I have a feeling that this year we may be in for some treats at the SIHH or Salon Internationale de la Haute Horlogerie. While the very top end of watchmaking which is what this fair is all about is largely dominated by men's watches, I think that we will be seeing some special watches for us girls.
So far Van Cleef & Arpels has sent out just sketches of some very pretty, highly decorated watches based on the high jewellery "Bals de Legende" ( click here for more on this). These jewels that tell the time are closely linked to a jewellery theme and confirm that Van Cleef & Arpels is one of the few houses able to offer both haute joaillerie and haute horlogerie jewellery watches. Clever mechanics such as the couple that dance across a Parisian cityscape show a different approach to watchmaking that is more light hearted than the triple tourbillons and sidereal time trackers favoured by men.
Piaget's Limelight Garden party ( read more about the collection here) is also linked to a high jewellery collection and the slim round watch with the disc that slides back to reveal the dial is one of my favourites that has come in several sparkling guises over the past few years.
Ralph Lauren are steadily building up their watch offerings and this Slim Classique with diamonds is a sure fire winner. Though not a revolution in terms of design it is very Ralph Lauren and all about classic good taste and bon ton with a West Coast twang. And speaking of the West Coast, Baume & Mercier's Hampton arrives with a pretty sprinkling of diamonds and a practical steel bracelet.
There will be plenty more to see and I will report back on the watches that have caught my eye. Latest updates and musing will be on my Twitter account.
