Winston Koo started collected watches in the early 1990s, amassing as many as 200 at one point. These days, he’s winnowed his collection down to about 50 (mostly black) watches, which were recently featured by the New York Times. He weighs in on the novelties unveiled at Baselworld and SIHH—and shares his top five picks

1. Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin by Audemars Piguet

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet (AP) really outdid itself with this one. By breaking with traditional thinking and embracing simplification, AP reduced its perpetual calendar from a three-level movement, where the wheels and gears were layered upon one another, to one with a single flat mechanism, where all the components are working together cohesively rather than independently for each of the functions.

At 6.3mm, AP has created the thinnest perpetual calendar watch the world—a true tour de force from the manufacture in Le Brassus. Unfortunately, this piece is a concept watch and not available for sale, but if and when it does become available, there will certainly be a long waiting list. 

2. Tank Cintrée by Cartier

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Cartier

Fans of vintage designs rejoice—Cartier revisits its Tank Cintrée series and delivers not just one, but three beautifully designed and executed pieces in platinum, pink gold, and yellow gold, and each comes with its own unique dial variation.

3. Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon Apollo 8 by Omega

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Omega

Who doesn’t love “the Moonwatch” brand or the romanticism associated with space travel? Throughout the years, this timeless classic has had so many iterations and limited editions that it’s hard to keep count. However the good people at Omega did not disappoint at Baselworld 2018; they presented the world with the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 edition, featuring an impressive skeletonised dial with sharp yellow accents.

Evolved from Omega’s Dark Side of the Moon series, this new edition commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission with a cut-away dial carrying the imprint of the lunar surface, and a movement that carries a quote—”We’ll see you on the other side”—from the mission’s command module pilot Jim Lovell. To top it off, this piece has a manual wind movement and will be part of the regular Speedmaster collection. 

See also: Richard Mille Teams Up With McLaren For The RM 11-03

4. Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day-Date 70s by Blancpain

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Blancpain

The Blancpain Bathyscaphe model debuted three years after the launch of the now storied Fifty Fathoms series in 1956. This particular one pays tribute to the aesthetics and styling of its predecessor from the 70s, featuring a silver dial ring with rectangular indexes, Arabic numerals marked every five minutes, and a graduated grey dial that looks darker on the outer edges and lighter in the centre. Sure to be a favourite among followers of Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms family and vintage dive watch fans alike.

5. Polaris Memovox Limited Edition by Jaeger-LeCoultre

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre

The original Polaris was launched in 1968 and on its 50th anniversary the brand decided to pay tribute to this iconic model by introducing a 1,000 piece limited edition in a 42mm stainless steel case with alarm, date, and seconds function. The design stays true to the original’s DNA, much to the delight of vintage watch fans and new watch aficionados alike.

See also: More coverage from SIHH 2018

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