This year’s ladies’ novelties at Watches and Wonders Geneva speak to both the aesthetic and practical demands of today’s woman. Cartier’s statement watch is a study in visual trickery, melding ‘80s opulence with a modern twist on reflective surfaces, while Vacheron Constantin’s lavish diamond-adorned timepiece blurred the lines between jewellery and watchmaking.

For the active yet stylish, Hermès introduced the Cut, a sports watch that marries utility with understated luxury. And in a nod to timeless sophistication, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s updated perpetual calendar is a deft blend of classic elegance and functional complexity. Here are some of our favourites.

Reflection de Cartier

The maison showcases its creative genius with watch shapes and jewellery-making prowess once again with this open cuff quartz-movement watch. Resembling a curved wire coil with defined lines, the voluminous, sculptural creation has a futuristic yet ’80s glam vibe to it.

Instead of lying face-up on the wrist, the dainty 18.4mm by 17.5mm dial with a gem-like bevelled glass sits perpendicular to the wrist. Facing it is a highly polished gold surface that shows a mirror image or “reflection” of the time, presenting an optical illusion in which the hours are reversed.

There are five references in the Reflection collection: two models in full yellow or rose gold; a white gold diamond-set version; white gold variant in peacock-inspired hues comprising chrysoprase, obsidian, emeralds, and Paraiba tourmalines with iridescent blue-green lacquer; and a white gold creation with a bold new Cartier colour palette of opal, amethysts, spessartite garnets and tiger’s eye inserts.

Patek Philippe Twenty~4 Reference 4910/1201R-010

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Twenty~4 collection of ladies’ watches, Patek Philippe introduces a new rose gold cuff-style timepiece featuring an embossed and lacquered purple dial. The refined dial undergoes a meticulous process, starting with embossing a hypnotic concentric wave pattern onto the dial plate. Next, successive layers of translucent purple and colourless lacquer are applied before the polishing process, which results in captivating light plays and a sense of depth.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 2 pm

Lifestyle

Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.

Sign Up

The rectangular two-tier case is adorned with two rows of 17 brilliant-cut diamonds on each side to accentuate the watch’s luxurious appeal. Crafted with the same precision as the maison’s mechanical movements, the quartz E15 calibre ensures exceptional performance.

Vacheron Constantin Grand Lady Kalla

This dazzling head-turner pays tribute to the maison’s 1980 Kalla timepiece that was carved from a solid yellow gold block and embellished with 108 emerald-cut diamonds. So iconic was the watch that it inspired an eponymous collection, whose unique creations have earned accolades.

A notable example is the white gold Lady Kalla with a satin strap, which won the Jewellery Watch award at the first Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2001.

Comprising a watch and elegant sautoir, the new Grand Lady Kalla boasts 146 exceptional emerald-cut diamonds weighing over 45 carats. The 19.4mm by 30.1mm dial, slightly slimmed down for modern tastes, has prongs that have been reduced to make space for the hands and accentuate the stones’ brilliance.

Flaunting onyx and diamonds, as well as Akoya pearl tassels, the necklace features an aesthetic that straddles the Art Deco and contemporary eras. 

The versatile creation can be worn four ways. The watch can be removed from its bracelet to be replaced by a full diamond-set ornament gracing the sautoir. In turn, the latter can accommodate the watch. The manufacturer’s master artisans have deployed their mastery in such a way that the high jewellery creation can be transformed easily without tools.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar

If you’re after a slender high complications timepiece takes you from day to night easily, look no further than the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar. While the watch maintains the Master Ultra Thin collection’s elegant 39mm case size and slim profile, this model’s updated in-house automatic Calibre 868 now boasts an increased power reserve of 70 hours.

The revamped dial displays a harmonious layout with improved legibility of its subdials and a detailed moonphase against a midnight blue sunray background. The collection offers four variations: a striking new gradient blue dial with a pink gold case, a steel version with a silver dial, as well as two pink gold options – with one featuring a diamond-set bezel – with classic eggshell dials.

Hermès Cut

In 2021, Hermès introduced the H08, which marked its foray into men’s sports watches. This year, the French maison debuts the Cut, its first 36mm women’s sports watch with an integrated bracelet.

Presented in sleek steel or an elegant steel and rose gold combination, the versatile round timepiece offers the options of a plain or diamond-set bezel, and two interchangeable bracelets and rubber straps in eight colours.

To add visual interest, the crown is set between 1 and 2 o’clock, while the opaline silver-toned dial showcases a unique typography. Setting apart the steel models is a touch of Hermès orange on the seconds hand and minutes track. Visible via a transparent caseback is the self-winding Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement with a custom rotor boasting a signature sprinkling of H’s and a 50-hour power reserve along with 100m water resistance.

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Brise d’Été

Paying tribute to nature within a 38mm white gold bezel of diamonds, this on-demand automaton depicts a garden of white and yellow gold with butterflies, brought alive with plique-à-jour enamel, dancing around animated blooms swaying in a gentle breeze.

The azure-tinted vallonné enamel and spessartite garnet pistils enhance the dial’s poetic tableau, blending with lustrous mother-of-pearl to depict a lush vista. Champlevé enamel leaves and grassy tsavorite garnets add a third dimension to this picturesque scene.

Employing ancient hand-crafting techniques, master enamellers layer each hue precisely before a meticulous firing process to achieve realistic gradations of colour and depth. 

Chopard Haute Joaillerie

It took a team of numerous artisans over 400 hours to complete this exquisite quartz-movement timepiece with a mother-of-pearl dial. Paved entirely with over 1,000 blue sapphires totalling 27.29 carats and diamonds weighing over 13 carats, this wearable work of art is truly a showcase of Earth’s finest offerings. Cast in Fairmined-certified ethical 18k white gold, the symmetrical lacework weaving a sumptuous blend of varied gem sizes and forms is a signature of Chopard’s phenomenal high jewellery.