Watches and Wonders women’s watch highlights
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Christophe Roulet
Editor-in-chief, HH Journal
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Creativity abounds in the women’s watches that took the stage during Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022, from vibrant colours to shaped cases and original complications.
Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 38 Eclipse I
Inspired by eighteenth-century English watchmaking, Arnold & Son begins a fresh chapter with its first watch for women. Adapted to fit the 38mm case in white gold, the new A&S1612 calibre provides 90 hours of power reserve and drives a precision moon-phase display that is accurate for 122 years. Bezel and horns are set with diamonds against a gem-set aventurine dial, parts of which have been cut away in a lacey pattern for a glimpse of a starry sky in mother-of-pearl.
Cartier Coussin Innovation
Cartier’s surprisingly “squishy” Coussin watch is the result of innovations from the Manufacture’s research laboratory. Both these limited editions have a case made from gold links that interweave to form a flexible mesh that can be gently “squashed” before plumping back to its original shape… like an actual cushion (“coussin” in French). As if this wasn’t complex enough, the entire case is paved with diamonds or with coloured stones.
Chanel J12 Calibre 12.2
Chanel ventures further into mechanical movements in partnership with movement-maker Kenissi (the brand has a stake in the company). Every component of the Calibre 12.2 has been scaled down to fit the smaller diameter of the J12 33mm. Visible through a sapphire case back, this COSC-certified movement is decorated and wound by a circular rotor, one of the hallmarks of a Chanel watch.
Chopard Happy Sport Chrono
After appearing on Julia Robert’s wrist in 2021, reimagined on the eve of its 30th anniversary, the Happy Sport is back this year as a handsome chronograph. Seven dancing diamonds swirl around the dial and its chrono counters, framed by a 40mm case in ethical pink gold. The chronograph movement is chronometer-certified by the COSC and guarantees 54 hours of power reserve.
Grand Seiko Masterpiece Collection Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry Watch
Having looked to the landscapes that surround its Manufacture for the first jewellery watch in the Masterpiece collection, Grand Seiko turns to its lion symbol, expressing strength and majesty, and specifically a white lion whose fur is represented by white gold and platinum. Sparkling diamonds and black spinels complete the composition. The Spring Drive movement provides eight days of power reserve.
Hermès Kelly
Created in 1975, the Kelly watch continues to reinvent itself in the same playful way. This whimsical timepiece, which borrows its shape from the padlock on the Kelly bag, designed in the 1930s by Robert Dumas, swings from a bracelet in gold or steel, or slips into a black box calf or alligator clochette to wear as a sautoir on a leather cord. Hermès is proposing five executions, in steel or pink gold, with or without diamonds.
Hublot Classic Fusion Orlinski Bracelet
Five years into their collaboration, Hublot and Richard Orlinski reveal the “missing link” in their co-collection: an 83-component metal bracelet whose angular facets mirror the French sculptor’s work. It is fitted on a new series of Classic Fusion watches in titanium with a 40mm diameter that suits all wrist sizes. Hublot is offering four models with a choice of black or white dial, including two versions with diamonds on certain facets of the case, bezel and bracelet.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Dazzling Star
Jaeger-LeCoultre has imagined an original complication in the form of a shooting star which unexpectedly crosses the dial, four to six times each hour. This complication, activated by the movements of the wrist, is made possible by the new Calibre 734 with automatic winding. The central display is surrounded by applied Floral numerals, while two concentric rows of diamonds adorn the bezel.
Montblanc Star Legacy Automatic 39mm
In August 1786 Jacques Balmat not only made the first ascent of Mont Blanc: he did so without ropes, ice axe or crampons. He reached the summit just in time to witness the Heure Bleue or blue hour, when the landscape turns dark blue as the sun sets and the moon and stars begin to shine. This same “blue hour” has inspired a Star Legacy capsule collection with Automatic, Chronograph and Moon Phase executions.
Oris Rectangular
It’s back. Although in truth it never really went away. The Oris Rectangular returns with new proportions, a new dial in a range of rich shades and a leather strap with colours for every season. The Rectangular’s classic, unisex design is defined by a tall, broad-shouldered case in stainless steel on an integrated strap.
Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 7130R-014
Green takes pride of place at Patek Philippe this year, including the beautiful olive shade of this World Time Ref. 7130R-014 for women. Introduced in the 1930s, the famed Patek Philippe World Time shows the time in all 24 time zones at a single glance. As a further refinement, thanks to an exclusive mechanism, patented in 1999, all the indications can be simultaneously adjusted in one-hour increments simply by pressing the pusher at 10 o’clock.
Piaget Limelight Gala Aventurine
Piaget presents its emblematic Limelight Gala with an aventurine glass dial paired with a 32mm case in white gold, where 62 diamonds sparkle on the two elongated lugs. The Milanese mesh bracelet is crafted from a single gold thread that is wound into spirals, which are then braided together to form a soft gold “cloth”. Each bracelet is composed of 366 spirals and fastens with a sliding buckle.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 40
Rolex introduces a new interpretation of the Yacht-Master 40. Crafted from 18k white gold – a first for this model –,it features a rotating bezel set with trapeze-cut precious stones. Pink sapphire, light blue sapphire, diamond, purple sapphire and dark blue sapphire compose a harmonious sequence of five colours repeated eight times. The movement is Calibre 3235.
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin
Vacheron Constantin carries on its tradition of complex mechanical timepieces with this ultra-thin perpetual calendar, fitted with the in-house Calibre 1120 QP which measures 4.05mm high. This 36.5-mm model reflects the brand’s reputation for horological complications, notably interpreted through ultra-thin versions. Crafted from white gold or pink gold, the case carries the signature features of the Traditionnelle collection. A gem-set bezel surrounds the mother-of-pearl dial, which has been thoughtfully designed for easy reading of the calendar indications.
Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Heures Florales
Van Cleef & Arpels delights with a collection of Lady Arpels Heures Florales watches. A three-dimensional dial gives a poetic rendition of time’s passing with twelve blooms that open and close. Time becomes a spectacle to behold as these flowers blossom and close, transforming the landscape of the dial every 60 minutes. Minutes are read in an aperture set into the side of the case.
