The Feminine Side of Only Watch
It’s ironic that the brands gear their mechanical wristwatches towards men when in fact the first one was made for a woman. The Queen of Naples commissioned Breguet watch no. 2639 on June 8, 1810. In the Breguet archives it’s described as an oval repeater with complications mounted on a wristlet of hair and thread.
By Meehna Goldsmith
Prior to World War I, men viewed wristwatches as a distinctly feminine accessory along the lines of a parasol or shawl. Certainly no man would compromise his dignity by wearing one. However, as Falstaff points out in Henry IV: “The better part of Valour, is Discretion; in the which better part, I have saved my life.” Soldiers took the advice to heart and jerry-rigged their pocket watches to wrap around their wrist so they didn’t have to take their eyes off the battlefield while fumbling around to see the time.
Since the revival of the mechanical wristwatch in the 1990’s, women have been relatively ignored. Men got all the fun complications and designs, while women had to settle for wearing the little sister version, which was the same thing, just in a smaller size and sometimes spruced up with diamonds. The fairer sex remained ignored in the horology world…until recently.
In the last few years, the brands have realized that there is an untapped women’s market. Certainly there are a good number of women who will buy quartz for convenience, but there is a growing segment that appreciates and wants to have as interesting and well-crafted watches as the boys.
We see the phenomenon at work in submissions for Only Watch, an auction that takes place in Monaco on September 28 and benefits research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Five brands decided to present a watch for ladies. As per the title of the event, each watch must be a piece-unique.
Perhaps best known for their stunning jewelry, Van Cleef & Arpels also creates complicated timepieces with top watchmakers for their “Poetic Complications”. For the event they entered Lady Arpels Une journée à Monaco, a delightful scene depicting, as the time passes, a mother and daughter taking a stroll against the backdrop of the sea as seen from the famous Rock in Monaco. The turquoise dial with its white gold and lapis lazuli rotating disk offers so much detail that each look reveals another surprise.
Last year for its 25th anniversary, CHANEL delved into high watchmaking especially for women with the Première Flying Tourbillon, a complication developed by the wizards of watchmaking over at Renaud & Papi. For this watch, based on the original Première released in 1987, CHANEL was recognized by winning the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) best in the “Ladies Watch” category. They chose to submit a unique version of this prize-winning piece in an 18k white gold and ceramic case with a black ceramic bezel and dial. Befitting a lady, the watch glitters with diamonds inside on the dial and outside on the case.
Blancpain, a company that only makes mechanical timepieces, entered something different and out of their usual wheelhouse with an art piece—but they accomplished it with great aplomb. This unnamed timepiece incorporates marquetry, diamond setting and engraving. Across the dial a white mother-of-pearl dove flies across the blue mother-of-pearl sky done in elegant marquetry. Diamonds add sparkle at the hour markers, while the view through the sapphire crystal caseback shows a dove and the inscription ONLY WATCH 2013 engraved on the rotor.
For Only Watch Frédérique Constant dipped into their “Double Heart watch and jewelry collection. A signature of the brand, the “Double Heart” watch features an open aperture on the dial that reveals the balance wheel “beating” within. This unique version of the Lady Automatic Double Heart Beat comes in a 19k rose gold case with diamonds set in pavé, the case in a gold alloy that’s a bump up from the usual 18k. To mark the occasion, a hand engraving of “Only Watch 2013” graces the back of the case. It’s worth noting that an 18k rose gold pendant, bracelet and earrings accompany the watch.
Though Backes & Strauss didn’t donate a mechanical watch, they did pay homage to women with the Victoria Princess Red Heart watch. The brand traces its history to the late 18th century and the Victoria Princess collection takes its cues from a 19th century brooch with linking hearts in the archives. Known for their trademark ‘ideal cut’ diamonds, they put these on display in the Princess watch but for Only Watch added rubies around the bezel and on the two hearts of the bracelet linking to the watch case, which adds a warm and vital touch.
It’s good to see the brands finally taking an interest in women and designing serious watches specifically for them. Through Only Watch women will see a range of horological choice and get a taste for the possibilities. The Queen of Naples would be proud.
