Hunting is considered to be a sport, yet the prey is terrorized and for a reason known only to those participating, offers some form of barbaric exaltation. Condemned by the majority, but approved by a powerful minority 'hunts' are a sad part of everyday life.

Where, you may ask, is this leading? Well, once a year the boot is placed upon the other foot, the prey remains cool, calm and ready to be collected and the hunter runs in panic stricken circles desperately trying to find his prey. The prey in this case being those much sought after beasties referred to as 'new sports watches'. The hunter is yours truly.

This year, in the all too bizarre climate that was BaselWorld, watches seemed to take second place as conversation was dominated by war, viruses, claims and counter claims by both the Fair management and the ousted exhibitors from Hong Kong. Walking the almost ghostly quiet corridors in search of those horological grails should have been as easy as catching SARS in Shenzhen, but there remained, as usual, a plethora of press conferences to cover and a mere thousand or so watch exhibitors to see. Time, as usual, was at a premium and even with the best will in the world there simply wasn't enough of it to get to see everything.

When, finally, you did get to see a potential source for a new sports watch, you were immediately bombarded with questions like “Have you seen any coughing or sneezing Chinese visitors?”, “What's the latest news of desolation and destruction in Iraq?”, “Has Saddam Hussein been captured yet?”, the new products often took a backseat.

Fortunately for the watch industry, not all watch manufacturers were preoccupied with the world's dilemmas, nevertheless, I had the predominant feeling that creativity, like time, was also at a premium and many watch companies, because of the poor economic environment that existed well before BaselWorld, took to updating models rather than taking the bull by the horns and being innovative.

Although trends are usually associated with fashion watches rather than those in the sports watch field, this year there were two what I would call 'almost trends' that could be discerned: there seemed to be a slight increase in the number of digital sports watches on show and, more noticeably, there were many more stone-enhanced chronographs.

Digitals
To start with, let's take a look at some of the new digital sports watches. Oakley, who 'set out to invent a new watch and ended up inventing a new language' have been developing new 'time machines' as they call them, with such provocative names as Time Bomb, Bullet, Icon, Torpedo, Detonator and Crush - and that was before the outbreak of the Iraqi hostilities.

This year, however, the latest 'time machines', referred to simply as D2 and D3, move away from the analogue models of the past and into the digital mould. Their performance is little short of overwhelming since the functions they perform are: time mode 12/24 hour, dual time zone, auto date to year 2050, 100 lap memory, 50 run log, display hours, minutes, seconds, 1/100 seconds, lap numbers, lap times, split times, fastest lap, amount of free data memory, three alarms with daily or single use function, 80 DB piezo sound element, three programmable countdown timers, timer repeat, stop or activate chrono on zero countdown, high definition LCD display with user adjustable contrast, electroluminescent backlight for low light conditions!!!

All of these functions are contained in a high-impact composite matrix of glass fibre in resin (Unobtainium™ Urethane) with a stainless steel caseback. The watches have a mineral glass crystal with an anti-reflective coating and are water-resistant to 100 metres.

Nike introduced a new Timing Oregon series for the outdoor sportsman. The Alti Compass is a stainless steel watch with an altimeter, a digital compass, a 999-hour chronograph, a weather mode, 7 alarms including a hydration timer, a 2-colour display, knurled pushbuttons and water- resistant to 100 metres.

Reebok and Timex joined forces and laun-ched a digital collection of sports watches that combine what they call 'fashion and function'. The major piece in the digital collection is the Response SPD which stands for Speed, Pace and Distance and is classified as 'satellite technology you can wear on the wrist'. The watch uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology for anyone to measure their speed, pace and distance covered with a maximum speed of 450 mph/725 kph. 99% accurate when used with a clear view of the sky (the satellites are equipped with atomic clocks), it also features target speed/distance alarms, automatic time setting, 100 lap memory with lap number, time, distance and average speed, a continuous odometer (mileometer), dual time zones, alarm with daily, weekday and weekend options and a countdown timer.

In its analogue selection, Reebok offers a stainless steel Turbine Chronograph with Alarm and Indiglo® that is set by turning one of the two crowns and thus promises a high degree of accuracy (the Indiglo® is a night light illumination technology). The watch has an independently adjustable hour hand and is water-resistant to 100 metres.

Timex reach a billion
Timex is one of the watch industry's true giants. The company manufactures around 27 million watches a year and to-date they have sold more than one billion watches!

I asked Joe Santana, the Timex President what made the company so successful and what kept it ticking along at 27 million watches a year.

“Timex is about making products for people in all walks of life with varying lifestyles,” he explained. “Since 1956 we have produced a billion watches that have continually proved to be useful, innovative, reliable, well designed and, in particular, affordable. Consumers have confidence in our brand and they have seen the steady stream of our innovations, from the Ironman Triathlon sports watch to the latest chronograph with alarm. But what matters most to us is the person looking to purchase the best possible watch for their personal needs.”

This year, Timex had several new timepieces. The MP3 is a watch with one of the smallest devices for listening to compressed music files and is compatible with PCs and Macs with a portable storage of 128MB and 64MB versions holding up to 4 hours of music. It also offers time and date, a stopwatch, alarm, countdown timer and the Indiglo® night-light system.

The Timex Ironman Data Link USB comes with software to download contacts with multiple numbers, appointments, schedules and other data from PCs or Macs, along with applications for countdown times and lap timing for athletes, there are world time and pulse counter features. The Timex Ironman Triathlon has been amongst the best selling watches around the world for the last seventeen years and the latest model, the Mega Lap Sleek, is an aesthetic addition to the ironman collection. It has a lap counter for 200 laps and a 200-lap memory recall. The addition of appointment and reminder features make it an indispensable addition to the collection.

Chronographs
Chronographs are by definition the ultimate sports watch and, as I've said many times before, anyone worth their salt within the watch industry produces one. This year was no exception.

Timex introduced its Indiglo Chronograph at last year's Basel Fair and returned this year with an updated model that included the added feature of an easy-to-use alarm. Pierre Balmain watches launched two new elegant quartz chronographs, the Excessive XL and the Elysées XO. Curved to fit the wrist, these stainless steel watches come with black or white dials, Arabic or Roman numerals with a domed crystal.

Raymond Weil introduced a powerful new automatic chronograph, the Don Giovanni Cosi Grande. It is a tonneau-shaped stainless steel watch with a date aperture between 4 and 5 o'clock and 60-seconds, 30-minutes and 12-hour counters, with a price/performance ratio that will make it an attractive purchase for chronograph aficionados.

Longines introduced a new Evidenza chronograph that took inspiration from a 1925 model although the tonneau style dates back to a Longines watch dating back to 1911. The Evidenza is in stainless steel and is equipped with an automatic L650 movement with 28,800 vibrations an hour and a 46-hour power reserve. The flinqué dial is enhanced by blue painted Arabic numerals and there is a sub-dial for seconds at 3 o'clock and 12-hour and 30-minute counters at 6 and 9 o'clock respectively. The date aperture is at 6 o'clock and the watch is water-resistant to 30 metres. This elegant chronograph is perhaps too fine a watch for active sports, but would certainly be appropriate on the wrist of a gentleman spectator.

The new kids on the block
Alpina may be a new name to many, however its origins date back to an association of manufacturers and retailers founded in 1883. The Alpina name was registered in 1901 and appeared on top quality timepieces often using Breguet spirals, balance wheels, screws and cases.

Zoom forward to 2002 and we discover that Frèdèrique Constant purchased Alpina Watch International. It's first outing was at BaselWorld and the collection of sports watches comprises 25 mechanical models, some of which are equipped with complications.

The Alpina Heritage Chronograph, the first of an interesting collection of eye-catching models, is a cushion formed case in stainless steel equipped with an automatic mechanical AL850 movement. There are hours, minutes, seconds, date functions and recessed chronograph counters. The white enamel dial is inspired by models from the thirties with a telemeter scale at the periphery and an 'escargot' decorated scale at the centre.
Another new kid on the block is Remus, an Austrian company that has its origins in the automobile industry. In September 1990, Remus built a factory for manufacturing mufflers and has gradually expanded from the original 4,000 m2 surface to one that exceeds 35,000 m2. Today, the stainless steel mufflers for both cars and motor bikes are distributed in more than 50 countries and the company's link to motor sports is clear in the concept of the watch collections.

“Discussion about moving into watch production only began at Christmas 2002,” Angelika Kresch, the owner explained with a wry smile. “I thought about moving into the watch industry three years ago, but I was simply too busy to do anything about it, then at Christmas I was introduced to Christian Kraus of Artwork International which manufactures the Time Engine watches. We met again in January and inspired by his enthusiasm and the promise of prototypes within 2 months we went ahead. All the Remus watches have been designed by Kai Stania - as has our stand - and the first collection of 7 families (comprising 85 models) is now ready for all to see after only a total of three months preparation.”

The watches, named after race venues such as Le Mans, Hockenheim, San Remo etc. - are all registered designs and have a close visual connection to automobile elements. Discovering a new sports watch is part of this annual hunt, but to discover two entirely new companies, each with an exciting, original and so far unseen collection, is a watch journalist's Elysium.

I had received an invitation to visit the TNG stand, which I did despite the fact that it was located in Hall 5, which is not so easily access-ible. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a very handsome collection of Swiss watches specifically designed for sailing. TNG was founded by Herbert Dercksen and Frans Dingerdis in 1998 after Dercksen's return from the Atlanta Olympics. It was then that he decided to make a Swiss watch designed for the new sail racing rules. TNG, which actually stands for Tack and Gybe, the two main manoeuvres to change course on a sailing boat, now has an excellent collection of watches that are equipped with a movement made in conjunction with Frédèrique Constant. Designed for the sailing fraternity, the company's sales have now exceeded the 15,000 mark since the watches were first patented. Previously available mainly through nautical distributors, the watches are now sold in 15 countries and the main markets are Australia, Germany, Netherlands and Norway. 2003, however, will see the development of the distribution of TNG watches to retailers and from the design and appearance of the Matchracer, Baltic Cup, Racemaster and Tornado collections - including ladies' models-they should find their niche quite easily.

Just for the record book, this is the third consecutive year that TNG is the official Timekeeper for the Round Texel catamaran race in which some 800 cats participate. Dercksen has won the race twice and is currently preparing for the Athens Olympic Games.

Corum, Omega, Paul Picot, Bally, Breitling, Rolex, Ulysses Nardin all had new models

and, needless to say, a plethora of chronographs was waiting to be discovered - given the time. At the SIHH in Geneva there were some interesting models from Baume & Mercier, Panerai, Roger Dubuis, Lange & Söhne, IWC and, of course, Girard-Perregaux.

Chopard's Karl-Friedrich Scheufele presented a new version of its Mille Miglia 2003 chronograph in the presence of the ex-champion racing driver Jacky Ickx, which in addition to being a self-winding certified chronometer, has a medium-sized twin - with diamonds around the bezel.

Stone-enhanced chronographs
And now to the bejewelled chronograph. Although I refer to this particularly attractive tendency as an 'almost trend', I believe that it will become a full-blown recognized trend as more watch manufacturers search to gain a little more ground in the lucrative chronograph market.

Of course TechnoMarine (see the article 'Technomarine, the Maoris And Spidergirl' in this issue), one of the front runners in the field, has a head's start on most, however, there are a few companies that are designing superb stone-enhanced chronographs.

Michele Watch, an American company with a penchant for normal and stone-set chronographs, is making tremendous inroads into the US market, becoming the number one selling brand in its category. The brand also sells well in Latin American, European and the Middle Eastern markets (400,000 watches in 2002 and despite the various prevailing socio-politic and economic problems around the world, a better than normal 2003 so far). With models called Urban Steel Diamond, Coquette Diamond, Deco Winter and Deco Colour, there is an abundant and colourful choice of dials and straps with a special pin system for a simple change of straps.

Aquanautic, another of the new kids on the block, has come up with an interesting concept whereby their watches have an interchangeable bezel and mask, thus offering the wearer the possibility of having a relatively plain sports watch or an ornate timepiece set with white or black diamonds or sapphires.

A Cocoon for everyone
One of the highlights in the sports watch field for me was the new Cocoon collection by Façonnable. The company has made tremendous progress in the realm of creative watchmaking and it seems that with each year that passes, the creativity reaches new heights. This year it's special Cocoon chronograph deserves all the attention that it will certainly receive. It is in stainless steel and comes equipped with an ETA quartz chronograph movement. Specially designed numerals grace the unusually formed watchcase and the sides of the bezel are set with approximately 2 carats of semi-precious stones - citrines, topaz, garnet and black sapphires. Two straps are supplied with the watch and changing them is very simple using the watch's push button system.

It would be easy to continue writing about the numerous sports watches that graced the stands at Basel and Geneva, but it is truly impossible to talk about everything and everyone in the confined space of this article. To those manu-facturers I have not mentioned, my apologies, but we'll get round to you in the near future. And for those of you still not satisfied, please turn to our Gallery pages in this issue.

That's it ... until next year.