Greg Simonian: Time for Her

There is no denying that many women have taken to wearing men’s timepieces in recent years, and the look of a big watch on a lady’s wrist makes for an eye-catching fashion statement. But recently I’ve seen a renewed commitment among watchmakers to design timepieces especially for women from the start. Rather than a “borrowed from the boys” aesthetic, these ladies timepieces clearly have a feminine spirit and the scale to suit a somewhat smaller wrist. The following watches, all available at Westime’s boutiques in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and La Jolla, represent the great diversity of new watches made just for her.

Hublot
Picking up on a hot fashion trend, Hublot introduces a new line of ladies watches that glow with supercharged fluorescent details. The Big Bang Black Fluo watches come in four different neon colors—blue, yellow, pink and green—and are limited to 250 pieces in each color. Its 41-mm black PVD steel case and dial are set with 430 black diamonds, while the black bezel pops with 36 precious stones, such as these blue sapphires. The automatic chronograph is presented on a black snakeskin strap bonded with black rubber.

Dior
The Dior VIII Grand Bal collection pays tribute to the great appreciation that Mr. Christian Dior had for parties, which he famously attended and created ball gowns for. Just like haute couture, each watch in the collection pairs fine mechanics with the ultimate sense of detail. In the Grand Bal Pièce Unique 38MM No. 9, available only at Westime, the front-side gem-set oscillating weight sways like a ball gown above a titanium dial paved with amethysts. Baguette-cut amethysts also adorn the bezel of this white gold and ceramic masterpiece.

Audemars Piguet
The iconic octagon shape of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak is like a faceted gem unto itself in this 33mm white gold edition for ladies. That instantly recognizable angled bezel, case and bracelet are set with 648 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 4.53 carats. A silvered dial engraved with a “grande tapisserie” pattern and set with diamond hour markers adds even more brilliance. The quartz-powered timepiece displays hours, minutes and date beneath its sapphire crystal.

Glashütte Original
Named for the Latin word for Peacock, Glashütte’s new Pavonina line of watches is created with every aspect of a modern woman’s personality in mind. The 31-mm cushion-shaped case has flexible lugs that make it fit the wrist snugly. This distinctive shape is mirrored by fine guillochet finishing on the mother of pearl dial and sprays of white diamonds curving along the case and dial, culminating at the date window. The crowning touch of this quartz-powered timepiece is a .03-carat white diamond topping the crown.

Richard Mille
Expanding on the popularity of his RM 007 automatic watch for women, Richard Mille now offers a slightly longer automatic timepiece for ladies that happens to feature one of the company’s greatest mechanical innovations. The RM 037 Automatic, shown here in red gold set with diamonds, features a crown integrated directly into the case, which greatly limits accidental damage to the movement when winding or setting the time. The tonneau-shaped watch also features a large date at 12 o’clock, a function window at 4 o’clock, and a pusher that controls the date change.