After the 2018 edition, the Swatch Group decided to leave Baselworld and launched this year a new format in which they introduced the novelties of Blancpain, Breguet, Omega, Harry Winston, Jaquet Droz and Glashütte Original. Under the name 'Time to Move' a carefully curated selection of the worldwide press, which included Haute Time, was invited to Switzerland to discover the new watches, with the exception of Glashütte Original, in the manufactures in which they where created. In an intimate setting, this allowed us to fully go into the details of each particular watch and discuss them with the people responsible for their creation. Among them where these four watches which we already crowned as our summer favourites;

Marketing plays an important role in the world of watches. While often genuine, there is sometimes a bit of an overkill, making it that some models are presented with much more pedigree than they actually have. As to many watch enthusiasts historic credibility plays an important factor in their purchase decisions is it not so strange that this happens. In 'Pure Pedigree' we zoom in to the true history of some of the worlds most iconic watches, starting with Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms.

When you say Villeret, you touch the essence of Blancpain. With its double stepped bezel did it play an important role in the revival of not only Blancpain itself, but that of the Haute Horlogerie as a whole. This is even more so with the Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656, as the brand has been known especially since its rebirth in 1983 by Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet, for its calendar watches.

Opened all your gifts, ate enough sweets and need a break from the Christmas carols? Then check out some stunning casebacks. The time that the back of a watch was nothing but a plain piece of metal is long gone. The vast majority of high-end watch brands now utilize the back of their watches to give you an insight into their technical capabilities.

Diver's watches are among the most popular type of watches in the industry. Of course, the vast majority of them never see more water than the backyard pool, or the occasional dip into the sea to cool off during a day spent on the yacht. But the popularity of diving watches goes beyond their initial purpose; because they are build robustly, to withstand high water pressures, they can also handle nearly all situations on land with grace. This makes them both in terms of looks, as well as in capabilities, the perfect choice for many people to match their lifestyle. Here are four watches that love getting wet, but also look great on the wrist when they don't!

A leading driver of technological advancements has always been the military—particularly during wartime. This is especially true of timekeeping instruments given the need for coordination and precision during combat operations.

For most watch collectors, a collection is not complete without at least one diving watch. And in the luxury watch space, there are a handful of brands known for making some of the best dive models out there.

Understated watches are a realm of their own. They often require a connoisseurs eye to recognize them as something special, but special they are indeed. They please their owners with refined movement, subtle details and the knowledge that they have something exceptional around the wrist. They are the 'sleeper cars' of the watch industry, and these are four of the most desirable.

Blancpain has been a very fortunate brand. As one of the pioneers in the field of diving watches and that of automatic watches, they have a tremendously rich history. Even when the quartz crisis almost made an end to the brand, there was Jean-Claude Biver, who together with Jacques Piguet, son of Frédéric Piguet, took the company to new heights. Since 2002 the brand is in the capable hands of Marc A. Hayek, who has carefully build upon the history of the brand, yet with a keen eye to what modern consumers are looking for. While their current collection is vast, these are our Haute Time favorites.

Summer is here, and that means that the lives of most people tend to move more to the outdoors. Pools and beaches, dining al fresco, go sailing or simply sit down and relax in the garden, these five watches will perfectly match your summer mood!

The jump hour is a complication loved by many, yet only a few brands have one in their collection. One of the reasons for this is that it is difficult to make. The jump hour is a volatile complication in which power is build up in a spring during the hour to be released upon the hour. Not only does this require superb power management within the movement, but there is also to challenge to achieve perfect alignment of the hour disc after the jump has taken place.

Vintage inspired watches usually go back to the mid-1900's. For many iconic watches, this was the time they were first brought to the market. That also goes for the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, which was launched in 1956, three years after the original Fifty Fathoms. While this was an exciting time with beautiful designs, another era is also known for its unique, and often bold, creations: the 1970's.

After Part I of Haute Time's Favorite Baselworld Watches, there are still a few new watches that we would like to highlight, as they made strong entries to our wishlists, and perhaps those of yours as well.

Baselworld is always a place full of surprizes, some large and some small. One of those big surprises is the Blancpain Villeret Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Rétrograde. This watch combines a jumping hour with retrograde minutes and a unique flying tourbillon.

Brands exhibiting at Baselworld are gearing up for the fair and releasing previews of what is to come. Among them Blancpain, who already showed us images of the new Villeret Quantième Complet GMT.

One of the conclusions of the report is that large, well-funded companies that already have strong brand recognition are doing much better than smaller brands. That advantage is reinforced among luxury holding companies, which again benefit from having big pockets