This is the high mass of watches. The Watches and Wonders watch fair, which takes place in Geneva (Switzerland) until April 2 and brings together professionals from a sector in great shape, never ceases to unveil the new products to be discovered soon in stores. With 48 brands gathered in one place, the flowering of new proposals, whether aesthetically whimsical or technically of the highest order – most often both – can make you dizzy. The highlights are everyday watches, intended for a female clientele looking for a chic accessory that dresses, but also exceptional pieces, marrying gems and hands with delicacy, like jewelry timepieces.
At Chanel, the watch is indeed a rare jewel, and responds to the codes of fine watchmaking, which are reminiscent of those of haute couture: very high quality craftsmanship. Through the Mademoiselle Privé Lion line, the house takes up Gabrielle Chanel’s astrological sign – the lion, therefore – and reinterprets it on an 18-carat yellow gold and titanium cuff watch whose dial is concealed by a sculpted lion’s head – also in 18k yellow gold – set with 252 diamonds. A unique piece. We find this lion’s head with the same principle of concealed dial on a yellow gold necklace set with onyx (20 examples) or on a wristwatch in calfskin, available in 555 examples.
Alignment of planets in opal, mother-of-pearl and aragonite
The exception is also the rule at Van Cleef & Arpels, which presents ” jewelry that tells the time “, as the house of the Place Vendôme indicates, through its watch collection entitled “Le Temps Poétique”. Among the multiple and magical proposals of the house – including the Ludo secret watch, in pink gold and diamonds or pink sapphire, a fascinating sculptural object –, we will retain the beaded watch, whose round shape bordered by a double row of pearls of gold imposes an elegant look. The round dials, alternately guilloché in pink gold or shaped on a multitude of small diamonds, draw a fluid line.
At Hermès, it is also a small concentrate of poetry that is expressed on the Arceau Petite Lune watch. This model, imagined in 1978 and since then permanently integrated into the vocabulary of the house, is presented this year in a version with a dial sparkling like a starry night sky. In aventurine – a bluish green stone which is part of the quartz family – this sky welcomes three planets in opal, mother-of-pearl and aragonite. Not forgetting its round white gold case encircled with 70 diamonds. Like a little precis of gemology.
Finally, Cartier is revisiting its legendary Tank watch this year in different versions. This model born in 1917, whose geometric design was particularly modern and avant-garde for the time, seems to be an endless inspiration for the brand’s creative teams. And that’s good. Part of the Cartier Privé line – the line for collectors in search of singular pieces, in limited and numbered editions – we find in particular a Tank Normale which catches the eye with its case, beaded crown and bracelet in yellow gold. A piece of astonishing simplicity, yet ultra-elegant refinement.
