Bal Harbour

Spring 2016

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88 BAL HARBOUR A lmost from the moment it became trendy to flash a Rolex beneath a shirt cuff, high-end watches have been traditionally rooted in a boy's club mentality. But move over guys, the ladies are taking center stage. Women's timepieces are moving into the spotlight, thanks to recent debuts that should appeal to female collectors emerging as the new power consumer. The most significant change among the latest introductions? While high jewelry watches embellished with diamonds and gemstones remain popular, women are increasingly expressing an interest in more feature-driven pieces: the beauty of a tourbillon, the convenience of a dual time zone or a world timer for traveling. Imbuing a women's timepiece with these and other complications might seem like a simple idea and yet the industry has only recently begun paying attention. Such an irony is not lost on anyone with a cursory knowledge of watchmaking history. Abraham-Louis Breguet, roundly considered the father of modern horology, crafted two of his most famous pieces for women. In 1812 he delivered a wristwatch with an egg-shaped dial to Caroline Murat, queen of Naples and sister to Napoleon Bonaparte. WHAT WOMEN WANT From tourbillons to the latest technology, the hottest watches are all about girl power. BY LAURIE BROOKINS PHOTO BY SHARIF HAMZA/ TRUNK ARCHIVE

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