Ladies’ watches: it’s all about value and options

Some of the prices quoted here are still pretty high in comparison to many of the more mid-range brands that can be seen at Basel, but for SIHH, it was a value-conscious show, not just for ladies’ watches but men’s as well. Women like options, because it makes them feel they are choosing something more personalized – and that’s what they got at SIHH this year: full collections in several metals (including steel), with diamond options, movement options, size options, color options and price options. All this and pedigree, too. When a great daily wear watch is introduced by an elite brand, it has innate prestige by association because of its jeweled and/or complicated cousins within the same collections.

Take the iconic Panthère de Cartier. Originally introduced in 1983, the Panther collection was the ultimate representation of the signature Cartier motif, if the least literal. Like Tank and Santos during the quartz era, it was (and is again) a volume collection, with multiple references and price points, something the market seems to call for again at the moment. The design is exactly the same as the original: square case with screws on the bezel, Roman numerals, railway track index, and a tiny Cartier logo embossed in the numeral X – distinguishing it from the counterfeits. The line was discontinued in the early 2000s, and will be resurrected as a full collection in two sizes with a pavé version, a lacquer and gold version and a yellow gold version, with prices ranging from $4,000 in steel to $140,000 for a diamond and lacquer version. Only the bracelet construction and the movements, which are all quartz, are new.

Pieces from the past

Despite a proven preference among women for larger watches, they are lately being scaled back to what may be seen as more comfortable wrist sizes. Piaget introduced a series of 60th anniversary Altiplano dress watches, with a 34mm model particularly scaled for women, with pink dial and strap and an ultra-thin manual-wound movement, the 2.1mm thick Caliber 430P. The case is 6.30mm thick, in white gold ($28,500) or red gold ($17,300). You could go one size up, to a manual-wound 38mm version (also with the 430P, in a 6mm-thick case) in a blue dial with a subtle light blue cross, priced at $17,900 in white gold. I prefer an automatic movement, so I’d go for the 40mm version with the ultra-slim Caliber 1203P, with an added date window and a case only 6.36mm thick. It is priced between $25,500 and $26,000. All have similar minimalist dials with graduated colors, slim hour markers and baton hands. As anniversary pieces, these are all limited editions, which may explain why there is no steel. Maybe next year?

Girard-Perregaux also introduced a 34mm ladies’ model this year, and brings us down to earth, price-wise. It offered steel options of the Laureato, including a 34mm version for women that starts at $8,800. It ranges up to $31,000 for the diamond-set rose gold version. This is not only a great watch, but a collection with options galore. There are 12 references, all with quartz movements: steel, gold, two-tone, with diamonds, without diamonds, strap or bracelet and several dial colors. All have the signature octagonal bezel, Clous de Paris hobnail dials, lug-free case and baton hour markers. The 34mm size is 7.75mm thick. To get an automatic version, go for the 38mm, starting at $9,700 for steel.

German approach

A. Lange & Söhne’s Little Lange 1 Moon Phase also embodies what I love about women’s watches right now: they are back to being smaller versions men’s watches which is now a good thing, since it usually means a great movement, a meticulous finish and a dignified design. The Little Lange 1 is not new, but contains a new movement, the manual-wound Caliber L121.2. It is the perfect size for ladies: 36.8mm wide, and 9.5mm thick, compared to the men’s model, which is 38.5mm wide and 10.2mm thick. In rose gold, the Little Lange 1 Moon is priced at $39,500, compared to the men’s (also with a new movement), at $40,900. It’s a great option if you prefer a bigger case and no guilloché.

Baume & Mercier is probably the most accessible brand at SIHH, and always puts some quartz watches on the table for women. This year it’s the Petite Promesse, with a 22mm width and wrap-around bracelet and diamond bezel ($2,750); the Promesse Moon Phase, with 34mm steel case and diamond bezel ($3,790); and Classima moon phase with 31mm steel case ($1,490).

IWC, which has long identified itself as a men’s brand, did an about-face this year, relaunching the Da Vinci collection with primarily ladies’ watches. The model has not been changed since 2007, and female aficionados were pleased to see the strong focus on ladies’ watches. “We are consciously trying to anchor the brand in the minds of women, who account for a significant proportion of watch lovers,” says IWC creative director Christian Knoop. The highlight is the Da Vinci Automatic 36 in stainless steel with an intense blue dial, a nod to a vintage model. The bezel is set with 54 diamonds, totaling just under a carat. There are also non-diamond and gold pieces. All contain the automatic IWC Caliber 35111, with a 42-hour power reserve. Prices range from $5,400 for steel to $39,300 for red gold with diamonds. The second noteworthy piece is the IWC Da Vinci Automatic 36 Moonphase, a complication that is signature to the Da Vinci line. It is 36mm wide, with a rose gold case and a brown alligator strap, and contains the automatic Caliber 35800, with a 42-hour power reserve. Prices range from $8,500 in steel to $16,400 in red gold.

The new Da Vinci models maintain some of the original design codes, the most important of which, from a woman’s perspective, is the construction of moveable lugs that give the watch a snug fit. This small detail is representative of how ladies’ watches have been reimagined in recent years. Even when they are pared-down versions of men’s watches, they are engineered and detailed to accommodate a woman’s taste and wrist. It’s a positive trend that we’re looking forward to seeing more of in Basel this March.