The luxury watch industry is going through a lot right now. Apart from the sluggish global economy, there’s also the smart watch invasion to deal with, so it comes as no surprise that this year’s Baselworld was as quiet as, if not quieter, than the last.

Fewer numbers of brands participating, reduced visitorship and fewer tales of derring-do among the novelties weren’t exactly the most optimal conditions for the world’s biggest watch and jewellery fair to celebrate its centenary. So it didn’t, and that’s fine, because if there was one message to take home from Baselworld this year, it was that the watches are the stars. No more bells and whistles, no more smoke and mirrors.

The year’s new products radiate brand DNA as well as honest-to-goodness watchmaking, and to top it all off, prices had been adjusted with greater parity to core value.

In short, there are treasures. You just have to know where to find them and how to identify them; the industry still has a few cool tricks up its sleeve so keep those socks on because they’re about to be knocked off, especially with these limited-edition watches.