Baselworld 2015

Given the premier nature of Switzerland's watchmaking industry, the level of excitement, glitz and glamour that surrounds Baselworld should come as no surprise. Once again, Gizmag joined the thousands of trade, press and public attendees in search of the latest and greatest in wrist-worn fashion.

The Timeburner is a novelty timepiece designed as a tribute to early combustion engines. It features a piston-driven representation of time, and comes in an industrial-looking, distinctive case. Gizmag took a look at the timepiece at Baselworld 2015.

Baselworld is not usually the kind of venue where you'd expect to find guitar maker Gibson displaying one of its custom instruments. This year, however, saw a US$2 million diamond-encrusted SG called the Eden of Coronet verified as the world's most valuable guitar by Guinness World Records.

Christophe & Co's high-end Armills are luxury jewelry pieces that offer optional built-in technology, running for a year or more on a single charge. The highest-end model, the Apollo, retails for a US$149,000, and we got the chance to check out the bracelet at Baselworld 2015.

The third iteration of HYT's eye-catching hydro-mechanical watch marks a significant development of the hybrid movement, switching from a circular to a linear portrayal of time. We got a chance to see the unusual new timepiece at Baselworld 2015.

The Vector smartwatch is available in both square and round-faced models, and makes use of a memory LCD display alongside a low-powered OS to provide a (claimed) 30-day battery life. The product's creators were keen to emphasis the simplicity of the device, but how does it measure up in the flesh?

When it comes to mechanical watches, we're used to seeing ones with the traditional face and hands. Romain Jerome's new Subcraft, however, displays the hour laterally in photoluminescent digital-style numerals along one edge, while the minute is viewed on a disc on top.

La Montre Hermès has unveiled two rather special watches at Baselworld, each limited to a numbered production run of 12. The company says that these works represent the first time that French porcelain has been combined with the Japanese art of Aka-e.

Vector has announced a new smartwatch range at Baselworld, offering a 30 day battery life and running on a proprietary operating system. The new watch, which is available in two different form factors with various finishes, links with iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

Mondaine's Helvetica No.1 Smart might not boast the same level of functionality as much of the competition, but it does connect with iOS and Android devices to offer activity and sleep tracking, and it's also one of the most attractive smartwatches we've seen so far.

Tag Heuer has announced a partnership with Intel and Google to produce an Android Wear-based smartwatch. Past the chip manufacturer and software platform, nothing is currently known about the device, though the Swiss company did state that it will hold onto established Tag Heuer aesthetics.