Earlier this year, Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled its newest collection of Rendez-Vous watches, including the Rendez-Vous Moon Medium watch. The 34mm timepiece quickly captured the hearts of women around the world thanks to its chic design, intricate dial, romantic moon-phase complication and technical prowess. Today, we give this watch some wrist-time and see why it has some great appeal.
Why so serious? Why watches should always be strict, complex, austere and made to be elegant? Why, for once, couldn’t it be simply fun? That’s what RJ-Romain Jerome has done for quite some years, with its Comic-themed watches. After Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Pokemons and Batman, RJ-Romain Jerome now welcomes Hello Kitty to its Generational Icons collection.
Just over 20 years old now, the eponymous brand Parmigiani Fleurier, founded by Michel Parmigiani in 1996, is known for its classic and elegant watches with hand crafted movements made in-house in the brand’s Fleurier workshops – and a certain twist in the design, quite Italian. Initially creating men’s watches – with one of his first wristwatch introductions being the tonneau-shaped Kalpa – Parmigiani unveiled the women’s Kalparisma line in 2009 as a gentler take on time.
It wouldn’t be fair of me to write this review without stating upfront that this brand is one of my all-time favourites for a host of reasons that run the gamut from history to craftsmanship and more. Still, I refused to let that cloud my judgment as I was wearing the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase watch, an elegant and slightly different conception of Haute-Horlogerie for Ladies.
Having covered the watch and jewelry world as a journalist for more than three decades, I have had the great fortune of watching many start-up brands continue on to success. GoS Watches is one such brand. Highly unusual in its offerings, GoS Watches celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and in honor of that anniversary, the brand unveils its first timepiece dedicated to women: the GoS Sarek Lady.
Carl F. Bucherer realizes that today’s discerning woman wants a timepiece that has true brains under the hood, as well as beauty. At first glance, the Carl F. Bucherer Manero Peripheral watch seems like an ordinary, albeit classically elegant, timepiece. However, further inspection demonstrates that this watch has a highly technical secret. These timepieces boast a peripheral rotor – something very few brands have accomplished. This is why we wanted to bring this both elegant and mechanically-superb watch on the table.
Color – it is essence of life and Earth, and for many, it offers inspiration and makes a keen statement of individuality. Such is the case with the newest women’s Classico Lady Grand Feu watches from Ulysse Nardin unveiled earlier this year and in stores now.
Since its inception back in 1984, Blancpain has never built a quartz watch. In fact, I remember the unveiling of the first-ever Blancpain watch at the Basel Fair, wherein the then 34-year-old Jean-Claude Biver announced in the midst of the quartz era that this was a brand dedicated to mechanical watches. The announcement shook attendees at the event, with many naysayers insisting the brand could not last with a mechanical focus. Fast-forward 33 years and not only is Blancpain still a pure mechanical brand, but also it is creating simple mechanical complications for women, just like the recently introduced Blancpain Villeret Quantième Phases de Lune.
Those familiar with Breguet’s great history know that its founder, Abraham-Louis Breguet, was watchmaker to French royalty. In fact, he made the first women’s wristwatch back in the early 1800’s – for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples and sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. The request was for a “thin, oblong repeater watch with a silver dial and Arabic numerals, mounted on a wristlet of hair woven with gold threads.” Abraham-Louis Breguet received the request in 1810 and delivered the watch in December 1812, according to brand archives. Unfortunately, that watch has since been lost, but not its memory. It was just about a decade-and-a-half ago that Breguet honored that first wristwatch with a dedicated collection: Reine de Naples – and for 2017, some new models are offered, including the “Mini” ref. 8928.
Long known for its iconic Serpenti watch, Bulgari continues to evolve the collection, regularly infusing it with innovation and elegance. This week in Venice, the Italian house of Bulgari unveiled its stunning new high-jewelry and watch collections. Among them: the Serpenti Seduttori watch. Inspired by the brand’s legendary Serpenti watch, the new pieces are gem-set wonders that elevate the collection in a host of ways.