Literally all my days at Baselworld involved an enormous amount of walking or time spent in the Press centre writing reviews. There was so much ground to cover and even more brands to meet. Prior to leaving I thought I had planned my diary really efficiently but once I arrived, I soon realised that wasn’t the case. If I had stuck to my original (5 appointment a day) itinerary I would have missed out on some exquisite timepieces. Fortunately a few friends in the industry guided me the right direction.
For those who haven’t visited Baselworld before, it is possibly hard to envisage the layout. Hall one is probably where most people congregate because the groups like Swatch, LVMH and Rolex dominate it. This is essentially a corporate bonanza and appointments are made strictly well in advance. Therefore if your name is not down on the door you are definitely not coming in. Fortunately the other halls are a lot more informal and it is possible to descend on them without any prior notice. For that reason I could introduce myself to many new brands and take numerous wrist shots.
Although I had previously heard positive vibrations about Ralf Tech I had never met them or reviewed any of their watches. Essentially they are a small French company (owned by Frank Huyghe) that manufactures a range of stylish timepieces. Although all their watches show design merit my absolute favourite is the Torpedo. Dimensionally the watch measures 47.5mm (excluding the crown), which should appeal predominantly to the masculine buyer. Generally I found the watch sat comfortably on my wrist and felt fairly lightweight. However I would have personally preferred the use of titanium rather than 316L stainless steel in this instance.
Visually the Torpedo has a really cool industrial appearance similar to watches created by more expensive brands like RJ Romain Jerome. The concept for the watch originates from an elusive Spanish C3 submarine believed to have sunk in 1936. The dial ingeniously replicates the control panel at the back of a Torpedo tube. This intricate design feature involves over 60-hours from the finest craftsmen to produce each dial. On this new 2015 edition, the colour of the hands has changed to orange and the crystal lens is domed. Overall the three dimensional composition is incredibly striking and the finishing is superlative.
At the heart of the watch is a self-winding Swiss made movement with Incabloc®anti-shock System. The Caliber Type 63 comprises 24-jewels and oscillates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz). This wonderful mechanism is visible through the sapphire crystal exhibition case back. Functionally the Torpedo 2015 features hours minutes and small seconds. The timepiece also has a power reserve of 50-hours and is water resistant to a depth of 400 metres.
The Torpedo 2015 has a hand made alligator strap and is limited to only 10 pieces. Priced at: €12,500 (approximately $13,520).
For more information about Ralf Tech visit the company’s website: http://www.ralftech.com
