With less than a fortnight to go before the official unveiling of luxury group Richemont’s watch novelties at the SIHH in Geneva, we take a look at some of the women’s watches that have been previewed ahead of the salon.
Read about the SIHH men’s watches here
Cartier
In pride of place is Cartier’s panther, the iconic spotted feline that has appeared in all its splendour on high jewellery and watch collections since its slinky debut back in 1914. Last year, we saw how two panthers were brought to life with the ancient art of filigree. This year, Cartier revisits the panther in this high jewellery masterpiece scintillating with brilliant-cut diamonds, onyx, black lacquer, and white and rose gold. The delightful Panthères et Colibri watch depicts a mummy panther resting peacefully with a hummingbird hovering overhead. However, if you press the crown, a baby panther appears from under his mother’s chest and chases the golden bird, which takes flight and soars in an arch above them. Thanks to a new movement, the flight of the hummingbird is in fact a power-reserve indicator and will let you know when the 3-day reserve of these Cartier watches needs rewinding.
Read more on the Cartier panther here
Jaeger-LeCoultre 
Celebrating its 85th anniversary this year, expect to see some very special declinations of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso watch. In light of the upcoming watch salon, the brand has shared some of the protagonists of this year’s big Reverso party, including this Reverso Classic Duetto model now available in small and medium sizes, either in a sumptuous pink gold case or a more practical steel case. Endowed with two separate dials powered by one movement, the white dial on these Jaeger-LeCoultre watches is ideal for the daytime, while the deep black dial with diamonds and its chic Art Deco appeal - just a swivel away - is the perfect chaperone for the evening.
Vacheron Constantin
Four Vacheron Constantin watches have been disclosed from its Métiers d’Art Fabuleux Ornements collection, inspired by the artwork of four different cultures: Ottoman architecture, Chinese embroidery, Indian manuscripts, and French lacework. Different artistic crafts have been deployed to create these magnificent women’s watches; from hand guilloché and grand feu enamelling, stone-setting and hand-engraving, to gold grid work and stone-cloisonné using jade. The dexterity of the craftsmen is mesmerising, and combined with the ultra-thin gold skeletonised movement in the background, this quartet is a genuine work of miniature mechanical and decorative art.
Read more on Vacheron Constantin watches here
Roger Dubuis
Last year was the “Year of the Skeleton” at Roger Dubuis with a flurry of skeletonised watches and gravity-defying architecture; 2016 has been declared the “Year of the Diva” and this Blossom Velvet Pink watch, dripping with diamonds, flowers and femininity is solid confirmation that women are firmly in the limelight. The 36mm pink gold case is set with brilliant-cut diamonds framing a mother-of-pearl dial decorated with sculpted flowers. Each flower has been made from a thick plate of grand feu enamel and sits raised on the dial, while the central pink mother-of-pearl panel on these ladies’ watches hosts the hour and minutes running on an in-house automatic movement.
Radically different in temperament, the Velvet Secret Heart watch in a magnificent royal blue comes equipped with the “first small complication” in the Velvet collection, allowing you to consult the date with a double-retrograde function. The Arabic numbers located on the periphery of the dial indicate the date, and once the little red hand has completed its mission, it jumps back to the start and disappears, allowing the hand on the opposite side of the dial to perform its motion. Housed in a 36mm white gold case and set with diamonds, the Velvet Secret Heart provides women with a useful complication in an exceptionally beautiful setting.
Read more on ladies' skeleton watches here
