There is a quiet renaissance happening in ladies’ watches right now, resulting from the culmination of various improvements in design, movement technology and proportioning.
The development of scaled-down automatic movements combined with a renewed sense of restrained design has emerged, which means ladies’ watches are less girly and more dignified. At the same time, a refreshing blast of color has hit the luxury watch market in general, for sizes of watches. And even gemsetting is getting more sophisticated. All of these elements are transforming the ladies’ luxury watch segment, making options more attractive and more collectible. The following 10 timepieces, from Cartier, Rolex, Piaget, Bulgari, Bell & Ross, Oris, Lange & Sohne, Vacheron Constantin, Chopard and Patek Philippe, represent a new generation of state-of-the art wristwear for women.
Bulgari Serpenti
Bulgari kicked off the year in ladies’ watches with one of the biggest introductions of the year: a new automatic movement that is small enough to fit inside a Serpenti, which was previously quartz. The BVS100, with a 50-hour power reserve, fits neatly into the 34mm Serpenti Seduttori case, with a diamond bezel and a choice of several metals, starting at $10,200.
Piaget Sixtie
The Sixtie collection, launched this year at Watches and Wonders, was inspired by a 1960s Piaget design with a similar trapezoid-shaped case. It is small, with a 29mm x 25.3mm case and a thickness of only 6.5mm. It was released with a quartz movement, but will later contain a new automatic movement, being developed now by Piaget. With steel, gold and two-tone options, with or without diamond bezels, it starts at about $11,500.
Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets
The Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets is a standout for its historic significance and for its design, which, a 37.5mm wide is gender-neutral. It was first introduced in 1928, and still looks fresh a century later, as do most Cartier icons. The remake was issued as one of the brand’s Privé historical pieces, which celebrates its icons. The mechanical digital time display is the same as the original, but the new one is powered by a new hand wound movement with a jumping hour and a dragging minute display. $47,700 in rose gold.
Patek Philippe Ref. 7340/1R
The Twenty~4 collection has been Patek Philippe’s prominent ladies’ collection since 1999, and it was a quartz collection right up until the line was redesigned in 2018, when it was given an automatic movement. This year, it gets its first perpetual calendar complication, which is long overdue since that is the brand’s speciality. The green dial is right on trend and looks great with the rose gold case and bracelet. $126,080
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 28mm
The Oyster Perpetual, an entry-level Rolex, is one of the most fashion-forward models in the brand’s current catalog, and Rolex continues to apply cheerful colorful dials to the line. This 28 mm version has a lacquer lavender face is part of a new collection of pastels. The case is steel and the movement is a chronometer-rated automatic movement, with a 55-hour power reserve. $5,650
A. Lange & Söhne 1815 34 mm
The 1815, a classic three-hand, is Lange’s purist expression of the brand and of watchmaking itself. It has long been a male collector’s fave and, now, finally, it is available in a 34mm version. It contains a newly developed, scaled-down manual-wound movement, with a 72-hour power reserve and the usual supurb Lange finishing. $24,500
Vacheron Constantin Anniversary Traditionnelle 33mm
This ladies-sized version of Vacheron’s classic time-only model from the elite Traditionnelle collection celebrates the brand’s 270th anniversary. It’s a nice alternative to the more decorative Egerie model, Vacheron’s cornerstone ladies’ line, and is decorated with anniversary edition finishes: the brand’s signature Maltese cross motif is etched into the dial; and the bridges are given a côte unique finish. CHF 32,600
Chopard L’Heure du Diamond Moonphase
A high jewelry moon phase watch is one of the most impressive expressions of ladies watchmaking and this one is even more special, with big diamonds – 3.86 carats of dazzle in total. The watch contains a new movement, the automatic 09.02-C, a scaled-down moon phase caliber that fits into the L’Heure du Diamant’s 35.75 mm case. This is the collection’s first complication. $101,000
Oris ProPilot X Miss Piggy
This hot pink tribute to the hottest Muppet is not only on trend with the color explosion in luxury watches, but demonstrates that the Swiss watch industry isn’t afraid to have some fun. It’s a subtle rendition: a spy hole on the caseback reveals a fetching portrait of Miss Piggy. A lab-grown baguette diamond is positioned at 12 o’clock on the dial. $3,200
Bell & Ross BR-05
At 36mm wide, this is the smallest watch Bell & Ross has ever made. The brand’s instantly recognizable shape, font and bezel design have been shrunk to 36 mm without losing its proportions, and it really works as a ladies’ watch, especially with the mother-of-pearl dial. It contains an automatic in-house movement with a 54-hour power reserve. $4,300
This article was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
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