Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Valentine’s Day: 10 Lovely Ladies’ Watches with Muscle

The Margot by Christophe Claret

Women deserve timepieces that are not only beautiful and stylish but also have the power and complexity of men’s watches. In other words they should have watches with robust movements and advanced complications. 

During the past few years watch companies have been listening to women who want their watches to be more than just pretty face. 

Keeping this in mind I curated 10 watches in which the majority combine beauty with muscle.

The Margot watch from independent watchmaker Christophe Claret  (top picture) creatively answers the timeless French question, “He loves me... he loves me not.” The center of the dial has a daisy. At each press of a pusher at 2 o’clock one or two petals of the flower disappear. At the same time a “sentiment” is displayed on the dial at 5 o’clock, along with a chime: un peu (a little), beaucoup (a lot), passionnément (passionately), à la folie (madly) and pas du tout (not at all). Both the petals and expressions are presented randomly. Pressing the reset pusher at 4 o’clock makes all petals reappear around the pistil. The blue mother-of-pearl outer dial has pear-shaped diamonds at 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock. The display back reveals the EMT17 automatic rotor, a carved, flower-shaped carrousel of colors, with a central cabochon concealing the rotor’s ball bearings.


The Breguet Reine de Naples is a highly complicated watch in a bejeweled oval-shaped case. The 18k white gold bezel and case are set with 131 baguette diamonds. The flange is set with 73 brilliant-cut diamonds and the crown is set with a briolette diamond. Dial in 18k gold enhanced with 147 brilliant-cut diamonds. Complication showing the day and night in the upper half, with the sun represented by the Breguet balance-wheel and a hand-engraved titanium moon, together rotating in 24 hours. The watch is powered by Breguet automatic movement.


The Chopard Happy Sport Tourbillon Joaillerie houses a Chopard L.U.C 02.16-L tourbillon movement. Available in 18k white or rose gold, the diamonds represent snow that entirely carpets the dial. The tourbillon bridge is gem-set and the bezel is embellished with 36 trapeze-cut diamonds. The crown features baguette-cut diamonds and a briolette-cut diamond. Seven diamonds on the tourbillon spin between two sapphire crystals. 


Bulgari Lucea Black is housed in an 18k pink gold case and crown and cabochon-cut pink stone set with a diamond. Powered by the caliber B77 automatic movement with the date window at 3 o’clock. Black dial with sunburst guilloché motif, pink gold-plated hands, hour-markers and Roman numerals.



Baume & Mercier Promesse is a watch practically created for Valentine's Day. Polished and satin-finished steel, this 34 mm watch is powered by a Swiss-made automatic caliber. The silver-colored “drapé guilloché” dial is accented by gilt Roman numerals and diamond-set indexes.


The sale of the Frédérique Constant Ladies Automatic World Heart Federation supports the World Heart Federation’s “Hearts of Children” campaign. The 34mm bi-color stainless steel and plated rose gold case has a bezel set with 48 diamonds. The dial has the WHF logo in the center. It is powered by the FC-303 caliber, automatic movement decorated with the WHF logo and “Hearts of Children” on engraved sunray bridges.



As the name suggests, Girard-Perregaux Cat's Eye Anniversary, celebrates the collection’s 10-year anniversary with a dial blanketed in metallic rays. The dial features a gray-tinted white mother-of-pearl backdrop with 73 sapphires at tips of the rays ranging from bright to pastel pink. The bezel of the iconic oblong case is adorned with 62 brilliant-cut diamonds. It is powered by the GP03300 automatic movement.


Harry Winston Avenue Classic Diamond Drops is set with 29 brilliant-cut diamonds. The white gold case of this watch serves as a frame to showcase the composition of the dial, like a window gazing out towards the sky. The textured base of the dial is shown in shades of grays, creating a contrast to the sparkle of the diamonds. A snow-setting featuring 190 brilliant-cut gems cascades down the dial, providing movement and emotion.


Carl F. Bucherer Pathos Diva stainless steel and 18k rose gold watch is powered by the caliber CFB 1963 automatic movement.


Tissot T-LADY T072 features a rose-gold, PVD case, brown MOP dial surrounded by mother-of-pearl and a two-tone bracelet. It is powered by the Powermatic 80 automatic movement. 

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