as they have since Baselworld began in 1917, to present their new collections and creations on a global scale. Tens of thousands of tons of jewelry and watches are put on display, to dazzle around 94,000 industry professionals, watch fanatics and specialist journalists who assess the current trends.

Traditionally this prestigious fair is ruled by Swiss watch giants Tag Heuer, Rolex and Patek Phillipe, as well as fashion main players such as Burberry, Versace, Chanel and Dior. This year however was also abuzz with the smart watch versus classic watch debate, as the perfectly engineered Swiss timepiece was pitched against the long awaited, fully connected digital age Wonder from Apple and Pebble Steel.

Indeed, there was evidence that elite heavyweights, such as Tag Heur and Mondaine, have sprung onto the technological bandwagon by devising “connected smartwatches that look like proper watches” time pieces.

Gucci Timeless has also announced its sashay into a smarter world, by unveiling its collaboration with Will.i.am on the world’s first “fashion” smartwatch. Montblanc too has captured the innovative spirit, with the clever Timewalker Urban Speed e-strap, which features both a watch face and hidden smart screen fitted into the strap.

But while the impending invasion of Smartwatch-mania is almost nigh, for many traditional watchmakers, it was business as usual and the chance to show off their latest designs with some eye-popping results.

Noteworthy trends included thinner straps, and many acknowledged the less is more mantra with understated minimalist designs of impeccable elegance, Brown was almost certainly the new black, and blue played a prominent role on just about everything, featuring heavily on watch faces, straps and style elements. Luxury women’s watches were predominantly set with precious gemstones such as Rolex’s solid white and yellow gold DateJust Pearlmaster watch, encrusted with colored sapphires and diamond hour markers backed by a stunning sapphire backed oyster case.

There was no question that the interiors and exteriors of cars influenced the spirit of Baselworld this year. Bremont who already produces custom made clocks for Jaquar, crafted a lightweight watch that gave a nod to the 1960s Jaguar E-Type racing speedometer. Hublot, celebrating 10 years at Baselworld, had a remarkable showing this year with the powerful P-O5 Laferrari limited edition collector’s piece in gold, titanium and black, which was without question one of the most striking creations of the whole event.

The art of showing the inner complexities and mechanics of the watch was very much en vogue with more than a few skeletons popping out of the closet. The perfectly executed J12 Skeleton Flying Tourbillon by Chanel was a hit with devotees. Limited to just 20 pieces, this ambitious piece of workmanship has a high tech black ceramic cage set with a ring of twinkling diamonds and an exquisitely perforated dial that reveals artisan dials and a gravity-defying tourbillon.

A rise in the production of diamond-studded timepieces was also apparent this year. The spectacular Graff Fascination ring watch, swathed in 152.96 carats of white diamonds was second only to Jacob & Co’s appropriately named “Billionaire Watch with tourbillon” – priced at a whopping $18 million, it is said to be the most expensive timepiece ever created. Omega also showered their original diving watch in 40 carats of diamonds to brilliant effect.