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92 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM "The challenge we face as an indust r y is g iving women the perfect blend of beauty and technology," Selmoni explains. "It is not good enough to put a mechanical movement inside a watch. We need to push to develop new looks for this new frontier." Vacheron Constantin has done precisely that. Of the 16 brands exhib- iting at SIHH last year, it was the only one to display women's watches exclusively, including artistic masterpieces with enamel dials and mechanical movements. This year the company continued that feminine focus, unveiling the Métiers d'Art Fabuleux Ornements collection, which celebrates the decorative arts. Exemplars of fine watchmaking, these time- pieces feature open-worked calibers, as well as cases and dials showcasing the arts of guilloche, enamel, engraving, gem setting, and more. Each new watch in the series houses the brand's ultraslim (1.64mm) Calibre 1003, consisting of a lacework of meticulously engraved wheel trains visible in the center of the watch dial and through the caseback. The series includes pieces bearing Indian, Ottoman, French, and Chinese-inspired motifs. Other brands are focused on giving women beauty with a touch of brawn. Hence the house Roger Dubuis, which has been creating timepieces for women since its inception in 1995, unveiled its haute joaillerie Velvet Collection at SIHH, featuring watches with mechanical movements on the inside and gems on the outside. Similarly, this year Ralph Lauren will go beyond its beloved Stirrup collection of timepieces, releasing the new Ralph Lauren 867 line—named to honor the designer's historic New York City f lag- ship store at 867 Madison Avenue. These glamorous reinterpretations of Art Deco are crafted in gold and house the RL430 mechanical caliber. Many other brands are also following suit in developing collections exclusively for the fairer sex. As aff luent, independent women make more of their own purchases in the luxury watch field, their buying power is being felt around the world. For more watch features and expanded coverage, go to bostoncommon-magazine.com/watches. BC continued from page 90 FROM LEFT: The new Ralph Lauren 867 Diamond timepiece ($160,000) in 18k white gold is equipped with the caliber RL430 mechanical manual winding movement. Ralph Lauren, 93 Newbury St., 617-424-1124; ralphlaurenwatches.com Roger Dubuis embellishes the Velvet Sapphire Haute Joaillerie watch (price upon request) with hundreds of diamonds weighing approximately 11.26 carats and two sapphire gemstone accents. It is powered by the RD831 self-winding mechanical movement. Shreve, Crump & Low, 39 Newbury St., 617-267-9100; rogerdubuis.com TIME HONORED 090-092_BC_SS_TimeHonored_LteSpring14.indd 92 4/4/14 10:08 AM