3 new gold bracelets that stand out from the crowd

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3 new gold bracelets that stand out from the crowd - SIHH 2015
2 minutes read
Highlights from day 2

The Van Cleef & Arpels Cadenas model is based on a design that dates back to 1935 that was, as legend has it, bought Edward, Duke of Windsor (the only British monarch ever to abdicate) as a gift for the Duchess of Windsor. Its particularity is that the position of the relatively small dial on the watch meant that only the wearer could actually see the dial and, therefore, the time.

3 new gold bracelets that stand out from the crowd

 

Much more than this, however, the watch has the distinctive design of a padlock (“cadenas” in French means padlock) in which it is the bracelet that dominates the wrist. In this new collection of nine different models, this bracelet comes in versions ranging from alligator to fully-paved white gold. We have picked out this non-set 18-carat red-gold version for its snake design that adds to the jewellery appeal of this revival timepiece.

The Traditional Oval Watches from Piaget are also a revival of a model, and indeed a style, that was popular in the 1960s. Although the oval gem set case (which is available set with diamonds or jade and a choice of different dial colours) is noteworthy on its own, what caught our eye is the intricate detail of the gold bracelet on this model.

Piaget Traditional Oval Watch

 

The bracelet is hand assembled from individual links of gold, then hand-engraved with what Piaget calls the “palace” finish. This turns the familiar polished finish of the gold into a fine texture that almost gives the appearance of a silky fabric draped delicately over the wrist. The bracelet is fitted directly to the case so as to create a seamless ensemble.

Richard Mille surprised the watchmaking community by presenting only feminine models at the SIHH this year. There is plenty more to come throughout the year, at the rate of around one new model every two months, but the focus in Geneva was clearly on women, as the new Tourbillon Fleur model showed.

Richard Mille gold

 

Alongside the new models come new bracelets, in the form of the new “Open Link” gold bracelet. It follows on from the brand’s first gold bracelet for ladies’ watches, which was launched last year, and will be used in the RM 07-01 and RM 037 collections. This new evolution consists of individually hand-made and hand-finished links, each micro-blasted, satin-finished and polished. The sole consolation for male fans of this usually masculine brand was the news of a new titanium bracelet, also produced entirely at the brand’s workshops in Les Breuleux.
 
 

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