Basel Watch Show Highlights

Who: Clauda Mata, W‘s Executive Jewelry and Accessory Editor

What: Baselworld Watch Fair

When: March 25-March 27, 2011

Where: Basel, Switzerland

10.30 AM Karla Martinez, W’s Fashion and Accessories Director, and I had just landed from our overnight flight but our weary bodies instantly perked up at the sight of all the Chanel watches. Their new watch, the J-12 Chromatic, is made of a titanium ceramic, a material that took four years to develop. My favorite is the Premiere wraparound in steel and ceramic in white—so chic for the summer! chanel.com

11.15 AM Being a huge fan of rose-gold, I fell in love with Rolex’s Datejust in Everose gold with its chocolate dial and diamonds on the bezel. Even better, Rolex uses an exclusive 18k pink gold alloy (which includes platinum) and guarantees their shade of pink will never fade or change. rolex.com

4.30 PM The ceremonial elephants used by Indian royalty inspired Boucheron’s Crazy Jungle Hathi watch—its name is derived from the Hindu word for elephant. This watch is a work of art, with the dial composed of a Murano aventurine glass mosaic and set with diamonds, sapphires, tsavorites amethyst and onyx. boucheron.com

11.00 AM J’adore it all! This year Dior unveiled the Passages Collection (five one-of-a-kind haute couture inspired pieces), in addition to updates to the La D line. The main attraction, however, was the Dior VIII and all its glorious variations. The classic VIII comes in a black ceramic case, but for those who want some color there are versions with citrines, tsavorites and pink sapphires on the bezel. dior.com

12.00 PM Just the afternoon pick-me-up I needed—diamonds! Harry Winston combined the art of jewelry and watch making with the Rendez-Vous, a jaw-dropping diamond timepiece, totaling 382 stones of nearly 89 carats. harrywinston.com

6.00 PM Mini-watches were a big trend at the fair, and Graff showed some colorful and luxurious interpretations. I loved the BabyGraff models with blue and green lizard skin straps, surrounded by either sapphires or emeralds. graff.com

11.00 AM Patek Philippe Ladies Skeleton is the first handcrafted skeleton timepiece for ladies offered in the current collection. It features manually wound movement and completely transparent sapphire crystal. Beauty on the inside and out! patekphilippe.com

2:00 PM Some companies looked to their archives for inspiration, such as Movado, whose Datron watches were modeled after the original line introduced in the 1970’s. movado.com

4.30 PM A white sports watch is a wardrobe essential. Omega’s Seamaster Planet Ocean in stainless steel on a white rubber strap is a show favorite. omegawatches.com

5:00 PM Primary colors were a trend at the fair, and Hublot paired their bright bands with mirrored faces for just the right modern touch. hublot.com