Valentines for Watch Lovers: Ladies’ Timepieces from the Geneva Watch Fair


Valentines Day Watches Geneva

Tuesday is Valentine’s Day, the most romantic day of the year, which puts us in mind of the new crop of ladies’ timepieces introduced by the purveyors of haute horlogerie at January’s SIHH watch fair in Geneva. You may wish to consider one of these as the ideal gift for Valentine’s Day or some other occasion — a way both to show your devotion and share with her your passion for watches. (Of course, if you’re just now thinking about a Valentine’s gift, it may be time for a new watch for yourself — one with a calendar. But first things first…)

Montblanc’s big ladies’ initiative this year is its Princesse Grace de Monaco collection, a tribute to iconic beauty Grace Kelly. In addition to pens and jewelry, the collection includes several ladies’ watches, including several limited editions and two unique pieces: the Pétales de Rose ($226,100, pictured at top), with a mother-of-pearl dial and a white-gold bracelet and case comprised of rose-petal contours containing 605 brilliant cut diamonds; and the Pétales Entrelaces ($159,600), also with the rose-petal motif, here used in the indices and as interlacing loops on the rose-gold bracelet. Slightly less excusive is the rose-gold model with 130 diamonds on the flange, 126 on the bezel, and 45 on the dial, which is limited to 29 pieces ($39,100). The watch has a pink teardrop-shaped sapphire at 6 o’clock, a Montblanc diamond (cut to resemble the brand’s star logo) on the winding crown, and Princess Grace’s monogram on the caseback. For those of more modest means, there is also an unlimited stainless-steel-case version for $6,600.

Montblanc Collection Princesse Grace de Monaco, limited to 29 pieces

Roger Dubuis introduced its new, feminine Velvet models at SIHH, all of which contain the company’s in-house, automatic RD821 movement, which is COSC-certified and also carries the Geneva Seal. While the technical achievement on the inside is impressive, it is the watches’ exteriors that are more likely to catch the eye of your better half, particularly the one with a case of black-DLC-coated titanium and a bezel and lugs set with 48 amethysts and 40 spinels. There’s also a High Jewellery model in white gold fully pavéd with 1,300 diamonds. Prices range from $37,300 to $120,500.

Roger Dubuis Velvet Amethysts and Spinels

A more restrained, classical elegance is evident in the new ladies’ model by Germany’s A. Lange & Söhne. The Ladies Saxonia Automatic has a slim, 37-mm-diameter gold case and a solid-silver dial covered with a thin layer of mother-of-pearl. The bezel is set with 68 brilliant-cut diamonds. The dial, with its simple gold hands and appliqués, has a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. The movement, automatic caliber L086.4, is visible through the sapphire caseback and has a power reserve of three days. The rose-gold model is $43,100; the white-gold model, $44,300.

A. Lange & Söhne Ladies Saxonia Automatic

Vacheron Constantin’s new Malte Small Model, with the redesigned tonneau-shaped case, is not yet available at retail, but you can still find the classic version ($24,800), with its traditionally feminine dimensions (28 mm by 26.5 mm) and a bezel set with 58 round-cut diamonds. The watch has a rose-gold case and a silvered opaline dial with a tappisserie wave pattern. The movement, manual-wound Caliber 1400, bears the Geneva Seal and has a power reserve of 50 hours.

Vacheron Constantin Malte Small Model
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