M Cut watch and Les Muses jewelry: Mellerio targets young people
Mellerio dits Meller has been creating precious jewelry and art objects since the Renaissance. As such, its claim to be the oldest jewelry house in the world is plausible. This doesn't stop it from innovating. It recently unveiled a new timepiece: the M Cut mechanical watch. With the Les Muses jewelry (new Riviera collection), the house clearly aims to attract young people.
M Cut: Mellerio's first automatic watch
"This is our first automatic watch," said Laure-Isabelle Mellerio, 52, the company's general and artistic director. Since taking over the family business after her husband's death in 2018, Ms. Mellerio has made it her mission to attract a young clientele. She hopes to achieve her goal with this high-end M Cut watch.
In recent years, Mellerio has produced luxury watches, but only quartz. The new M Cut watch collection, on the other hand, uses mechanical movements made in Switzerland by one of the most prestigious producers in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The M Cut uses the ETA 2000 caliber, which is visible without disassembly. The prices of a Mellerio M Cut start from €7,600 and can go up to €17,600.
Design of the Mellerio M Cut
The Mellerio tradition is respected with the egg-shaped watch design, a style adopted since the early 90s. "It is based on the Beau Sancy," said Côme Mellerio, 28, the house's international sales director.
The Beau Sancy is a 34.98-carat diamond renowned not only for its size, but also for its unusual shape. The jewel gets its name from one of its first owners. The diamond later became the centerpiece of the crown that Marie de' Medici wore for her coronation as Queen of France in 1610.
The first Mellerio watches inspired by the Beau Sancy
In 1993, Mellerio began making Beau Sancy-shaped watches, equipped with Swiss-made quartz movements. From steel cases with clean lines on leather straps to gold cases with guilloché dials, there's something for every budget. A dazzling women's model for sale on Mellerio's website is the Medicis watch, a diamond-paved watch sold for €90,000.
- Akillis Paris luxury jewelry
In contrast, the M Cut watches are unisex, said Ms. Mellerio. Their size? 36.95 millimeters by 30 millimeters. The cases are made of steel, white gold or yellow gold; the dials in white, black, navy blue or silver; and the straps are in a variety of colors, in calfskin or alligator leather with metal buckles that also mimic the shape of the Beau Sancy.
Les Muses jewelry by Mellerio: created for young people
Like the M Cut watches, the Les Muses jewelry collection is aimed at a young audience.
"I observe people in the street, and I see people wearing a lot of small necklaces, layering them," she said. "I want to introduce these young people to wearing Mellerio jewelry." The Les Muses collection is inspired by the house's traditional motifs:
- Crosses
- Flowers
- Fleur-de-lis
- Beau Sancy ovoid shape
However, these motifs have been used to create lightweight gold jewelry. These include:
- The Mellerio "Le petit cactus vanille" necklace with 5 diamond and green gold motifs
- The Cléo ring with 2 motifs in 18-carat rose gold
A new Les Muses line, named Riviera, was inspired "by our customers from the 1900s who went to the beach," said Ms. Mellerio. The collection will be officially launched in September 2022.
