Baselworld 2018, le jour du son en trois tonalités

It's Day 1 of a week devoted entirely to world watchmaking, albeit bereft of a great many of its initial actors, around half compared to 2017. While some of the other correspondents are cursing over overheated mobile phones the fact they've forgotten the spare battery for the umpteenth time, I'm taking it out verbally on my handy headset microphone. This is not a good time to be left in the lurch, especially as the day promises to be awash with sounds.
 

Sound one of the day, ArtyA’s Minute Repeater

Or how Yvan Arpa takes the basics from the master watchmakers and combines them with mother complications. Now the fact this designer has been prone to making a bit of a media splash throughout his stunt-driven, innovation-strewn career, doesn't mean a thing. Deep down, he's a purist, full of respect for the talismanic values of the watchmaking arts, as we've already seen with his launch from scratch of the ephemeral brand, Spero Lucem. That adventure marked an epic journey, one that he began with Pierre-Laurent Favre, initiator of MHC (Manufacture Hautes complications) and movement maker, to whom contemporary minute repeaters owe their finest hour. After all, the race to produce the loudest sound is a great idea publicity-wise. But go and check it out for yourselves by lending an ear over in Les Ateliers, Stand 62 in Hall 1.
 

Sound two of the day, the Raymond Weil launch

Sound two of the day will be a big hit with rock fans, and not necessarily the 'millennials'. In any case, as we all know, Rock's children are ageless. The legendary AC/DC, it would appear, are up to another world tour, despite the inexorable march of time. These Rock Hall of Famers are the brand's inspiration for a limited edition of watches, 3,000 in all, each bearing the Raymond Weil signature. The arrival of the second-generation Bernheims, the grandchildren of the founding father, Raymond Weil, continue the music leitmotif running through the brand's collections, by bringing the classic music references more up to date. This piece is therefore a remix of the watchmaker's successful Freelancer and it's suffused with the initial energy of the band. What's more, just like AC/DC's frontman and his famous leg-revealing ripped jeans, the piece likewise boasts a stage opening on the dial through which to admire the constant rocking of the balance wheel.
 

Sound three of the day, De Bethune’s Starry Varius

The third sound to emanate from this invention-studded day is an imaginary sound. The gentle strains of the violin. The name of this rare chronometric timepiece cheekily references the most valuable violin in the world. With the Starry Varius, Swiss watchmaker De Bethune continues to set the pace. It takes its long-standing DB25 and adds the sound of cosmic silence depicted in the brand's trade secret blue dial. The 21st century virtuoso watchmaker spins back into orbit as the new timepiece celebrates the renewed beating of a heart full of rich vibes.
 

Other sounds and acoustic matters

But there were many other sounds to fill the day. The sharp, reassuring snap of the bracelet with deployant buckle at Rebellion was like shutting the lid of a car-boot. A sound illustrating the importance of the fun factor for a brand that is ordinarily accustomed to quite another level of decibels, namely those emanating from the motor racing circuits. Meanwhile, over at Louis Moinet, there was the soundtrack of man taking his first steps on the moon, a gentle reminder of the passage of time, whisking us back into the heart of 1969.
 

Finally, to round off the day's acoustic experience, but not in a good way, I suddenly hear the sound of drums up on a stage made ready for the press conference. It comes at an inopportune moment, when the floor is customarily thrown open to the ladies and gentlemen of the press, and drowns out any hope of answers to our searching questions. A pity given the video cameras running in live streaming mode. Luckily, there are also a few friendly voices to break the enforced silence and apparently sudden chronic deafness of the organisers. Once such voice, belonging to a hostess who hurriedly manages to secure me a locker, is music to my ears. My Bluetooth is now up and running and I'm back on my starting blocks, thrilled with anticipation.