG Heuer recently and, today, at Baselworld 2015 the stage was set for the announcement of the first limited edition Ronaldo “CR7” watch!
The watch is based on the Formula 1 Chronograph but is coloured black and green, green was chosen to evoke the grass of the football pitch (you know… just in case people forget what Cristiano Ronaldo is most known for). There’s no doubt that the colour and design of the watch is very eye catching and, while the green colour might not be to everyone’s taste, it certainly does make the watch stand out.
The best thing I can say about the watch is that the colour scheme fits Ronaldo perfectly because just like the man himself, you’ll either love it or hate it!
No pricing has been announced as yet, it is expected that both the price and release date will be announced following Baselworld.
Tag, Google & Intel Team Up to Defeat the iWatch!
Image: Tomas de Aquino
Tag Heuer have teamed up with Google and Intel to design the Apple killing smartwatch! It will combine Swiss watchmaking know-how with high-end technology, according to Tag Heuer chief Jean-Claude Biver.
Nothing much was given away about the watch because, “We don’t want the competition to know what we are going to do. We want them to be surprised.” But it is expected that the watch will be released by the end of the year.
As we explained last week, Swiss watch manufacturers have been forced into action by the upcoming iWatch release. The iWatch has captured the imagination of the public in a way that smartwatches by Sony, Samsung and Motorola have failed to do in the past and sales are expected to match those of previous iPhone releases.
One thing that is for certain about this particular partnership is that the combination of watchmaking expertise from Tag, software expertise from Google and processor expertise from Intel is certain to make a watch that will be stylish, functional and high-tech – but whether it captures the imagination of the public will remain to be seen.
So, there you have it – 3 incredible pieces of news from Baselworld… and we’re just getting started! There’s another 6 days to go in this incredible watch expo and we’ve got it covered here at First Class Watches.
So bookmark the blog and check back every day for all of the latest news and updates from Baselworld!
