Ladies’ Complication: 6 new stunning watches remarkable in terms of their mechanical creativity

 

These timepieces for ladies combine an alluring aesthetic with incredible watchmaking expertise.

These women’s watches are remarkable in terms of their mechanical creativity and complexity. These watches may feature all kinds of classic and/or innovative complications and indications (e.g. annual calendar, perpetual calendar, equation of time, complex moon phases, digital or retrograde time display, worldtime, second time zone or other types of model) and do not fit the definition of the Ladies’ category.

Bulgari Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon Watch (PRICE INCL. VAT 165’000 CH/ 180,737 United States Dollar)

Over the years, Bvlgari watch division has assumed the unique role as the Jeweler of Time thanks to the distinctive and unprecedented combination of jewelry-making expertise and Swiss watchmaking know-how that is at the heart of every single timepiece.

When it was presented last year, the Serpenti Seduttori reimagined the Serpenti cult watch. Now, Serpenti Seduttori continues its journey with the debut of new models including the rare tourbillon movement for women, BVL150 Caliber. It is the smallest tourbillon on the market and revives the lost tradition of the small mechanical movements that were replaced by the quartz in the early 70’s.

Designed to fit the Serpenti-shaped case, this small-sized shaped Haute Horlogerie movement is rhodium-plated, hand-decorated with Côtes de Genève, perlage and beveling, and features one sapphire bridge.

The new Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon models come in rose gold or white gold with diamond pavé and a leather strap or white gold with diamond pavé and a full diamond bracelet.

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Ballerine Musicale Diamant timepiece (price incl. VAT 438’000 CHF / 479,733 United States Dollar)

In homage to the world of dance, one of the luxury Maison’s cherished inspirations, Van Cleef & Arpels has created the three Lady Arpels Ballerines Musicales watches. These timepieces echo the colors and musical themes of the three-part ballet Jewels, created in the 1960s by the choreographer George Balanchine following his encounter with Claude Arpels. Each of the melodies has been specially adapted to be played by a watch using an innovative combination of a carillon and a music box. Their intricate architecture produces a particularly fine musical effect, providing a genuine sound experience. Finally, different precious stones – emeralds, rubies and diamonds – and schools of dance – French, American and Russian – are revealed on animated dials thanks to the Maison’s craftsmanship.

The “Signature Mystérieuse” Tourbillon by Charles Girardier (Price: ~98616 United States Dollar)

The mysterious signature of the first chapter of the Maison Charles Girardier in the 21st century won this year’s GPHG prize in the Ladies Complication category.

The Tourbillon Signature Mystérieuse (registered trademark) for men and women embodies the first chapter of a Geneva watchmaking House that had fallen asleep in the 19th century. The aim is to create timepieces with playful complications and in the spirit of the founder.

The revived Charles Girardier watch manufacture takes up the characteristic elements of Charles Girardier pocket watches, which were very often dressed with dials in grand feu enamel. Among his watches with complications were “Jacquemarts”, a form of automaton from which we were inspired to create the mysterious signature.

The dial in grand feu enamel features a double complication. At 6 o’clock, a flying tourbillon enhanced by a set tourbillon cage. The tourbillon makes one revolution per minute. At 12 o’clock, the mysterious signature – an automaton – features the Charles Girardier logo with an interlaced C and G on two elements pivoting on an axis. The energy required for this ballet is provided by an oscillating weight dedicated to this complication and hidden under the dial. With each movement of the wrist the kinetic energy will make the two mobiles move in opposite directions and finally return to the initial position when the wrist is tilted for the reading of the time. This automaton is a playful and poetic interpretation that can be personalized to the client’s taste with the gem setting, its color and the initials of the customer.

Piaget Altiplano Tourbillon watch 2020 (price 124 904 United States Dollar)

A stunning ladies’ tourbillon watch imbued with Piaget’s technical expertise as well as the luxury Maison’s jewellery mastery. The bezel ofthis rose gold tourbillon watch is set with 64 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx 1.03 cts), while the dial features mother- of-pearl, delicately engraved with a guilloché technique.

The flying tourbillon is exhibited in all its brilliance at 2 o’clock, opposing the off-centred hour counter at 8 o’clock. Together, they form the Maison’s symbol of success and fortune, a lucky number 8. Equipped with our 670P ultra-thin hand-wound mechanical tourbillon movement, measuring only 4.6mm, this timepiece is a limited edition of 88 pieces.

Haute Horlogerie finishes include Circular Côtes de Genève, hand-circular-grained plate and bridges, and hand-bevelled and hand-drawn bridges and carriage.

 

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Embrace watch for ladies (Price: 6’900 CHF/ 7559 United States Dollar)

Two hearts rotate, a metaphor for the highs and the lows besetting all relationships, however, they always remain together, locked in a perpetual embrace. Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Embrace model is available in two versions, one with a blue aventurine dial and a second with a white mother-of-pearl dial embellished with radiating lines emanating from the small seconds indication.

The generously proportioned 40mm stainless steel case confers a strong wrist presence and is a worthy accompaniment to any haute couture ensemble. Housed within the sumptuous case is a Manufacture movement, the Calibre ML258. This automatic movement features high-end finishing such as rhodium plated bridges embellished with Colimaçon, a rhodium plated openworked rotor adorned with vertical Côtes de Genève motif and a combination of sandblasted and Colimaçon decoration. Beyond its becoming smile, this watch has many inner qualities.

Openworked, leaf-shaped hour and minute hands articulate the time with clear tone and notable style. In the lower portion of the dial is an arrow-like hand, a reference to Cupid. It points to the retrograde date indication, tastefully expressed with a series of circlets. When in love, the heart can miss a beat and the head can be overwhelmed. This
is captured with the poetic statement on the dial, ‘je t’aime un peu, beaucoup, à la folie!’.

However, the pièce de résistance of the Masterpiece Embrace is the model’s small seconds display, a reinterpretation of Maurice Lacroix’s patented Square Wheel indication. Every tooth has a unique profile, made to infinitesimal tolerances, engaging with its adjacent counterpart with seamless precision.

Jacob & Co. Astronomia Fleurs de Jardin Rainbow watch for Ladies (101-pieces limited series / 460597 United States Dollar)

This year, Jacob & Co. introduces a rainbow version of its ground-breaking Fleurs de Jardin. The biggest challenge for any rainbow watch is to source the right color gemstones. With exceptional skill, the designers at Jacob & Co. are masters at sourcing, selecting, and setting precious stones, so the Fleurs de Jardin Rainbow is the ultimate example of an exquisite gemstone rainbow.

Designed to recreate a beautiful garden of flowers on your wrist, framed by sparkling rainbows, this amazing timepiece is powered by a delicate butterfly-shaped flying tourbillon movement. The tourbillon, time display and upper level multicolored sapphire flowers all turn around the dial clockwise, while the mother-of-pearl base set with rainbow sapphire flowers below turns counter-clockwise. In addition, one rainbow gemstone flower on the upper level turns counterclockwise.

The 42.5mm 18K rose gold case features a bezel and inner ring set with rainbow sapphires, and sitting atop the movement is a 288-facet Jacob-cut grass-green tsavorite.