Girls don’t just wanna have fun – Part 9

In this series we showcase mechanical and artistic wonders that were especially designed for women and others originally for men that come alive on spirited ladies’ wrists.

 
Based on the pre-SIHH announcements as well as the style of invitations to previews it was quite clear that women could expect to receive a special treatment from most of the brands this year. News circulated about the arrival of complicated and artistic pieces as well as exciting collaborations that fuse watchmaking and fashion. Companies approached women and their needs differently, matching their brand’s identity with the targeted archetypes of the myriad of personalities. Another factor that we can benefit from is that many brands introduced new, smaller men’s models, which make certain hot watches more wearable for women, who do not like to be put in a pink box.

We just left the big week in Geneva behind and I made a subjective selection from the novelties introduced at SIHH 2016 in the spirit of the Girls don’t just wanna have fun series. We’ll cover the individual pieces in separate articles as we process our SIHH adventure. Come along with us!

Piaget Limelight Stella

Light is the friend of Piaget. The Maison is able to capture the light and play with it like cats play with a ball of yarn. Stunning gem-setting and clever shapes are their instruments in this game and both their jewellery and timepieces radiate. Piaget’s elegant, yet vivid creations have stories to tell and are made for lively women. Jessica Chastain has been the brand’s face for the Secrets and Lights jewellery collection as well as the Limelight timepieces. Last autumn she introduced Piaget’s first complicated timepiece dedicated to women, the Limelight Stella.

The light on the Limelight Stella runs on the oval of the bezel, the hands and the diamonds. Piaget loves the shape-in-shape architecture and this model is no exception – the inner curve of the oval bezel is slightly narrower than the external and the variable length indexes surround the circle of the dial.

The complication is a moon phase indicator visible through a fan-like opening, the two sides of which are set with diamonds. The sparkle of the gemstones complements that of the stars, the moon and the sun, which play a never ending hide-and-seek in the aperture.

The Limelight Stella comes in multiple versions including pink gold not set, pink gold diamond-set, and white gold diamond-set combinations. There’s of course a high jewellery model too, with baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel and around the centre circle of the dial and optionally on the entire bracelet.

The alligator straps are interchangeable to fit your style and mood.

Roger Dubuis Blossom Velvet Pink

I like to take big walks in the spidery world of Roger Dubuis. While in the past years the Excalibur and the Hommage lines were in the focus at the shows, Velvet, a feminine collection the company launched in 2012, has also quietly delivered considerable revenue. The rise of interest in feminine high-mechanical pieces made the brand give their full attention to the Velvet in 2016. The Roger Dubuis booth became an haute couture catwalk at the SIHH, having historic fashion creations from Chloé, Alexander McQueen, Cerruti and Martin Margiela lead up the announcement of timepiece novelties.

I picked one of the novelties the beauty of which is quite impossible to convey in photos. You really have to experience one of the 88 limited pieces in person. The pink gold of the case continues as stems on the dial in the pond of mother-of-pearl marquetry. Each flower, made with Grand Feu enamel have a brilliant-cut diamond in the centre. The golden hands enjoy an undisturbed view having the soft natural waves of the mother-of-pearl in the background. The bezel is again adorned with diamonds just as the lugs. The Poinçon de Genève certified RD821 manufacture self-winding calibre is responsible for the accurate timing, which operates in other Velvet and Excalibur 36 pieces, too.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 37mm

“There are exceptions to every rule” – says the motto of Audemars Piguet.

Once upon a time there was a rule that the Royal Oak would be a men-only territory. The first exceptions made the rule change forever and today the Royal Oak is a widely worn unisex timepiece. The new rules, written together by the company and the market, put independent women in the front line, manifested by the characteristic model Anouck Lepère when in 2013 she appeared wearing a steel Royal Oak Selfwinding.

Out of the multiple models introduced this year I go for the ultra-hot 37mm tri-colour version: steel case – 18k pink gold bezel – silver “Grande Tapisserie” pattern dial. The size is just perfect for the wrist and the bracelet makes it really comfortable to wear. The harmony of the colours just as the Oak signature sharp and rounded shapes make this a stylish choice. Style comes with reliability as the watch is operated by the highly regarded 3120 self-winding in-house movement.

 

The SIHH 2016 selection continues here with Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne.

You can find all articles of the series here.

 

Photo credits: Loupiosity.com.
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