At Baselworld 2018, Jaquet Droz introduced a set of new Lady 8 Petite timepieces. The new, smaller versions offer the tactile cabochon forming the top half of the eight pattern the watch’s design is based upon. Elizabeth felt it nearly impossible not to rub that stone like a Buddha belly or a good luck charm when the watch was on her wrist, as it irresistibly draws you in with the beauty of its smooth surface.
Even though timepieces made for women can be quite uncreative, here are five particularly intelligent timepieces made especially for the female wrist and launched in 2018. Elizabeth Doerr thinks these five contain everything an aficionada would be looking for in a serious timepiece, so check them out!
Richard Mille introduced its first in-house automatic tourbillon movement in 2018 – and against all expectations, it was housed in a watch made by a woman for women: the RM 71-01. And while this watch is about as technical and high-performance as it gets, it is simultaneously so beautiful it takes the breath away.
Chris Malburg set out to buy his wife a watch. After many happy years of marriage to a lovely woman it was time. He knows enough about her and her tastes to take the leap. Or does he? If you’re a female reader you probably already know this ends badly. If you’re a guy, keep reading. Showing up is 80 percent, and you just showed up.
Adding diamonds and other gemstones to a watch is not that complicated, but to do it in such a way that there is synergy requires an exponential amount of craftsmanship and expertise. The lineup in the Jewellery category of the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève is extraordinary, and our panel finds that its tastes differ.
Patek Philippe president Thierry Stern personally introduced the latest version of the brand’s successful Twenty-4 collection in Milan: the Twenty-4 Automatic. This is the first mechanical movement in a collection that has until now been powered by quartz and the first to feature a round case. Stern explained that the Twenty-4 Automatic has been five years and 40 prototypes in the making. Nancy Olson learns if it’s all been worthwhile.
The Quill & Pad team predicts its winners in the Ladies’ Complication category of the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) and explains why. It was a tight race in this category, but one watch came up voted more than the others.
Welcome to the 2018 edition of Quill & Pad’s early Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève predictions in which the team picks favorites and explains why. The finalists in the Ladies category are: Chanel Boy.Friend Skeleton, Chaumet Laurier, Bulgari Lucea Tubogas Skeleton, Piaget Possession Lapis Lazuli, Bovet 1822 Amadeo Fleurier 39 Fan, and Moritz Grossmann’s Tefnut Twist Classic. Our panel had a clear favorite.
Alexander Doerr hadn’t really paid much attention to opals before, but upon closer inspection realized that this gemstone is extraordinary – they are shrouded in mystery and well worth learning more about. Looking at an opal is like looking at fireworks or even looking into a galaxy. And two Swiss watch brands specialize in using the fiery gemstone in watches are Jaquet Droz and Piaget.
Elizabeth takes a look at five of Van Cleef & Arpels’s artful SIHH 2018 introductions from the Le Jardin (“Garden”) collection and compares them to their namesake blooms.