GPHG 2023: Final Nominations for the Ladies’ and Ladies’ Complications Categories Revealed

As we gear up for the watch industry’s Oscars, the GPHG, GMT India takes a closer look at all watches that have been nominated in the Ladies’ and Ladies’ Complication categories.  

Ladies’

Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 38 Mintnight 

Released at the recently concluded Geneva Watch Days, the Perpetual Moon 38 Mintnight presents a poetic dial with hints of mint green. The ‘Mintnight’ colour depicts nighttime in shades of mint green, turquoise, teal, and sky blue. This limited edition of 18 timepieces prominently features mother-of-pearl with a gentle gradient. This opalescent sheen is enhanced by the shimmer of the ruthenium moon and the dial foreground, together with the brilliant-cut diamonds that dazzle on the bezel, the lugs, and the hour markers.

Beauregard Lili Bouton 

This dainty high jewellery piece embodies the soul of Beauregard, displaying the highest level of craftsmanship in every detail. Lili Bouton refers to a discreet floral composition, wherein every petal is invisibly set and patiently hand-polished.The piece stands out with its eye-catching miniature garden of gems, blooming on the dial, and its flawless diamond-set pink gold case.

Hermès Arceau Petite Lune  

The Hermès Arceau watch made its debut in 1978 and was an instant success with its sophisticated silhouette, wherein the round white gold case, set with 70 diamonds, rested on a stirrup. The Arceau Petite Lune features an astral world, sculpted in aventurine, mother-of-pearl, aragonite, and opal. The iridescent shimmer evokes the Northern Lights and the moonphase adds to the overall celestial charm. The dreamy timepiece beats to the rhythm of the Manufacture Hermès H1837 self-winding movement and the Petite Lune module, driving the display of the hours and minutes as well as the moon phases between 10 and 11 o’clock. 

Piaget Hidden Treasures 

This revives the cuff watches, popular in the 1960s-70s, a hallmark of Piaget’s audacity and creative vision. The signature oval dial remains half hidden by the gold work of the bracelet that appears to grow over the case and the ornamental dial, highlighting the naturalistic theme. It is hand-engraved with different patterns and textures, emblematic of Piaget’s expertise in the art of engraving and dedication to Métiers d’Or. The golden bracelet reproduces the famous lines of the Palace Decor and is inset with a sapphire-framed case and dial of turquoise. Read more about the Hidden Treasures here.

Van Cleef & Arpels Ludo Secret watch

The Ludo Secret watch celebrates the timeless elegance of one of Van Cleef & Arpels’ iconic pieces: the Ludo bracelet. Introduced in 1934, this collection pays tribute to the world of couture with a precious jewel-like belt. The brick-pattern meshwork on the bracelet is carefully assembled by hand for optimal flexibility. The rose gold, fused with diamonds, creates a delicate secret watch. With a simultaneous press of two motifs, the guilloché white mother-of-pearl dial is revealed, continuing the tradition of secret watches.

XRby La Montre d'Art Espressione Romantica

XRby’s collaboration with master artisans has resulted in the latest “Espressione Romantica”, created by EPF architect, designer, and enameller, Matteo Stauffacher. The collection captures the theme of contrast and represents an improbable encounter between Francesco Hayez, a leading artist of Italian Romanticism, and Wassily Kandinsky, pioneer of abstract art. The dial is a magnificent fusion of the two artists’ works: “Il bacio” from 1859 and “Transverse line” from 1923. Stauffacher’s dial is crafted with the cloisonné enamel technique, wherein the pattern is outlined in gold wire and the cells are filled with enamel. For finishing touches, each piece is fired several times and then sanded to perfection.

Ladies’ Complication

This category features notable women's watches that include both classic and innovative complications, such as annual calendar, perpetual calendar, complex moonphases, and tourbillon. 

Andersen Genève Arctic Sunrise Andersen Genève x BCHH

The "Celestial Voyager" Collection, made by ANDERSEN Genève for BCHH (Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie), was launched in 2021 with a pre-series of seven timepieces. Founded in 2019 by long-time collector Benjamin Chee, it was born of a dream to combine traditional Haute Horlogerie with artisans from other fields of classical high craftsmanship.
The new Celestial Voyager series offers the “Arctic Sunrise” model, featuring a pink gold case. Linked to the "Northern Lights" theme, the piece dazzles in unique natural colours. The ivory mother-of-pearl city ring with 24 cities in pink gold evokes dreams of flying through wispy clouds to seek new adventures. 

Chopard Imperiale Jumping Hour

The Chopard Imperiale Jumping Hour showcases the Maison’s horological prowess, embodied in Calibre L.U.C 98.06-L1. The L.U.C. movement is an innovative jumping-hour calibre, equipped with exclusive Chopard Quattro technology, developed entirely in-house. A splendid tableau is brought to life as the 12 o’clock aperture displays the hours and minutes that tick gracefully past the centre showcasing the rotation of a fully engraved flower.

Chopard Quattro technology’s four stacked and coupled barrels allow this watch a 190-hour power reserve despite the amount of energy consumed by the rotation of the hours disc. A union of glamour and mechanical prowess, the case is crafted from ethical 18 ct yellow gold, entirely set with diamonds. The dial is decorated with the ancient Japanese Urushi technique.

Dior Montres Grand Soir Automatic Etoile de Monsieur Dior

This timepiece tells the tale of the birth of the House of Dior. When Christian Dior navigated the streets of Paris in April 1946, wanting to believe in his destiny, he found a star on the ground. It was a providential star that became a lucky charm that would show him the path to follow: create his Couture House at the emblematic 30 Montaigne in Paris.

The Grand Soir Etoile de Monsieur Dior represents this magical destiny with its animations. The dial unfolds this dreamscape in different layers, creating depth and magic, depicting the precious night stroll. By activating the automaton with the push button, the sky of this Diorama becomes a theatre of true enchantment.

Gucci Timepieces G-Timeless Planetarium 

The G-Timeless Planetarium is centred around the Dancing Hours Flying Tourbillon, GGC.1976.DS. It is named after the Orion Nebula NGC 1976, one of brightest nebulae in our galaxy that is visible with the naked eye. The tourbillon is at front and centre of the dial, set with a diamond-studded star. A start-and-stop function on the crown activates a rotation of 12 bright stars, punctuated with diamonds, each one spinning around itself in nine seconds and orbiting clockwise around the dial in 90 seconds. 

IWC Schaffhausen Portofino Perpetual Calendar

The smallest perpetual calendar in IWC’s portfolio, the 40 mm watch features an 18 ct 5N gold case, a silver-plated dial, and gold-plated hands and appliques. The brand’s iconic perpetual calendar was originally engineered, during the 1980s, by the former head watchmaker, Kurt Klaus. The ingenious mechanism is mechanically programmed to recognise the different lengths of the months as well as the leap years, running without adjustments until the year 2100. Three subdials display the calendar information. Crafted in solid gold, the moonphase disc displays the moon against the backdrop of a star-studded night sky. A special reduction gear train makes it so precise that it will only deviate by one day from the orbit of Earth’s satellite after 577.5 years. The transparent sapphire glass back offers a glimpse of the IWC-manufactured 82650 calibre.

Louis Vuitton Fiery Heart Automata

Louis Vuitton’s first in-house self-winding movement, Tambour Fiery Heart Automata, embodies high-watchmaking savoir-faire courtesy of the specialist movement workshop, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, in Geneva. The petals and the glossy heart of the brand’s first in-house enamel dial hides a secret. By pushing the button at 8 o'clock, the Tambour Fiery Heart Automata blooms with a lush profusion of dial animations. An external halo of thorns emerges and extends radially outwards while the enamel roses turn into spinning Monogram flowers at their centres, with diamond pistils firing rays of refracted light. The flames of the blazing heart dance and when the heart cracks open, a jagged fissure reveals a bold caveat, “Sweet But Fierce”, engraved on the heart. The flying tourbillon at 6 o'clock provides the rhythmic pulse of the watch, marking out the seconds over the course of its one-minute rotation.

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