On the Red Carpet

On the red carpet.

Since announcing my partnership with Maurice Lacroix last month, I have been eagerly looking forward to visiting the annual Baselworld international watch show. For those of you not familiar with Baselworld, it is to the world of horology what the Detroit Auto Show is to the car industry. Over 2,000 brands converge on the Swiss town of Basel to show off their new offerings for the year to industry insiders, journalists, and consumers. Every type of watch is there, from Timex to Rolex to niche brands selling timepieces that cost more than a house.

An example of some of the exhibitors.

As I entered the main hall on Friday, I was first struck by the vast size of the whole affair. It is unbelievably huge. The conference halls are temporarily turned into monster-sized malls. Rather than having booths, each brand has three story offices, complete with showrooms, bars, lounges, and meeting rooms. All combined, there is over 1.5 million square feet of space with more than 100,000 visitors and 3,000 journalists. To put that in perspective, the Olympics garner just under 6,000 journalists. If the hammer throw had a fraction of the money and attention that went into putting this event on, it would be a completely different sport.

The day started with a backstage look at this year’s new models guided by their head of design. This year Maurice Lacroix introduced its first automatic (i.e. self-winding) mechanical watch made completely with self-manufactured parts. That accomplishment puts them in rare company in the watch world, where most mechanical brands rely on outside parts and components. In addition, they announced a new favorite of mine, the Roue Carrée Seconde featuring a square wheel which displays the seconds. It is kind of mesmerizing to look at in person and see the intricate design of the gearing. I’m not sure I would keep my eyes off it if I had it on my wrist.

The new Roue Carrée Seconde from Maurice Lacroix

Finally, in a partnership with Wallpaper* magazine and three top designers, Maurice Lacroix has produced three single edition reinterpretations of one of their most successful watches. While the photos look nice, the watches had so much depth and detail that could only be seen well in person. The watches will be auctioned off for charity in June.

After we finished playing with the watches, the fun really began. Kate and I walked down the red carpet to a launch event at a lounge atop Switzerland’s tallest building. Later, we settled down for dinner at a quiet French restaurant where I got to chat with a small group of employees and other friends of the brand. All of the individuals exhibited the brand’s motto: follow your convictions. One young man is attempting to be the first individual to cross the Bering Strait by kiteboard. In addition, he is very studious and just finished dental school. The greatest part about partnering with Maurice Lacroix has been the support of so many like-minded individuals. It was exciting to be in a room where everyone has overachieving goals, even if they are as obscure as throwing a hammer really far.