As we previously announced, WatchTime is bringing the WatchTime New York event concept to the West Coast on May 3 – 4, 2019. We’ll be taking over the Hudson Loft space in Downtown Los Angeles — just minutes from Staples Center — for two days to bring you the best in luxury timepieces. For those who have attended the New York show before, you can expect a similar experience, with brands of all sizes and price points taking part; an abundance of panel discussions featuring industry VIPs, brand executives, and high-caliber collectors; wine and whisky tastings; and plenty of opportunities to spend some quality time with your fellow enthusiasts. We’ll be collaborating with our longtime event partner Watch Anish once again, and will be working with the renowned California retailer Bhindi Jewelers for the first time.
Today, we’re happy to announce the fourth batch of the 30+ brands we have confirmed for the show. Click here to see the full list of brands we’ve announced so far.
Scroll down to learn a little bit more about these six brands and stay tuned for the next set of brand announcements to be revealed after Baselworld.
You can buy your tickets here and we hope to see you there!
Bremont
It’s hard to believe that UK-based Bremont has been around for less than two decades. It’s year-to-year growth and development is an outstanding testament to its founder’s, Nick and Giles English, entrepreneurial ability and horological sense. Recently, the brand announced its expansive 2019 collection that offered a little bit of everything from a new range of entry-level pieces to heavy-duty diving watches specced to 2,000 meters of water resistance. Click here to learn a little bit more about what the brand has planned for 2019 and what they will have on hand during WatchTime LA.
Chronoswiss
Lucerne-based Chronoswiss has long been recognized for its key role in re-introducing the classic regulator-style timepiece — the descendant of 19th-century clocks with hours, minutes, and seconds on separate subdials, and the minute hand emphasized, used for reference to adjust individual watches — to modern audiences. Since 2014, it has also offered skeletonized versions of its well-known regulator dial, the latest being this edition for 2019, limited to just 30 pieces and housed in a 44-mm stainless steel case, with satin-brushed and polished finishes, composed of 21 parts. The knurled finish on the sides and vintage-look onion crown, longtime Chronoswiss hallmarks, add to the case’s distinctive look. The bright red dial, described accurately by Chronoswiss as “barely existent” offers an eye-catching look at the watch’s mechanical heart.
F.P. Journe
The year 2019 is shaping up to be a significant one for François-Paul Journe and his eponymous manufacture. Not only is this year the 20th anniversary of the iconic Chronomètre à Resonance, but it’s also the 20th anniversary of the Tourbillon Souverain. The Tourbillon Souverain has been a fairly consistent presence in Journe’s catalog since it was first released in 1999. That initial model was a limited release of 20 pieces and featured a remontoir d’égalité mechanism, which applies constant force. Journe upgraded the Tourbillon Souverain in 2003 with a natural deadbeat second and a movement construction in rose gold. To commemorate 20 years since the watch first appeared, Journe has developed a tourbillon whose cage is vertical, rather than the traditional horizontal cage. This vertical tourbillon with remontoir d’égalité and deadbeat second makes one revolution every 30 seconds rather than the more common one-minute design. In Journe’s own words, the benefit of this vertical orientation is so “ that the tourbillon’s functions remain constant whether the watch lies flat or is placed on its side, and the amplitude is subsequently the same, whether with a deployant clasp lying on the side or with an ardillon buckle lying flat.” Surrounding the tourbillon cage, a cone-shaped mirror-polished ring concentrates light, reflecting the cage itself. A second reflector was created on the movement side to provide light around the tourbillon cage. The 4N rose Gold bridges that form the dial are decorated with clous de Paris guilloche with, for the first time, a grand feu enamel hour dial at 3 o’clock. The Tourbillon Souverain Vertical also features an 80-hour power reserve at 12 o’clock and small seconds at 6 o’clock; the remontoir d’égalité is placed at 7 o’clock.
MB&F
MB&F, the independent brand best known for its wildly creative timepieces, recently unveiled its first wristwatch meant for female collectors, the Legacy Machine FlyingT. And just like with everything the 14-year-old brand does, there is a lot more to this timepiece than what meets the eye. This isn’t a men’s watch from the Legacy Machine series that’s been lazily resized, but a new timepiece built from the ground up. The case has two crowns, one for winding and the other for setting the time. A domed sapphire crystal rises from the bezel like a bubble. Beneath this dome, a subtly curved dial holds up to eight layers of stretched black lacquer or glitters with white diamonds. From the center of the dial plate rises a vertical mechanical movement that is topped by a flying tourbillon with a cantilevered double arch upper bridge instead of the brand’s typical battle-axe bridge. A single large diamond tops the upper tourbillon cage. At the 7 o’clock position, a dial of black or white lacquer displays the hours and minutes with a pair of elegant serpentine hands in blued gold. The dial is inclined at a 50° tilt at the 7 o’clock position so that the time can be read only by the wearer. On the caseback, the automatic winding rotor is shaped like a three-dimensional red gold sun with sculpted rays, providing the LM FlyingT with four days of running autonomy. In a departure from most modern watch movements, which take a radial and co-planar approach to movement construction, the LM FlyingT engine employs a vertical and co-axial approach. The flying tourbillon shoots out of this movement and the surrounding watch dial. Trust us, you won’t want to miss seeing what MB&F has in store for WatchTime LA.
Parmigiani Fleurier
Parmigiani Fleurier is one of the very few contemporary watch brands that can claim almost entirely vertical integration for its timepieces. Hairsprings, screws, cases, dials, and more are all produced by one of the many factories under Parmigiani ownership. The brand’s most recent release, at SIHH 2019, was the Toric Chronomètre Slate, a modern revamp of the first watch designed by its eponymous founder, Michel Parmigiani, with a slate-colored guilloché dial with a spiral pattern inspired by natural elements. You can read more about it here.
Zenith
As avid students of wristwatch history are aware, Zenith launched its legendary El Primero chronograph movement in 1969, which of course counts as perhaps the most significant anniversary in the wristwatch universe this year. We’ve been wondering for many months how Zenith would mark this horological milestone, and the first answer was revealed in Geneva in January, with the unveiling of a new set of three limited-edition models in a special carrying case that embodies the past, present, and future of the El Primero. At Baselworld last week, the brand released a number of reinterpretations of the original A386 El Primero in various precious metals.
