The pearl women's watch inspires the great watchmaking houses
Watches with mother-of-pearl dials , ranging from the dark tones of the Tahitian pearl to the sparkling clarity of the whitest pearls, are particularly popular at the moment. However, some watchmakers are going even further by decorating their creations with real whole pearls to offer something original: a pearl women's watch .
This type of timepiece, currently in demand on the market, echoes a trend that is accelerating. Namely, the creation of increasingly original pearl jewelry . Still considered old-fashioned not so long ago, pearls are flooding the trendiest circles. Particularly on TikTok, where Vivienne Westwood's pearl choker is causing havoc.
The renewed appeal of pearls also affects women's watches
Pearls are all-natural, which gives them a particularly precious quality. “ They’re organic, ” said Sigmund Shonholtz, a third-generation watchmaker and dealer based in Long Beach, California. “ You can’t really use body oil or perfume if there’s contact between the pearl and the skin. ” As a result, pearls have a limited lifespan if you don’t take precautions and care for them.
On the watchmakers' side, pearl watches have always existed. Below we invite you to discover some models of second-hand pearl watches. But also current models since today, some houses offer contemporary creations. Here are 7 examples of vintage or recent timepieces.
Patek Philippe
Pearl watches are bound to look like jewelry. This 1909 Patek Philippe pocket watch was reportedly made in collaboration with a jeweler, said Daniel Somlo of Somlo Antiques in London. The antique jewelry shop is offering the piece for $53,500. The platinum pocket watch features an enameled and guilloché case topped with a central marquise-cut diamond and an emerald-set bezel. The whole thing is dressed in platinum filigree lacework punctuated with diamonds. Mr. Somlo said this is the kind of piece that Asian customers appreciate. Apparently, “ they love to wear them as necklaces ,” he said. Asian buyers have long coveted pearl watches, especially 19th-century pocket watches with bezels studded with half-pearls. They were originally made in Europe specifically for the Chinese market.
- Used Vacheron Constantin Watches
Chanel women's pearl watch
Chanel is one of the few watchmakers to frequently create watches set with pearls, a jewel Coco Chanel was particularly fond of. The French house regularly uses pearls in its creations, from fashion to accessories to jewelry. Its latest collection of high-end jewelry commemorated the centenary of Chanel No. 5, its legendary perfume. The collection pays homage to it by drawing inspiration from the distinctive shape of the bottle and the number 5. Patrice Leguéreau, head of Chanel’s high jewelry design studio, revealed in an email that the pearl Bubbly Stopper watch (above, price upon request) is a “ representation of a light and airy stopper made with a very fine line on which pearls appear like dewdrops .” The pearls added softness to the design, he said, noting that it is technically difficult to attach pearls in a way that creates the illusion of floating in zero gravity.
Jaquet Droz
In late 2013, Jaquet Droz unveiled a collection dedicated to women, the Lady 8 , which positions a single Akoya pearl above a watch face at 12 o’clock. The junction between the pearl and the watch is made in a swirl of diamonds that form the infinity symbol. Other similar Jaquet Droz watches followed, including a version combining a brown pearl with brown garnet cabochons. In 2018, a scaled-down Lady 8 Petite line was introduced with an even smaller 25-millimeter case. The latest model, the Lady 8 Petite Perle ($14,400), has a particularly casual feel with its wraparound brown calfskin strap, paired with all the usual Swiss mechanical features:
- Self-winding movement
- Silicon spiral
- 38 hours power reserve
- Waterproof to 30 meters
Bulgari women's pearl watch
Bulgari isn’t exactly known for its pearl jewelry. The Italian house built its reputation on extravagant pieces set with Paraiba tourmalines, amethysts, and gumdrop-sized emeralds. As such, the Serpenti Misteriosi High Jewelry Baroque Pearls secret watch (price upon request) really stood out from the rest of the high jewelry collection released in July 2020.
The 10-level design of this Bulgari women's watch depicts 2 serpents navigating diamond-set arabesque swirls to meet at 3 emerald cabochons. The largest, weighing 12.15 carats, opens to reveal a diamond-set dial. It took 2,300 hours of work to set the 226 Akoya pearls and 3,605 diamonds on the watch's cuff bracelet . The expression "goldsmith's work" has never been more meaningful!
- Vintage Longines women's watch
Lucien Piccard
This Art Deco-inspired women’s watch with a secret ($5,500) would likely appeal to vintage collectors because of its diminutive 22-millimeter size and diamond-studded pearl dial that opens to reveal a hidden dial edged with more pearls. It’s all completed with a three-row pearl bracelet. Produced in the 1940s by the Swiss house of Lucien Piccard , this unusual white gold cocktail-style watch won’t be for everyone, said Sigmund Shonholtz, the dealer who is offering the piece. “ The buyer will be someone who is pretty brave and likes to stand out, ” he said, adding that he still has a soft spot for what he calls the house’s off-road designs , which once counted Frank Sinatra among its fans.
- Used Rolex women's watch in Paris
Tasaki pearl women's watch
Japanese pearl house Tasaki is on a mission to push the boundaries of what can be done with pearls. To make them into modern fashion accessories, as evidenced by its decision in 2017 to appoint Prabal Gurung as its creative director. This Abstract Star watch ($61,910), with its star-cut dial and diamond bezel, marries Akoya pearls with the trend for celestial-style jewelry. This women’s pearl watch evokes a night sky filled with twinkling stars. As much as Tasaki is adept at creating pearl jewelry, producing watches is a whole other challenge, the house said in an email.
Birks
For Art Deco purists, Mr. Shonholtz is also selling a vintage pearl watch from the early 1920s ($3,500) with an eye-catching pearl-set bezel. It comes from Canadian jeweler and watchmaker Birks, a house favored by Princess Grace, Princess Margaret and most recently Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. With a slightly elongated shape of 26 millimeters by 25 millimeters and its original sunburst crown, the watch has a simple white enamel dial but its hand-painted blue numerals and red 12 o’clock stand out. “The workmanship is incredible,” Mr. Shonholtz said. It is a delicate piece: “If you drop the watch, the thinness of the dial means it would shatter,” he warned.
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