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Photo: Cartier
Cartier
Cartier Libre Polymorph lapel brooch with a hidden dial. (Photo: Cartier)
Known for questioning form and design and challenging conventions across the realms of watchmaking, jewellery, and accessories, Cartier Libre is the maison’s limited-edition collection designed with carte blanche and executed with exceptional techniques. This year’s edition, Polymorph, showcases an uncanny ability to transform and surprise.
Among the mind-blowing creations is a white gold lapel brooch graphically represented as a set of four claws of the panthere, Cartier’s signature motif. Embellished with carved moonstones, snow-set diamonds, and custom-cut onyx, it reveals a miniature diamond-encrusted dial upon pressing the corresponding claw.
Cartier Libre Polymorph carabiner that can be worn in multiple ways. (Photo: Cartier)
Even an essential tool like a carabiner is given an extravagant white gold makeover but remains fully functional. Anchoring the design is a diamond-paved gold dial with a ruby marking 12 o’clock.
Bordered by emeralds and channel-set sapphires above and below and flanked by lapis-lazuli, onyx, black spinel, turquoise, and chrysoprase beads in Cartier’s distinctive palette of hues, it can be opened by pressing on a sapphire cabochon. Clip it onto a chain necklace, belt, or anywhere you wish.
Chanel
Chanel Premiere sautoir-belt. (Photo: Chanel)
Referencing the shape of the octagonal stopper of the Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle for its black lacquer dial and borrowing the leather-interlaced chain from the house’s iconic quilted handbag for its bracelet, the Premiere watch is a rebel in a world long bound by the codes of men’s watchmaking.
Not this time, for the maison has decided that one could wear time as a sautoir belt. This limited-edition creation has a dial with a blackened sapphire crystal caseback and a leather strap pompom. It hangs off a black leather chain, which you could wear around your neck or waist. All metal parts are made of steel coated with yellow gold.
Chaumet
Le Jardin de Chaumet Fields Feuille de Vigne secret watch. (Photo: Chaumet)
Choosing from the various secret jewellery watches in Chaumet’s impressive repertoire is tough. Still, if one had to, the models that best symbolise its DNA of naturalism and grace would be it.
A lush garden materialises on the Le Jardin de Chaumet Fields Feuille de Vigne white gold watch. Studded with a showpiece ruby, grey and black spinels, and diamonds, the floral-shaped cover slides open to unveil a snow-set dial surrounded by an astonishing proliferation of diamonds, even on the supple bracelet.
Chaumet en Scene Ballet secret watch. (Photo: Chaumet)
The Chaumet en Scene collection also flaunts the Ballet white gold timepiece, whose black dial is circled by a bezel half-set with baguette-cut blue sapphires. Half the dial is mysteriously obscured by cascading ribbons of diamonds and blue sapphire cabochons, allowing the hour and minute to be read in a delightfully unusual format.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre 101 Secrets watch. (Photo: Jaeger-LeCoultre)
This limited-edition 101 Secrets platinum timepiece isn’t just a scintillating showcase of the manufacture’s exceptional diamond-setting expertise; it also flaunts the world’s smallest and highly precise manual-winding Calibre 101 and technical brilliance across 15 areas of expertise, both traditional and new.
This tiny mechanical movement lends itself wonderfully to delicate cocktail watches, in this case, one designed as an articulated bracelet boasting 1,028 diamonds totalling 26.21 carats. More fascinating is the fact that the watch hides not one but two secrets.
The first is the slim, hidden mother-of-pearl dial. The second is the diamond “button” mechanism that, upon being held down, pops open a segment of the bracelet to reveal the time. Releasing it causes the dial to disappear again into the stream of blinding light.
Bvlgari
Bvlgari Fuochi D’Artificio High-Jewellery Petite watch. (Photo: Bvlgari)
Celebrating its 140th anniversary this year, the Maison launches a magnificent high-jewellery secret watch collection paying homage to its birth city of Rome. Aeterna reimagines Bvlgari’s heritage through the eras and features new innovations. Five of the six pieces are powered by the Piccolissimo manual-winding mechanical micro movement.
On the Fuochi D’Artificio High-Jewellery Petite Watch is an explosion of coloured gemstones emanating from a central round ruby, which opens to unveil a miniscule diamond dial. Worn as a semi-flexible cuff, the rose gold construction also features the daring use of aventurine inserts and translucent glass with sparkling inclusions of copper invented in Venice in the 15th century.
Bvlgari Serpenti Misteriosi Chimera bracelet watch. (Photo: Bvlgari)
Interpreting the chimera, a divine creature described in Homer’s Iliad, Bvlgari has created its fantastical symbol by combining the snake and the lion on the Serpenti Misteriosi Chimera.
An archival piece from the 50s inspires the feline’s head, while the serpent is the house motif. This watch wraps around the wrist like a sinuous white gold reptile with diamond and emerald scales, with its mouth enclosing a diamond dial.
Vacheron Constantin
Some may not know that this maison, renowned for high horology, has a long and rich history of jewellery and pendant watchmaking. Debuting this year is the Grand Lady Kalla, which is transformable four ways — as a watch, bracelet, or sautoir with or without the watch case.
The white gold watch case is covered with 12 emerald-cut diamonds, while its dial is fully set with 14 such diamonds. Through an interchangeable system, the case could be slid onto a fully diamond-paved bracelet of 105 emerald-cut diamonds to become a wristwatch or replaced with a white gold jewel element composed of 15 emerald-cut diamonds to complete the bracelet.
Vacheron Constantin Grand Lady Kalla transformable sautoir-bracelet-watch. (Photo: Vacheron Constantin)
Three other components are provided to wear this high-jewellery piece as a sautoir: a long white silk necklace adorned with Akoya pearls, onyx, and brilliant-cut diamonds; a white gold diamond clasp; and a white gold tassel flaunting Akoya pearls, onyx, and brilliant-cut diamonds. The watch case or jewel element could then be fixed onto the tasselled sautoir as the pendant.
Piaget
Piaget Extraleganza Swinging Sautoir has a dial pendant that is convertible into a watch. (Photo: Piaget)
In 1969, Piaget’s sautoir watches combined the ultra-thin 9P movement with ornamental dials, a modern stylistic approach, and a bounty of colours. While three high jewellery Swinging Sautoirs from the Essence of Extraleganza 150th anniversary high jewellery collection are a testament to this heritage, the most striking has to be the one featuring the 70s-era colourway of blue and green.
Malachite and turquoise beads radiate outwards from a diamond-paved, hand-twisted gold chain interspersed with yellow sapphires and diamonds on this showpiece. The turquoise-dialled watch is suspended from a duo of precious stones — a 29.24-carat yellow sapphire and a 6.11-carat aquamarine — and can be unclasped and easily worn on a green satin strap.
Piaget Metaphoria ring watch. (Photo: Piaget)
Another exceptional timekeeper from the Metaphoria high jewellery collection is made specially for the finger. The latest of the house’s signature ring watches, Adrivea is an oversized secret creation studded with diamonds and blue sapphires. Nestled under a 10.88-carat aquamarine cabochon is an enchanting diamond-encrusted dial.
