Baselworld 2016 has come to a close, all of the big watch manufacturers have packed up and gone back to work (until next March when they’ll all return to the Messe Basel!) As usual there have been a lot of very big announcements of very exciting watch releases! An example is the announcement of the many, many smartwatches which will be released by Fossil over the next twelve months. There have also been a lot of very interesting small announcements from manufacturers you might have never heard of!
In today’s post we’ll look at four of the most exciting watch releases for 2016 which were all announced at this years Baselworld. These four watches have caught the attention of watch lovers worldwide and I’m sure you’ll be as excited as we are for their release.
Victorinox Smartening Up Their Watches!
Many have spoken about the slow speed of the Swiss watch makers to join the smartwatch game. There has been some concern that the smartwatch revolution could bring about something similar to the quartz crisis. But this years Baselworld is proof that they are completely on board with the smartwatch revolution.
Victorinox are the latest brand to get on board. They are as well known for their Swiss Army Knives as they are for their watches – but neither of those things are known for being on the cutting edge of technology!
That could just be about to change with their latest announcement which made its début at Baselworld 2016. The Victorinox Swiss Army INOX Cybertool is one of the most exciting watch releases to be announced at this years event. Rather than releasing a whole new range of smartwatches as other manufacturers have done, Victorinox have produced a tool which can smarten up their existing INOX watches.
This wearable “ring” has been produced in conjunction with Acer, it clips on to an existing watch and adds a bunch of new functions. The main feature will be the ability to connect it to a phone – with notification lights alerting you of calls and messages. It will also include the addition of additional time zones, chronograph and a stopwatch. Thankfully, although the tool will add a fair bit of size to the watch itself, it is not going to make it too big.
The price of this device is expected to be in the range of $150 to $225 (approx £105 to £160) on its own. It is also likely to be released as part of a package with Victorinox INOX watches.
Bulova Take You To The Moon
As we reported last year, a Bulova watch which made the trip to the moon with Dave Scott sold for $1.6 million. Since then there has been a lot of interest in the watch itself, the Bulova Wrist Chronograph which Dave Scott bought for only $500! Bulova have decided to give the people what they want they are releasing one of the most exciting watch releases this year – a watch directly inspired by the one which went to the moon!
The new Bulova Moon Watch has been called a re-issue of the watch Dave Scott took to the moon but this isn’t accurate. Rather the new watch is a modern watch which is based on the original design. It is slightly larger than the original watch, has an AR-coated sapphire crystal and features a high-precision quartz movement. As fans of Bulova will know, there are few watches as accurate as a Bulova!
If you’re looking to pick this watch up when it comes out you’ll have a choice of two options. One comes with a textured leather strap which will cost $550 (approx £390) and the other comes with a steel bracelet which will cost $675 (approx £475).
Junghans Bring The Vintage Style
The new Junghans Meister Driver Handwound is a very interesting addition to the Junghans collection. While vintage is “in” at the moment, it is still a bit of a surprise to see Junghans joining the trend, especially as their usual clean, minimalist style is what most “vintage” watches try to emulate. But this new watch is one which is certain to impress all fans of beautiful watches – even those who are difficult to please!
For the most desirable luxury watches there needs to be some kind of interesting story behind them – and this watch certainly has a great story behind it! The first and second generations of the Junghans family were more than just watchmakers. Many of their first innovations were actually intended for cars – like dashboard clocks and the “speed-measuring device” that they patented in 1905. This particular watch is actually inspired by the luxury sports car produced in 1932 by Maybach – a very well respected name with car entusiasts – the Maybach DS 8 Zeppelin. The Junghans family were also known to be close friends and collaborators with the Maybach family, which adds even more history to this watch.
This watch borrows a lot from the car it is inspired by – such as the colour scheme of dark anthracite, cream and light grey. The dial options have the appearance of vintage speedometers and the stitching on the leather strap mimics the seats in early cars. As the watch comes from one of the most impressive watch designers on the market today, it’s no surprise to see how impressive the watch looks on the wrist. What’s even more impressive is that the watch will be available for $1,290 (approx £900) upon release – which is a bargain for a watch which is so beautifully designed and with such history behind it. We are sure that this is one of the most exciting watch releases of 2016 and that it will be a great addition to anyone’s collection.
Casio Brings Us a Cool Diving Watch
Casio are having a very impressive start to 2016 – bringing out their first Android smartwatch and now bringing out one of the coolest watches we’ve seen in a while. The Casio GWF-D1000 Frogman Diver is their premier G-Shock watch for serious divers. Not only is this watch one that divers can fully rely on, but it looks great on the wrist for day to day wear, too!
This watch is the latest in the Frogman collection, which first appeared in 1993 and has had continuous improvements with every new addition. These improvements have generally been finding ways to make it more durable or by adding solar power. The GWF-D1000 Frogman Diver is incredibly durable, with DLC-coated steel and with water resistance to 200 meters.
But the quality of the watch does not stop with its durability! It also comes with the “Tough Solar” light-powered movement and uses atomic clock radio signals in order to ensure that it is always incredibly accurate. Most impressive of all is the work they have put into improving the compass system which is at the cutting edge of Casio’s compass technology – expect this to appear in future Casio compass watches.
It also features everything you would expect to find in a dive computer which has been created for serious pro-divers. It fully tracks and logs the data for up to 20 dives. This must be one of the most exciting watch releases in 2016 for serious pro divers – although it does not include some features which less experienced divers may need. It doesn’t track remaining oxygen, nor does it help you understand how long to stay down and when to come up from the water.
It is initially only available in black and red, but more colours are likely to be available at a later date. If you’re a diver then I’m sure you’re dying to know when it will be available and how much it will cost! The expected release date is currently mid-to-late summer and it will be available at a price of around $1,000 (approx £700).
