Mechanical watches might be status symbols, but don’t overlook quartz timepieces
Not everyone has the luxury of time – ironically – to keep their mechanical timekeepers wound. If reliability and style are your priorities, a quartz watch is the way to go.
Bulgari unveiled many entrancing novelties for the ladies at the LVMH Watch Week in January, including the Lvcea Intarsio. (Photo: Bulgari)
We’ve been loving the efforts watchmakers have made in recent years to give the ladies more mechanical movements. But as much as brands are trying to demonstrate just how much they understand women understanding horology, they are also shrewdly aware that quartz pieces aren’t going anywhere.
Nor should they. What quartz watches lack in gloriously storied pasts they make up for in accuracy, convenience and unbound style. Just let these battery-powered beauties show you.
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BVLGARI LVCEA INTARSIO
Bulgari unveiled many entrancing novelties for the ladies at the LVMH Watch Week in January, but we’d like to bring your attention to the most versatile of the lot: The Lvcea Intarsio.
The mother-of-pearl dial has been crafted using intarsia, which is a technique similar to marquetry except it uses pieces or chunks of material rather than veneers to create the design.
With or without diamonds, the Lvcea Intarsio is a work of art you can wear to work, even if it’s your home office.
CARTIER PANTHERE DE CARTIER MANCHETTE
The beauty of quartz movements is that their compact size allows the lines between watch and jewellery to be blurred.
Cartier’s Panthere de Cartier collection is most commonly seen in the guise of a littler, sparklier Santos-Dumont, but when that dainty watch face fuses with a dramatic cuff, the effect is dazzling.
This particular model in yellow gold and black lacquer is a numbered limited edition of 100 pieces.
CHANEL PREMIERE EXTRAIT DE CAMELIA
The Chanel No 5 perfume bottle lid and the camellia – Mademoiselle Chanel’s favourite flower – are timeless motifs that the fashion house will not soon give up using.
Here they have joined forces for a classic dress watch with a playful twist in the form of a Premiere case with a charm attached to the crown.
There are two editions, both in 18K yellow gold, with either a black lacquer dial or one set with 116 brilliant-cut diamonds. Each is a limited edition of 1,000 pieces.
HERMES NANTUCKET
You may be more familiar with a leather-strapped Nantucket but Hermes has always been comfortable dabbling outside its specialty with skins.
Borrowing the design cues of the anchor chain links in its Chaine d’ancre bracelet, the slim rectangular watch gets a slightly more glamorous update with new bracelets replacing the straps.
There are also diamond-set options for both the steel and rose gold models.
PATEK PHILIPPE TWENTY~4 MANCHETTE
Round or rectangular, Patek Philippe’s Twenty~4 watches bank on straightforward design and a comfortable bracelet to encourage everyday use.
The two new Manchette models provide a more casual look thanks to Arabic numerals and baton indices replacing the Roman numerals and diamond hour markers of their predecessors.
Both references are in steel, with a blue or brown sunburst dial and diamonds on the stepped rectangular case.
PIAGET POSSESSION
The absence of a winding rotor doesn’t seem like a huge loss when you have a spinning diamond-studded bezel to play with instead.
There are multiple variations to this fun little feature in Piaget’s Possession line, but the one pictured here is the Ref. G0A44282 which has an 18K rose gold case set with 42 brilliant-cut diamonds, paired with an interchangeable blue alligator strap.
VACHERON CONSTANTIN EGERIE QUARTZ
Ditching the somewhat forgettable tonneau design of the original 2003 Egerie, Vacheron Constantin updated its only women’s collection last year with thoughtful details that exude femininity.
The interchangeable straps that are included with each watch are already a convenient bonus, but the quartz model, presented in 18K pink gold with a diamond-set bezel, makes it all the more fuss-free.
