Stuck in Manual: The Basel Watch Fair

Time goes by, and nothing changes… That’s typically the feeling we get each early Spring at the Basel watch fair. And if you’re a watchmaker, why change? With clocks in our phones, computers and car dashboards, it really comes down to classic elegance (or competition with other wristwatch-wearers) if you’re going to insist on wearing a classic wristwatch.

At this past fair one of the few new watches we noticed was Tag Heuer’s Silverstone watch, and suddenly our Blackberries seemed so passé. Originally introduced in 1974, Tag Heuer is re-releasing the Silverstone watch in honor of the brand’s 150th anniversary.  Named after the famed Silverstone racetrack in England, the watch features a curved face and self-winding chronograph capable of tracking a racer’s time within 1/10,000 of a second. Try getting that precision with a digital clock. And stuck in a fiberglass shell, hurtling concrete at blistering speeds, it makes sense that racecar drivers can’t check their pockets for a phone. So not only is it much more chic to glance at your wrist, it’s a timesaver.