The pearl women's watch inspires the great watchmaking houses
Mother-of-pearl dial watches, ranging from the dark tones of Tahitian pearls to the sparkling clarity of the whitest pearls, are particularly popular right now. However, some watchmaking houses go even further by decorating their creations with real whole pearls to offer something original: a women's pearl watch.
This type of timepiece, currently in demand on the market, echoes an accelerating trend: the creation of increasingly original pearl jewelry. Not so long ago considered old-fashioned, pearls are now flooding the most fashionable circles. Especially on TikTok, where Vivienne Westwood's pearl choker is making waves.
The renewed appeal for pearls also extends to women's watches
Pearls are entirely natural, which gives them a particularly precious character. "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 precautions are not taken and they are not maintained.
On the watchmakers' side, pearl watches have always existed. Below, we invite you to discover some models of pre-owned pearl watches, as well as current models, as some houses today offer contemporary creations. Here are 7 examples, whether vintage or recent timepieces.
Patek Philippe
Pearl watches inevitably resemble jewelry. This 1909 Patek Philippe pocket watch was reportedly made in collaboration with a jeweler, said Daniel Somlo of Somlo Antiques in London. The boutique specializing in antique jewelry offers the piece for $53,500. The design of this platinum pocket watch features an enameled and guilloché case, topped with a central marquise-cut diamond and a bezel set with emeralds. All of this is adorned with platinum filigree lace punctuated with diamonds. Mr. Somlo said this is the kind of piece appreciated by Asian customers. Apparently, "they love to wear them as necklaces," he said. Asian buyers have long coveted watches set with pearls, particularly 19th-century pocket watches with bezels dotted with half-pearls. These were originally made in Europe specifically for the Chinese market.
- Pre-owned Vacheron Constantin watches
Chanel women's pearl watch
Chanel is one of the few watchmakers to frequently create watches set with pearls. This is a jewel that Coco Chanel particularly appreciated. The French house regularly uses pearls in its creations, from fashion to accessories to jewelry. Its latest high jewelry collection commemorated the centenary of Chanel N°5, its legendary perfume. This collection pays homage to it by drawing inspiration from the distinctive shape of the bottle and the number 5. Patrice Leguéreau, director of Chanel's fine jewelry creation studio, revealed in an email that the Bubbly Stopper pearl watch (above, price on request) is the "representation of a light and airy stopper made with a very fine line on which pearls appear like dew drops." The pearls added softness to the design, he said, noting that it is technically difficult to set pearls in such a way as to create the illusion of weightless floating.
Jaquet Droz
In late 2013, Jaquet Droz unveiled a women's collection, the Lady 8, which positions a single Akoya pearl above a watch dial at 12 o'clock. The junction between the pearl and the watch is made in a whirlwind of diamonds that trace the symbol of infinity. Other similar Jaquet Droz watches followed, including a version combining a brown pearl with brown garnet cabochons. In 2018, a reduced-size Lady 8 Petite line was introduced with an even smaller 25-millimeter case. The latest model, the Lady 8 Petite Pearl ($14,400), gives off a particularly casual feel with its brown calfskin wrap-around strap, combined with all the usual Swiss mechanical features:
- Automatic winding movement
- Silicon balance spring
- 38 hours of power reserve
- 30 meters water resistance
Bulgari women's pearl watch
Bulgari is not exactly known for its pearl jewelry. The Italian house built its reputation with extravagant pieces set with Paraiba tourmalines, amethysts, and emeralds the size of a large gumball. As a result, the Serpenti Misteriosi High Jewelry Baroque Pearls secret watch (price on request) truly stood out from the rest of the high jewelry collection released in July 2020.
The 10-level design of this Bulgari women's watch features 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 "master craftsmanship" has never been more appropriate!
- Vintage Longines women's watch
Lucien Piccard
This Art Deco-inspired secret women's watch ($5,500) would likely appeal to vintage collectors due to its very small 22-millimeter size and its diamond-trimmed pearl dial, which opens to reveal a hidden dial bordered with more pearls. The whole is complemented by a bracelet composed of 3 rows of pearls. Produced in the 1940s by the Swiss house Lucien Piccard, this unusual white gold cocktail-style watch will not appeal to everyone, said Sigmund Shonholtz, the dealer offering the piece. "The buyer will be a rather brave person, who likes to stand out," he said, adding that he still has a soft spot for what he calls the house's all-terrain creations, which could count Frank Sinatra among its fans.
- Pre-owned Rolex women's watch in Paris
Tasaki women's pearl watch
The Japanese house Tasaki, specializing in pearls, is on a mission to push the boundaries of what can be done with them. To make them 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 cutout star 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 sparkling stars. Regardless of Tasaki's expertise in 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 the Canadian jeweler and watchmaker Birks, a house appreciated by Princess Grace, Princess Margaret, and more recently Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. With a slightly elongated shape of 26 by 25 millimeters and its original sun-style crown, the watch features a simple white enamel dial where blue numerals and a red 12 o'clock, all hand-painted, stand out. "The finish is incredible," said Mr. Shonholtz. It is a delicate piece: "If you drop the watch, the thinness of the dial means it would break," he warned.
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