And so it begins: The Horophile’s first day at Baselworld 2014.

On the way to my first meeting of the day, I passed by the Rolex booth and couldn’t help myself from taking a few photos of the new watches on display; especially since I don’t think I’ll be getting a hands-on look at their new releases any time soon.

The most talked about so far is the new GMT-II with a ceramic “Pepsi” bezel, regrettably only available in white gold at the moment. Such a tease.

Rolex have also come out with a new Sea Dweller, truer to the original than the Deep Sea and fitted with a ceramic insert on the bezel.

There were also new dial colors and combinations on the Sky Dweller, like White Gold with a matte anthracite dial and yellow gold with a silver dial.

Then I caught a glimpse of a new Milgauss with GV-style green sapphire crystal and a sunburst metallic blue dial.

My day started off with a product presentation by Tudor, who unveiled the latest addition to the vintage-inspired “Heritage” family, the Ranger.

Tudor also presentation a new version of the Black Bay, this time using a dark blue bezel and crown tube, paired with a black(er) dial with silvered markings and indexes, plus a more natural Super-Luminova color.

My next stop was a brand you either love or hate. As evident from my posts here and the Titanic DNA Steampunk Chrono that’s often on my wrist, I tend to fall in the former.

RJ Romain Jerome already started the year with a few unexpected surprises like the Skylab and 1969 collections. For Baselworld 2014, they’ve come out with a new “DNA” line, the Nose Art. Using parts of the WWII B-17 Fortress bomber, the Nose Art collection is a new camouflage-dialed tricompax chronograph designed unlike any other Romain Jerome piece to date. There’s a black steel case model with a woodland camouflage pattern, and a black and red gold case with amore arctic camouflage pattern. There are 10 different pin-up girls with 10 different names, with each combination being a unique piece.

Perhaps the coolest feature lies on the back of the watch, where a 1940’s pin-up girl is depicted on a glass disk.

Romain Jerome also presented a new blacked-out version of the Spacecraft with orange accents.

There was also a new blacked-out edition of the Moon Orbiter originally released last year in steel, where the “landing feet” lugs fitted with a cylindrical system are highlighted in their natural metallic tone. I always liked the Moon Orbiter, but even more so in this black version.

The unpronounceable volcano marked a return this year with the new 43mm version of the Eyjafjallajökull.

In the independent brands and creators “Palace” pavilion outside the main exhibition halls, I paid a visit to HYT to see what the hydro-mechanical horologists were cooking.

While we won’t be seeing an all-new watch like the H3 until next year, HYT presented several new variations on their H1 and H2 pieces, using not only new colors for the liquid (which takes a lot more than just changing up the pigments) but also several new case materials and treatments.

And last but not least, Girard Perregaux. OK, to be perfectly honest I shot these two pieces a week before Baselworld at the brand’s manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, but the embargo was only lifted this afternoon.

First up is the Tri-Axial Tourbillon, the next mega-complication from Girard Perregaux after the Constant Escapement last year.

And last but certainly not least was the Neo Tourbillon Triple Bridge, a modern take on the brand’s iconic Triple Bridge Tourbillon.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more news straight from the source in Day 2 of my Baselworld 2014 series.