This year Blancpain has significantly expanded its Collection Villeret line. The 2011 Villeret Chronographe Monopoussoir Quantieme Complet Collection (refs. 6685-3642-55B in rose gold and 6685-1127-55B in stainless steel) is one of the most beautiful among them featuring a nice take on a centuries-old design of their beautifully finished dials.
The now-Swiss brand of Cuban origin has recently presented its 2011 Cuervo Y Sobrinos Historiador Retrogrado (ref. 3194.1A) that features a retrograde date display and a power reserve indicator. Still sporting the same deliberately archaic styling of its face and powered by a modified ETA caliber, the new model tries to monetize the watchmaker's 'colonial' legacy and, from where I sit, is successful at that.
For this year, Rado has reissued its oversized r5.5 collection of chronographs in an even bigger case that draws even more attention to its owner. Renamed as r5.5 XXL Chronograph (ref. 541.0390.3.011,) this new variation is still powered by a "Swiss Made" quartz movement and features the same sort of plastic-like finish of ceramic elements.
Always thought that only Fender can randomly shuffle decks and necks of radically different classic guitars and get away with that? Think again! At Baselworld 2011 trade show Rolex has updated its Daytona collection with the new Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona (ref. 116515LN) model that combines their signature Everose-alloy case with a black Cerachrom ceramic bezel. And, yes: thanks to the winning combination of colors and textures, it does look fantastic!
At Baselworld 2011, Louis Erard will present its new classic-styled Excellence line. It looks like the new Excellence Regulateur Reserve de Marche (ref. 54230AA01), a model that is nothing but stunning in its reserved, even somewhat cold elegance, will be the flagship model of the whole series.
At the Baselworld 2011 international trade show, Chopard has officially reintroduced its gorgeous tonneau-shaped chronometer as a 2011 L.U.C. XP Tonneau (Ref. 162294-1001). Coming in a deliciously compact case crafted from white gold, the timekeeper features an impressive combination of good design with a state of the art mechanical caliber that is claimed to be crafted solely in-house.
