Created in the midst of an unprecedented year, this year’s issue of LADY by GMT is dedicated to the women who weathered the storm that is 2020, as well as those who continue to perpetuate traditional craftsmanship in a world that continues to move at lightning speed. If you think back to what the women’s watch market looked like 20 years ago compared to now, you will see two very different universes serving very different women. Women’s watches and jewellery have evolved and changed at an unbelievable speed. Vintage has come and gone (and is now once again in style); watches have grown from small and discreet to bigger and bolder; and, most importantly, the reason we wear these beloved models has also evolved.
We explore these themes in a myriad of articles in this issue of LADY by GMT. Our Paris-based contributor Nazanin Lankarani delved into how haute joaillerie is moving away from dainty, flowery pieces towards the freedom of abstraction, writing that in jewellery, “like art, abstraction is a means of freeing design from the constraints of literal representation. Using a dazzling palette of colourful precious stones, jewellery maisons are now experimenting with graphic, organic, and asymmetrical shapes that span the continuum of abstraction.”
Women’s watches and jewellery have become more varied and complex, thereby reflecting an ever-more diverse clientele. Our contributor Yannick Nardin looks at that through a more historical lens with Vacheron Constantin’s storied archives of producing wristwatches for women in its 265-year history. Marie de Pimodan-Bugnon does the same with Breguet’s legendary Reine de Naples, created for Caroline Murat and widely regarded as the first ever wristwatch.
We spoke (via Zoom, of course) to Catherine Rénier, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s CEO, about the Reverso’s timeless appeal (now widely regarded as a unisex model) and how leadership matters in times of crisis: “The maison really showed its strength by being very responsive and I think this was made possible by our core values and our specific identity. We need creativity and positive thinking in this context, so we naturally took a fresh look at how we should do that. We have adapted, but we haven’t changed.” And Rénier isn’t the only person in the industry we spoke to—in our “Women in the Industry” feature, Aline Sylla-Walbaum (Christie’s Global Managing Director of Luxury) joins other industry-stirrers such as Catherine Henry (COO of the emerging GENUS watch brand), Hind Seddiqi (Director General of Dubai Watch Week) and Catherine Eberlé-Devaux (Heritage Director of TAG Heuer) to tell us more about themselves and the moments in their careers that marked them the most.
This diversity in luxury watches and high jewellery is something we also decided to explore in the pages of The Millennium Watch Book (available on www.the-watch-book.com), in select chapters written by veteran watch journalist Roberta Naas and yours truly (and, if I may say so myself, a must for anyone looking to deepen their knowledge of contemporary watch history).
But back to this issue. 2020 has been, shall we say, rocky at best. Even in these uncertain times, we here at GMT have kept moving forward, looking to delve into and celebrate great models made by talented people, such as the exquisite talents of Anita Porchet, master enamellist, and her latest work for Audemars Piguet. And you’ll also find Audemars Piguet gracing our cover—one of my favourites we’ve ever done—on the Royal Oak Concept Frosted Gold Flying Tourbillon’s global appeal and its ideal match with haute couture, a true celebration of an increasingly diversified market, one that is growing more creative and exciting even in these tumultuous times.
