Baselworld 2019: new releases from Rolex, Tudor, TAG Heuer, Patek Philippe and more

Rolex GMT Master II Meteorite Dial

Often dubbed the king of the watch world, Rolex has some of the most recognisable timepieces around. This year the venerable old brand has built upon its new GMT Master II releases from the last show, with a raft of new iterations of the popular globetrotting watch. This one comes with a striking “meteorite” dial while the rest of the watch is built from white gold. It also sports the eye-catching “Pepsi” bezel that remains hugely coveted by collectors.

Tudor Black Bay P01

Based on a little-known prototype that was designed for the US Navy, this solid-looking diver’s watch has been built to stand up to almost any test you’d care to throw at it. The unique hinged flap at the top of the case actually locks the bezel in place and stops it from moving once you’ve set it.

Nomos Tangente Sport Neomatic 42 date

This is more robust than any Nomos that has come before. The 1000ft inscription at the bottom of the dial indicates the watch’s water resistence, which sounds like a lot but is actually the industry standard these days for serious diving watches, most of which tend to display their depth as 300m or 30atm. Still, the Tangente Sport Neomatic 42 date is an incredibly rugged offering from the Bauhaus brand.

TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph

Reviving an old legend from the 1960s – arguably TAG Heuer’s heyday – the new collection of Autavias has brought this rough-and-ready timepiece roaring into the 21st Century. Making the most of the brand's in-house carbon-composite hairspring that can withstand shocks better than most and is completely anti-magnetic, it’s not just the stainless steel and sapphire crystal case that are tough on this watch.

Patek Philippe 5235/50R Annual Calendar

The latest release from Patek has what is called a regulator dial, which means the seconds, minutes and hours are all displayed on different dials. Here the minutes can be seen through the central hand, hours in the top sub-dial and seconds running at the bottom. But this is also an annual calendar which means you won’t have to adjust the date for 30-day months. Only once after February will you need to pull out the crown.

Hublot Classic Fusion Ferrari GT

The latest in a collaboration between the colourful watchhouse Hublot and Ferrari has brought a taste of the Grand Turismo universe to one of Hublot’s most favoured lines. The self-winding flyback chronograph movement is protected by four patents and includes a column wheel that can be seen from the dial side. The case has also been ergonomically designed so the lugs hug your wrists, like the racing seats of a Ferrari hug you as you settle into them.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT

Bulgari has done it again with another world-record broken. The latest addition to the Octo Finissimo line shows how it's ultra-thin mechanisms can be applied to nearly any kind of watch. This one becomes the world's slimmest self-winding chronograph GMT at just 6.9mm thick. As with previous versions, this comes in an angular sand-blasted titanium case and integrated bracelet.

Ladies

Rolex Day-date Everose gold and diamonds

This diamond and rainbow set timepiece carries on the tradition at Rolex of producing multicoloured watches with specifically coloured sapphires. The dial on this watch is covered in 542 diamonds with each index a differently coloured baton-cut sapphire. Not to mention the 412 brilliant cut diamonds that go around the bracelet and 52 that go around the bezel.

MB&F Legacy Machine FlyingT

MB&F don’t make watches so much as horological machines, and this is their first to be designed specifically for women. Protruding from the dial is a fantastically complex flying tourbillon. Showing off exactly how multifaceted this watch is under the elevated dome of sapphire crystal, the dial is tilted at 50 degrees so that only the wearer can read the time. But everyone will be able to see that fascinating movement.