LADIES FIRST
There’s a new breed of women’s watch that’s bold but still feminine. Charlene Co highlights a few that capture the spirit
one are the days when women’s watches were just smaller versions of men’s models with a slash of diamonds here and there. As women’s interest in fine mechanical watches has grown, so have the watch brands’ efforts to design pieces for them—and, no, they don’t necessarily have to be jewelled.
Since its entry into watchmaking, Dior has followed an aesthetics-first philosophy, as opposed to many brands’ movement-first focus. The Dior VIII Grand Bal is a prime example. One of the latest models in the collection, the Dior VIII Grand Bal Coquette, has an oscillating weight that incorporates feathers cut like a ball gown ranged around pink sapphires. Longines’ Dolcevita line—a modern classic, with its appealing combination of strong geometric lines and soft curves—now comes in rose gold and steel versions. Jaeger-lecoultre’s iconic Reverso gets the haute couture treatment with the Atelier Reverso. The new line of reversible watches has been given a feminine touch and a wider variety of options for dials, straps, materials and colours, which range from delicate hues of pink to warm reds, and from solid shades of dark blue to grey. Shoe maestro Christian Louboutin designed a few pieces for the line.
While Cartier’s famously asymmetrical Crash watch was meant to be for men, it has gravitated towards women’s wrists. One of its latest iterations, the Crash Skeleton, adds star power to Cartier’s Mechanical Legends collection. The piece makes a dramatic mark with its completely skeletonised movement, the bridges spelling out the hours in Roman numerals. From left: Longines ambassador Lin Chi-ling wears the brand’s Dolcevita watch; Crash Skeleton by Cartier; Atelier Reverso by Jaegerlecoultre; Dior VIII Grand Bal Coquette by Dior; Roger Dubuis’ Velvet by Massaro