FROM RUNWAY TO DIAL
for women within the Bohème Moongarden and Limelight Stella timepieces, respectively. This heightened importance of women is not lost on brands such as IWC Schaffhausen and Vacheron Constantin. The former, known for its tagline Engineered for Men, caused a stir two years ago with the launch of its Portofino Midsize collection, aimed squarely at women (even though IWC refrained from admitting that it was a women’s watch at that time, and has since embraced the fact). This year, its masculine Pilot’s Watch collection—a descendant from World War II B-uhr watches—introduced 36mm versions made for smaller wrists. IWC made a sound decision to not place diamonds on the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36, as the sparkle would have truly dulled the appeal of the tool watch. When Roger Dubuis launched the Velvet collection in 2012, nobody expected it to be such a resounding hit. Says Lionel Favre, the brand’s product design director, “Ever since we launched the Velvet in 2012, we never really promoted it, but it was a success and has become a strong pillar of the brand. The Velvet was designed from scratch as a women’s watch—it was not a men’s watch reduced in size with diamonds. It has huge potential.” An interesting element of this current collection is its strong ties with the world of fashion. The cyclical nature of fashion was previously considered frivolous in the serious world of traditional watchmaking, but watch houses are increasingly acknowledging that speaking to a woman is not the same as speaking to a man. While male collectors are happy to spend their time dissecting the effects of constant ant escapements and debating the usage of silicon in movements, women are visual creatures. The physical attractiveness of the watch is as important as the movement within—and who better to understand beauty than fashion mavens themselves. There are strong references to the creative spirit of Alexander Mcqueen in Roger Dubuis’ marketing collaterals, and the brand also worked with luxury French shoemaker Massaro (one in the growing stable of Chanel’s haute couture partners) on a leather strap to match the Velvet’s identity. Over at Jaeger-lecoultre, the brand has introduced a line-up of straps by celebrity shoemaker Christian Louboutin. The watchmaker’s newest project, Atelier Reverso, will allow customers to customise their own Reverso by engraving the caseback, choosing the dial colours and, of course, selecting the stylish straps designed by the shoe maestro. These are exciting times in horology, as it is just the start of what promises to be a journey of poetry, romance and precision.