Fair value Baselworld closed its doors for another year on Thursday and despite the doom and gloom that surrounds the luxury watch industry, the products launched at the fair were stronger than they’ve been in a while. Yes, it’s easier to knock the industry when it’s down but, honestly, a lot of brands, even some of the bigger ones who should know better, have spent years coasting and churning out utter rubbish, always relying on the Chinese to bail them out. Well, those days are over and things are about to get Darwinian. Here are three watches from three brands that should be fine when it comes to survival of the fittest.
First up is a watch that wins 2016 hands down. Everyone else should give up and go home because, seriously, the Girard-Perregaux Laureato (right) is that good. I rarely rise above “mildly enthusiastic” when it comes to recommending watches but if you plan to buy one, have got the money and want something that will attract admiring glances from all and sundry, then get the Laureato. What’s so good about it" Well, it should be obvious from the look of the watch, the design of which goes back to the 1970s. The Laureato’s dial should make it instantly recognisable – like the Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet, the Speedmaster from Omega or the Rolex Submariner – yet no one really knows about it and that says more about the way Girard-Perregaux has been so criminally neglected in recent years than ...