Say the name Fabergé and most people will immediately think of the imperial Easter eggs – and for good reason, because even today the craftsmanship and detailed execution of those eggs are still breathtaking. The Fabergé Lady Libertine I, one of the stars of Baselworld 2016 together with the Fabergé Visionnaire DTZ, is a perfect example of the synergies of Fabergé and Gemfields.
While it is usually vibrant color that trumps the monotone hue of the dials emerging from Jaeger-LeCoultre’s “Métiers Rares Atelier,” in this particular case it is about ten layers of a carefully polished opaque black that draws the eye.
Meet the latest version of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous High Jewellery Tourbillon, a mesmerizing mechanical treasure with a jet black enamel dial.
Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her 90th birthday on April 21, 2016. Great Britain, however, will celebrate its reigning monarch accordingly with all the pomp and circumstance it can muster in May, and a few watch brands will take advantage of the opportunity to create beautiful and luxurious timepieces to mark the occasion. What can we expect to see? Read on to find out.
For once I’m going to be a typical woman and talk about something uniquely female here: the preparation that goes into planning an outfit for a large event. In this case, the large event being the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, watchmaking’s biggest night. The hardest and most important part, however, was deciding what to do about my jewelry and which watch to wear. So, naturally, I turned to my friends at Chopard.
I’m glad to see secret watches making a bit of a comeback since I find them to be seductive anachronisms that are very feminine and very functional. Very much in vogue in the 1930s, ҆40s, and ҆50s, “secret watches” kept the time confidential by hiding the watch dial behind a decorative hinged or swiveling cover. Following are five examples introduced earlier this year.
Welcome to the 2015 edition of Quill & Pad’s early Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) predictions in which we pick our favorites and explain why. The six pre-selected finalists in the Ladies category are: Delaneau’s Rondo 42 Peony, the in-house Ulysse Nardin Jade, Hublot’s Big Bang Broderie, the Piaget Limelight Gala, the all-new Audemars Piguet Millenary, and the wonderfully crafted and priced Hermès Arceau Petite Lune with diamonds.
At the 2015 edition of the SIHH, Richard Mille introduced the stunning RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur.
The tourbillon is nestled within and concealed by a magnolia flower. Every five minutes, or on demand via a pusher, the flying tourbillon rises up from the movement as the flower opens. The petals of the flower are engraved in gold and hand-painted.
In this exceptionally aesthetic video, The Watches TV visits the Richard Mille workshop to discover the story behind the RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur.
The Breguet Reine de Naples collection launched in 2002 following the historic description of an “oblong (repeater) for bracelet.” This now-iconic feminine shape was resurrected 190 years after Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, commissioned Abraham-Louis Breguet to make the repeater for her royal wrist. The Reine de Naples’ oval-shaped case is a rare sight in watchmaking, but it serves to make one of the most memorable watches in production today.
The panther is Cartier’s most famous animal. But why is this so, and how has this ‘beastly’ line managed to remain in the watch and jewelry collection for more than 100 years? A look at the relationship between Louis Cartier and “the Coco Chanel of jewelry” Jeanne Toussaint sheds some (spotted) light on the first watch design, the Art Deco painting that inspired the collection, and the popularity that propelled it.
As the resident pen writer at this publication, and since ‘plume’ is the French word for both quill and pen, I thought I’d share my thoughts about Breguet’s Rêve de Plume. This haute joaillerie timepiece is part of the Breguet Plumes collection, and it is a tribute to Queen Marie Antoinette.