The unsung heroes of Baselworld 2014
Big-name manufactures such as Rolex and Omega stole much of the spotlight this year at Basel (the world’s largest horology convention) with their modernized reissues of past popular models. The new GMT-Master II in white gold by Rolex satisfied many fans’ call for a return of the famous “pepsi” bezel, so-called because of its half blue and half red coloring. Omega also appealed to their follower’s vintage tastes with a reissue of the Omega Seamaster 300, one of Omega’s most popular vintage pieces, this time around sporting Omega’s proprietary co-axial escapement. Further announcements such as the Tudor Heritage Ranger, the Lunar Dust Speedmaster and other extras did an excellent job of drowning out some of the very competent but less popular competition at the show this year.
A couple of these slightly overlooked pieces (coincidentally, mostly chronographs) announced at Basel caught my eye for a few different reasons, primarily value.
Junghans has, in the past, offered many Bauhaus and Bauhaus-inspired pieces for reasonable prices. At Basel, Junghans announced their Junghans Meister Telemeter. 
Worn & Wound offers a good write-up on the details of the watch, but the big aspects are too great to not mention: it’s a vintage-inspired bi-compax at a modern size of 40.4mm. Most importantly, the in-house case contains an ETA 2892 with Dubois Depraz chronograph module, coming in at a decent amount thinner than the dedicated ETA 7750 chronograph movement. Combine that with a beautiful in-house dial, and it’s an absolute steal for $2581. The telemeter function is a cute addition too, though it probably isn’t the most useful thing in the world (does anyone actually use chronographs for anything anyway?).
Eberhard has offered some “unique” watches in the last couple of years, including one that you’ve probably seen around at some point, the Eberhard Chrono 4. 
The in-line subdial layout is interesting, even more-so when you consider the fact that it is an automatic movement, but is also a bit of an eyesore. In what I could only guess is an effort to move back to their classic vintage offerings, Eberhard announced a reissue of their Contograf at Basel this year. 
The new Contograf is different enough to merit Hodinkee’s Blake Buettner’s criticism of the term “reissue,” citing some modern details that “make the new Contograf more of a re-interpretation.” Despite how beautiful the new Contograf looks it’s difficult to deny some of that criticism. 
At 42mm, the watch is just large enough to where it is somewhat cumbersome, and well past the point of typical vintage sizing. That said, it gets away with the size because of the diver-esque styling. The ceramic bezel is a great touch, in my opinion, and will give the watch a cleaner look as it ages. My biggest qualm with this piece would be the price; it’s a beautiful bi-compax, but with an ETA 7750 it’s difficult to excuse the $5570 price tag. I would argue Eberhard is riding on the style of their watch to excuse their price tag, but there are worse perpetrators of this out there (looking at you, IWC & Panerai). Check out Hodinkee for some more great photos and some other details.
Another great telemeter chronograph to come out of Basel is the Ball Watch Fireman Storm Chaser Pro. 
I’m a sucker for vintage spins on modern watches, but this Ball has nothing vintage about it. Instead, Ball designed they design best: an aggressive and utilitarian watch. Marketed specifically for storm chasers, the the Storm Chaser Pro includes a telemeter so that the storm chasers can tell how far the lightning is. This is done by actuating the chronograph when the lightning is seen, then stopping it when thunder is heard; the seconds accumulator will point at how far the lightning strike occurred. If storm chasing isn’t quite your thing, no worries: the watch is still great for every-day wear. At 42mm it is on the larger side (just like the Eberhard), likely wearing a little larger due to the thin bezel and large dial, but depending on your taste this could be just fine for a daily beater. The double-AR coat, tritium tubes on the indices (!!!), and 100m water resistance also ensure you’ll be able to use this watch just about anywhere you might need to. The watch uses the Ball caliber RR1402, which is based on the ETA 7750. The obvious 7750-style of the watch makes me wonder just how much it’s modified, but with a price tag of $3000 it’s difficult to be upset about it. There’s no doubt that this watch gives you a nice bang for your buck.