A mechanical Rolex Replica watches for women as part of a genuine strategy to develop and position a brand… still nothing but a dream? Possibly not, as closer scrutiny suggests the days when watchmakers considered a woman incapable of appreciating horological mechanisms at their true value have been relegated to the past. A selection from the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, out to win women’s hearts.

Granted, there are still brands which claim to devote a large portion of their creativity to women, when all they do is shrink the cases of their best-selling men’s watches and scatter them with diamonds or mother-of-pearl. Others invest in this segment to confirm their identity or extend their presence… banishing quartz movements along the way. As a market where horological mechanics appeal to men and women alike, no doubt China has something to do with this.

Decorative arts, astrology and botany

This year as last, Vacheron Constantin has set aside part of its Métiers d’Art collection for women. The four Fabuleux Ornements Omega Replica watches are proposed each as a limited edition of 20, and interpret decorative arts from world cultures: Ottoman architecture, the illuminated miniatures of Indian manuscripts, French lace, and traditional Chinese embroidery. Each theme is brought to light through a combination of artistic crafts – ten in all – which give each dial a stunning presence. Only a precious heart could complete this anatomy, and so Vacheron Constantin has chosen an extra-thin, openworked and hand-engraved movement in gold, which is visible through the dial. These watches are among the few women’s timepieces to bear the Poinçon de Genève.

The métiers d’art take pride of place at Van Cleef & Arpels too. The Place Vendôme jeweller deploys its now famously poetic time, and this year accentuates its heavenly dimension, a theme explored in its watch creations since 2008. Part of the Extraordinary Dials collection, the new hand-wound Lady Arpels Zodiac series holds the astrological signs that are scattered across the heavenly sphere inside its 38mm diameter. These twelve Breitling Replica watches, a limited edition of 22, call on multiple crafts. The stylised constellations on the dial are also hand-engraved on the back of the case.

At Piaget, admirers of beautiful horological mechanics will leave aside the quartz-driven High Jewellery pieces and instead focus their attention on the Piaget Rose Passion Altiplano. The flower which inspired Yves Piaget from the earliest days blooms on the dial, captured in incredible lifelike detail by the delicacy of enamel. The hand-wound, extra-thin, Piaget 430P mechanical movement resides inside the 38mm case.

Rare crafts and woven webs

Jaeger-LeCoultre builds on the success of its Rendez-Vous collection for women, launched in 2012. Imagined as a woman’s best friend around the clock, this year it lends itself to an unusual 27.5mm diameter on a metal bracelet. Its three hands and date (in an aperture) are driven by the self-winding JLC 966 calibre. A guilloché pattern in the centre of the dial is a reminder of the brand’s expertise in its “métiers rares”, as it calls them. The blued hands delve into watchmaking’s finest tradition, and contrast with the relatively contemporary hour circle.

Richard Mille has made 2014 a year for women, shown by the new models specifically for the fairer sex. These include a watch inspired by Natalie Portman which the brand developed in close consultation with the actress. This astonishing Tourbillon RM 19-01 is held prisoner by a diamond-studded spider, poised inside the characteristic tri-part case. The predator insect is in fact an integral part of the movement: its abdomen supports the tourbillon bridges while its legs support the two winding barrels. The baseplate takes the form of a spider’s web edged with black sapphires. A limited edition of 20.

A girl’s best friend…

Parmigiani Fleurier introduces Metro, a new collection with entry-level positioning. The Tonda Métropolitaine, for women, is rooted in reality, a watch for city life. Driven by the self-winding 3000 calibre, it stands out from its peers with its asymmetric design: the left side, without the crown, has a classic line whose droplet shape is one of the brand’s very first style signatures; less conventional, the right side features elongated horns which extend as far as the crown. A dissymmetry that goes almost unnoticed. Doubtless one of the ways a woman swathes herself in mystery…

Needless to say, diamonds are still a girl’s best friend and Cartier, one of the Maisons most closely associated with High Jewellery Fake watches UK, confirms Howard Hawks’ intuition. The brand unveils a profusion of exceptional timepieces whose creative brio is matched with the art of setting precious stones. We fell for the Panthère Ajourée watch, part of the L’Heure Envoûtée de Cartier collection. Stalking through shadow and light, black enamel and diamonds, the feline takes possession of time in a Baignoire case. Everything about this watch says Cartier. Lastly we turn to Audemars Piguet, not for its feminised Royal Oaks but for its High Jewellery creation, inspired by the cosmos and scintillating with 449 diamonds. This astonishing “creature” mixes straight lines and curves, playing with the mystery of a free-flowing, asymmetric silhouette. Time is given by a hand-wound, manufacture movement which is seen through the case back.

Jérôme Lambert hasn’t wasted any time in putting his stamp on Montblanc with the Heritage collection. Based on traditional watchmaking principles and “less strictlyMontblanc”, this new collection reflects the brand’s ambitions in the world of watchmaking.

Jérôme Lambert has been at the helm of Montblanc since summer 2013 and, having been accustomed to strong growth during his time at Jaeger-LeCoultre, he now faces a new challenge at the Hamburg brand. Although the world leader in writing instruments achieved a turnover of 766 million euros—with an operating profit of 120 million euros—during the last financial year (which ended on March 31, 2013), results from the first nine months of the new financial year show a 3 to 4% drop in sales. It was precisely to give the brand a kick-start that Richemont appointed Jérôme Lambert to head up Montblanc, which was once the second largest company within the group. Lambert is a man who relishes a challenge, has a lot of energy to give and, according to his colleagues, has come into the company like a whirlwind. Although the pace of change has come as a surprise to some, the CEO notes that “our teams are extremely motivated and highly qualified.”

Back to basics

As Jérôme Lambert sees it, his task is first and foremost to “free the Maison’s creativity and inventiveness and improve the content of its products to show that Montblanc is a brand that values substance.” The CEO demonstrated that he has already made his mark on the watch collections of the Hamburg company at the 2014 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), where the world leader in writing instruments showed how it plans to mark its territory with the launch of the new Heritage collection. The collection reveals that, when it comes to consolidating the brand’s position and boosting its reputation within the watchmaking industry, you can’t beat the classics. The Heritage collection is therefore “more traditional watchmaking and less strictlyMontblanc”. The Rolex Replica watches in the collection are timeless and draw on the fundamental principles of traditional watchmaking, similar to those found in the catalogs of practically all long-standing brands. Today, the brand is focusing less on originality and more on watchmaking heritage.

Jérôme Lambert’s overall aim is to “reinject creative energy and boldness” into Montblanc’s products and he has begun by laying solid new foundations for the brand’s watchmaking activity. His strategy is no doubt to use these as a basis on which to rebuild the brand. “We have 150 employees in Le Locle and nearly forty in Villeret, as well as 5 watch manufacturers, so we clearly have expertise in watchmaking that not all brands in our market can claim,” notes Jérôme Lambert. With approximately 90,000 Omega Replica watches sold every year, Montblanc’s watchmaking activity today accounts for some 25% of its overall turnover (nearly 200 million euros). This is equivalent to revenue from its leather goods, but far behind that from writing instruments—the brand’s original market—which account for 40-45% of its turnover. Jewelry accounts for most of the remaining 5-10%. However, it should be noted that this breakdown of the brand’s different business activities differs greatly from region to region and from one country to another. For example, in Switzerland watchmaking is Montblanc’s primary business activity.

Bridging the gap

Elegant esthetics and timeless design are the two principles that underpin the new Heritage collection. One replica watches UK in particular will immediately stand out to watch connoisseurs—a classic single push-piece chronograph with two timers and a vintage design to rival those of the most prestigious Manufactures. There are just 90 of these limited edition timepieces available, each fitted with a superbMontblanc Minerva movement. The new collection also includes a classic perpetual calendar, a moon phase model, a three-hand model with date display and an automatic model with hour and minute displays. All models come in rose gold or steel, with the exception of the single push-piece chronograph, which is available only in rose gold.

The Heritage collection was also designed to bridge the gap between Montblanc’s standard ranges (priced on average at several thousand euros) and its Villeret collections (costing closer to 100,000 euros).

By the end of SIHH 2014, no one was left in any doubt that Montblanc, as well as consolidating its position as the undisputed market leader in writing instruments, is also aiming to strengthen its position in the watch market. Being ranked in the top twenty of watch manufacturers is clearly not enough. However, all this talk of growth and creating a mid-range line between its standard collections and haute horlogerieVilleret/Minerva products points to an increase in the brand’s manufacturing capacity. Could it be thinking of acquiring a Manufacture capable of producing tens of thousands of movements per year, like almost all of the other brands in the group? Jérôme Lambert neatly sidesteps the issue, claiming “It’s a bit early for me to give a definitive answer to that question.”But the question is on the table.