The major pieces that typically define Art Basel, the world's largest art fair, are being eschewed last year in response to the largest art market plunge in nearly 20 years. If you're hoping to see the likes of Andy Warhol's work at the show in Switzerland this year, you'll have to hunt. The show opens to VIP visitors today, but you won't see much up-market art in attendance among the 300 galleries and 2,500 artists represented.

Galleries and dealers are being realistic. Average auction prices fell 76.2 percent from May 2008 to the present, according to ArtTactic, a London-based company that analyzes the market. The unexpected $93.7 million result at the Christie's contemporary art auction in May was based on lowered expectations, tainting the success. Consequently, the art on display is generally "priced to sell." A small 1964 Warhol silkscreen self-portrait is being offered for $675,000, though it would have been put up for a $1 million last year. Effectively, prices have returned to 2005 levels.

Of course, a lucky few will be able to take care of the "shadow fair" that's likely to emerge at Art Basel this year. While some will be stuck working the booths, others will strike private deals, usually involving pieces offered on consignment from collectors.

My first impression of the Executive Dual Time watch from Ulysse Nardin is that the timepiece is highly uncharacteristic of the brand. That is not to say this isn't a good watch, but rather that the design feels like an incredible departure from what I am used to seeing from the brand. On closer inspection you begin to realize lots of typical Ulysse Nardin features such as the layout of functions on the dial - but overall this is something truly new from Ulysse Nardin.

The Executive Dual Time is a very modern looking watch - my concern is whether it is refined enough to be taken seriously as a luxury timepiece. One element that I've never seen before is the rectangular index inside of a round dial. The bezel is black ceramic and the 43mm case is available in steel or 18k rose gold. The dual time functionality of the watch is pretty nifty. On the left side of the case are two pushers (for advancing or subtracting hours) used to operated the dual time window. The digit in the window displays the hour in GMT time, while the main minute hand is used for the minutes for both times. The watch also has a nicely integrated big date complication. While the subsidiary seconds works fine, there is nothing particularly special about it. Powering the watch is a automatic UN caliber 24 movement.

Something about the design of the watch feels a bit down market. Not cheap, but not Ulysse Nardin grade. I realize this is an exercise is being modern for them - and maybe the images don't do the watch justice - but I just can't seem to connect with the overall design of the watch which seems to have characteristics I'd see on a watch in a display case at Macy's.

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

This is probably the most aggressively styled Breguet Marine Royale watch to date, and is known as the Marine Royale Alarm for 2009. In addition to bold looks, this is the first Breguet watch in my opinion that could be characterized as a highly functional diver's watch. The main draw of the watch, aside from the lovely design and Breguet heritage, is the alarm complication. The mechanical alarm is specially designed to be optimally heard underwater - a difficult task for alarm watches. This is all done thanks to the Breguet. Cal. 519R automatic movement that uses a central hand to set the alarm - which itself has a specially calibrated chime. A window in the upper center of the dial tells you if the alarm is turned on or not. Other complications include a power reserve indicator, date, and the time of course. The large pusher located at 8 o'clock is used to turn the alarm on and off.

With a great deal of guilloche decoration throughout the watch, the 45mm wide 18k rose gold case has pushers applied with rubber for easier handling. A special claw between the crowns can be used to secure the rotating diver's bezel if necessary as to not accidentally move it. Aside from all of these handy features, the Breguet Ref. 5847BR/32/5ZU is a very capable diver with 300 meters of water resistance. In addition to the rose gold case, a white gold version is available with a dark gray colored dial. If you aren't keen on spending luxury prices for a watch with a rubber strap, you can opt for the alligator band.

With its iconic wave patterned decoration and mixture of Breguet class with diving utility, this new Marine Royale Alarm watch is easily the most interesting and notable sport oriented Breguet watch of the last few years. Price will likely be $30,000 - $50,000 when it is available soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

You can always rely on Eberhard & Co. for classic looking watches with modern appeal. Back when Eberhard was perfecting their core designs, the attitude in the watch industry was function first design. It was about making a nice looking watch, that was first and foremost a highly legible and functional watch - before it was an impression piece. Sometimes today you have watch makers creating pure "novelties" that focus much less on being a good watch, and more on boldness or shock value. The Extra-Fort Edition Vitree Chronograph is watch with all the prowess of a classic timepiece crafted from modern materials and manufacturing practices (for a luxury Swiss watch that is).

The 39mm stainless steel case is well milled and features an anti-reflective coating applied sapphire crystal for optimal viewing. You can tell just how easy to read the dial is with its perfectly shaped and sized hands - with clearly viewable hour indicators. Eberhard traded lume for a more classic and elegant look. Inside the watch is an ETA Valjoux 7750 movement that has been modified for use in a bi-compax layout. The result is a 30 minute chronograph with a centralized date window. The movement with it's decorated rotor, is viewable thought the case back window. The watch itself has many dial and strap options. Dial colors include black (glossy and matte), white, and chocolate brown. There are many matching straps available. The use of red stitching in the pictured strap to match the hands and tachymetre scale is sporty and suave. There is also a metal bracelet available. Eberhard & Co. has always been a solid watch maker. If the design appeals to you, have no hesitation about the quality and craftsmanship of the watch itself. THe Extra-Fort Edition Vitree Chronograph watches should be available soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

While there is a lot of appeal in this watch, is it OK that I am simply not taken with the design? For me, it looks too much like those sunray wall clocks from the 1950s and 1960s. This is of course just my personal opinion in regard to this Patek Philippe Calatrava Officier (Officer's) ref. 5153 watch that was just unveiled at Baselworld. The watch itself is meant to look retro ("traditional"), so the look is done on purpose and will inevitably appeal to at least some fans of the watch brand that 'can do no wrong.'

The 38mm case is in 18k yellow gold with a hinged caseback (in salute to pocket watches). Open the back and you get a view through the sapphire crystal into the Patek Philippe in-house Caliber 324SC automatic movement. The added date function does help modernize the look of the watch a bit, but just not enough for me. From a mechanical and refinement standpoint, this ref. 5153 has everything in the right place, but the design is just to antiquated to evoke that lusty feeling of desire that you should have when looking at a Patek Philippe timepiece. Price will likely be $30,000 - $50,000 when it is commercially available soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Take away some of the incredible glitz in new watch designs at Basel and you find some truly handsome and unique watches like this German Otium Triangulator - a company founded on the concept that each watch it makes will not display time in the traditional manner. Using a modified Swiss ETA manually-wound 6497-1 movement, Otium is able to place three subdials to tell the time (hours, minutes, and seconds) against a perlage polished dial. Design influence is classic race cars, but with an emphasis on luxury. I'd day that the best modern car to pair with watch with is the Dutch car maker Spyker, who has a similar use of colors, perlage, polishing and finely milled metal. While difficult to tell in this image, the three subdials are actually raised a bit like small portholes, really reminiscent of early race car technology and style. The actual layout of the dials is meant to resemble speedometers and accompanying gauges such as a tachometer.

With a 42mm wide stainless steel case and sapphire crystal (top and bottom), the Triangulator watch is available with white or black colored subdials and brown or black Louisiana crocodile straps. The crown has been oriented in a "lefty position" which might make it difficult to manually wind while still on your wrist, unless of course you wear your watch on your right hand. Overall the keen attention to detail and simple good looks of this Otium watch make it a winner in my book.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Four tourbillons all work together with a differential to display the mean time between them all. That is the idea behind this Quadruple Tourbillon (also known as the "Experimental Watch No. 2") timepiece from watch novelty maker Greubel Forsey. Even though a watch only needs one escapement, this watch takes a few of them, and then basically rounds them all out (as they each deviate marginally from each other). Using this mean timing, Greubel Forsey indicates that this is of the most accurate tourbillon watches ever. That may be so, but this is a novelty watch if there ever was one. Consider it one of those parlor showpieces for the elite, and that is just fine. These creations are marvels to behold, and stunning examples of luxurious excess and quixotic engineering.

The four tourbillon movements are separated into two cages. Basically, each cage has a tourbillon within a tourbillon. A spherical differential takes all that power and transmits it to the movement in order to tell the time. There is a video located at Greubal Forsey's website showing what is hard to describe in words. The complex movement is manually wound and housed in a 43.5mm wide 18k rose gold case (which has side sapphire windows for more visuals into the movement. The watch dial is made of blackened gold, while the functions include the time with hours, minutes, seconds, and a power reserve indicator (nicely integrated into the subsidiary seconds dial. The larger tourbillon cage has a ring with numbers up to 240. This represents seconds, and counts 4 minutes; the time it takes the large tourbillon cage to make one revolution. Look for the official release at Baselworld soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

The current economy has not been kind to Bvlgari, both in its watch and jewelry selling capacities. Not to be discouraged, Bvlgari has apparently returned to its roots with new designs that are attractive and conservative, though complex. A barrage of new models will be released at Baselworld in April, and the public reception of these watches will be an indicator of Bvlgari's short-term economic future.

New to the women's line is this updated "Bvlgari Bvlgari" (Bulgari Bulgari) Moon Phase watch. The classic name is taken from the double use of the brand name on the bezel. The dial is mother of pearl with diamond pavé decoration in a crescent moon shape. Opposite is the moon phase display also in mother of pearl. Other than the moon phase display, the complications are simple with just the time and a subsidiary seconds dial. Powering the watch is the automatic mechanical B77 movement, with applied Côte de Genève and perlage polish decorations.

The 38mm case is steel - as the company must remain a bit more modest these days - and is attached to a handsome white alligator strap with a folding deployment clasp. It is a fine luxury watch that is unmistakeably Bvlgari, exactly what the company needs right now. Availability starts in May at select Bvlgari boutiques.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Matthew Norman's distinctive timepieces are stunning, especially his newest creation the Revelation Mechanical Clock made of Macassar ebony wood with inlaid pear wood accents. Inside its mechanical center the clock contains an eight day power reserve and beats at 18,000 bph. Understated and earthy yet refined and luxurious this clock gets my vote! Scan the gallery for other fantastic clock creations by Matthew Norman.