After the explosion of spectacular new watches presented at Baselworld, we’d like to take a moment and give some attention to the pieces that may have gone overlooked. Here are three great watches you should have on your list when looking for a serious timepiece up to 10,000 €.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39
This might sound like an odd choice for several reasons: Rolex didn’t even announce it as a 2018 exclusive, but instead simply added two new dial variations to the already existing collection on their website. At a price of 5,150 €, it’s also one of the most affordable Rolexes. You could say the new GMT-Master “Pepsi” for 8,400 € is the best new model under 10.000 €, but that would be too obvious for a list of handpicked watches. Plus, not everybody likes this flashy Rolex with red and blue bezel and Jubilee bracelet.
The Oyster Perpetual 39 is as simple and understated as a Rolex can be. It lacks most of the design elements that let everyone in the room know you are wearing a Rolex. There’s no cyclops lens above the date, no rotatable bezel, and no screw-down chronograph pushers. It’s simply a classic, decent-sized steel sports watch. What makes it particularly interesting is how it’s now finally available in the two simplest and most perfect dial colors: black and white.
When Rolex first introduced this watch, its dial only came in gray, red, and blue. While these are beautiful colors, they’re not exactly what you’d choose for that one classic piece fit for every occasion and to accompany you for the rest of your life. With the new Oyster Perpetual 39 with a black or white dial, Rolex has now solved the problem of impracticality.
Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Panorama Date
For over two decades, German watchmaking has been a serious competitor of the big names from Switzerland. One of those competitors is Glashütte Original, mainly known for their elegant watches with impressive complications like perpetual calendars and tourbillons.
Luckily, they also offer relatively simple pieces like the new Senator Excellence Panorama Date. Overall, it’s a modern interpretation of a classic dress watch. At 42 mm in diameter, its appearance is clearly bolder than similar models from other brands. Thanks to that, you can also wear it with jeans and t-shirt without it looking like your grandfather’s vintage watch. It features a fine panorama date display at 4 o’clock, a beautiful and practical complication.
Powered by an automatic in-house movement, this watch is clearly on par with its Swiss counterparts.
Zenith Defy Classic
If you are looking for a luxury sports watch that’s not a Rolex or an Omega, the new Zenith Defy Classic could be right up your alley. Made of brushed titanium and available with either an impressive skeletonized dial or a clean blue one, it can both fly under the radar or be a flashy conversation starter.
Even though it’s “just” a time and date watch, it features modern watchmaking technology on the outside as well as on the inside. It’s powered by Zenith’s proven Elite 670 base caliber, which now comes with a silicon pallet lever and escapement wheel.
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Best Baselworld Watches Under 1.000 €
