Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/292443
90 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM " e challenge we face as an industry is giving women the perfect blend of beauty and technology." —CHRISTIAN SELMONI The Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Fabuleux Ornements 9903 French Lace watch ($147,600) features handcrafted guilloche and translucent grand feu enameling on the dial, while the open-worked 18k gold plate is set with sapphires and diamonds. It houses the ultraslim (1.64mm) manual Calibre 1003 skeletonized movement. Available in late fall by appointment at Shreve, Crump & Low, 39 Newbury St., 617-267-9100; vacheronconstantin.com A walk through the halls of SIHH—the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie luxury watch exhibition, held in January in Geneva—was an eye-opening experience. The "booths" were anything but. Inspired by their brands' respective messages, these sprawling exhibit spaces offered a glimpse inside a mansion's great room, a peek at the world of ocean life, and a mechanical wonder featuring life-size automatons holding watches under magnifiers and turning in place once every hour. While SIHH took luxury to new heights this year, there was another impor- tant message: Women reign supreme. More than ever before, the unveilings focused squarely on satisfying the demands of today's discerning female clients. "In the past, it seemed we perceived women as liking watches as fashion accessories," says Christian Selmoni, artistic director of Vacheron Constantin. "But in reality, ladies recognize watches as fine objects of art and technolog y. They appreciate them the same way that men do, and this is an important fact to respond to." The new realm of women's watches includes automatic and mechanical pieces with small complications, such as chronographs, skeletons, calen- dars, and moon-phase indicators, as well as highly artistic watches that offer diversity and versatility. Ladies First THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE HEADLINED GENEVA'S SALON INTERNATIONAL DE LA HAUTE HORLOGERIE, AND ITS INFLUENCE IS ALREADY SWEEPING BOSTON. BY ROBERTA NAAS continued on page 92 TIME HONORED 090-092_BC_SS_TimeHonored_LteSpring14.indd 90 4/4/14 10:08 AM