As we gear up for the last few days of Baselworld 2015, saving the best for last, we have a chance to check-in, learn about the watch industry from leading CEO’s, and learn what decisions lead to the watches we’ve looked at in days 1-5.
Baselworld Day 6: Explosive Growth by Sticking to Tradition
Yann Gamard, CEO of Glashütte Original, shared some insider’s knowledge with the rest of us.
Glashütte is known for its rich history, like many other watch manufacturers. They’ve had great success of innovating while keeping important historical elements intact.
Most recently, Glashütte won multiple prizes for its line of 20th century vintage watches. The historical design, combined with exquisite modern touches has helped the company to grow it’s reputation even further.
When asked about the company’s growth, Gamard remarked:
“Demand for our watches continues to exceed our production capacity”
On the Other Hand…Recognition Through Bold Innovation
There are many types of innovation in business. Some are based on manufacturing techniques, advances in material science, or through design. Design has always been a huge component of watch innovation, but as the industry has grown, so have other types of innovation.
Graff Diamonds, known for more than just watches, stunned Baselworld attendees last year by unveiling a piece with more than 110 carats of diamonds. The question became, “how do you top that?”
Well, Graff unveiled a new watch called The Fascination, that blows it away. It contains a whopping 152.96 carats, or about 39% more.
While I’m tempted to say that there’s no way a watch could fit any more, we’ll see what Graff comes up with next year.
These bold, flashy watches may not appeal to most watch-wearers, but the industry gets inspired from them and can incorporate beautiful elements into their future watch lines.
Tradition Meets Innovation
One of the most exciting pieces revealed so far is the Bulgari Diagono Magnesium.
This innovative new mechanical watch has all the traditional features and style of a traditional Bulgari watch, but there is something new and special inside.
This watch has a cryptographic chip and antenna inside that quite literally can allow it to open a vault. The watch is able to send a digital certificate to a mobile app created by Bulgari. The certificate contains sensitive information like PIN codes, identity information, and bank information.
This isn’t ready for the open market yet, but it shows you that there is still much to come in future years.
The watch industry is one that readily appreciates and maintains its roots, but also isn’t afraid to try something new. This is the core essence of why watch Baselworld is so exciting.
There’s a few days left, and I promise there will be more than a few announcements that will knock your socks off. So go ahead and bookmark the First Class Watches blog and we’ll keep you up-to-date.
