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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF F.P. JOURNE, JAEGER-LECOULTRE, AND RICHARD MILLE ago, this year the brand debuts larger sizes with more high-tech materials, all created with women in mind. Focusing on technically sophisticated and unusual haute horolog y, Mille unveils the R M 19 - 01 Tourbillon Natalie Portman, bearing a spider motif in diamonds, and the avant-garde R M 07- 01, which is crafted in adva nced ATZ cera mic a nd houses a skeletonized automat ic movement w it h specia lized t it a nium br idges. Says Mille, "A ll of our ladies' watches have a distinctly glamorous side in addition to being extremely technical." Of cou rse, M ille isn't t he only watch ma ker focusing on ladies' timepieces. Several brands a re now producing fema le-focused automat ic and mechanical watches with small complica- tions, such as chronographs, skeletons, calendars, moon phase indicators, and more. F.P. Journe—a traditional watchmaker known for its handmade mechanical movements and heritage-inspired complexities—takes a different approach with its inaugural women's line, which includes another f irst for t he compa ny: a qua r t z-powered t ime - piece. "We can't close our eyes to the fact that some women like the ease of a quart z watch," expla ins Pier re Ha lim i L acha rlot te, genera l manager of F.P. Journe in America. "But Journe would not have been able to build a quartz watch unless it had complications and unusual abili- ties. It had to be something different—something beautiful and dedicated just to women." Ca lled E lega nte, F.P. Jour ne's women's col- lect ion a lso offers a unique feature: W hen t he watch lies f lat for more than 30 minutes, it stops display ing t he t ime, but when it 's picked up again, the motion wakes the watch, which auto- mat ica lly adjust s to t he proper t ime in t he quickest way possible, moving either forward or backward. Eight years in the research and devel- opment st ages, t he watch embodies Jou r ne's tireless commitment to precision by housing two different movements—one for seconds, one for hou rs a nd m inutes —a desig n t hat a lso ma x i- mizes its decade-long battery life (although the brand recommends that the battery be replaced every five years, along with the gaskets, in order to maintain water resistance). Yet this electro- mecha nica l ma r vel is st ill t h in a nd indeed elegant. Says Lacharlotte, "There is a whimsical, dreamy appeal to a watch that goes to sleep but can wake up on touch." Perhaps more than ever before, Cartier is focusing on versatility, which plays a key role in its Métiers d'Art collection. First released in 2013, the series features artistic dials with overlaid sculp- tures, which can be removed from the case and worn as a brooch. This season's models include a watch with a removable gold, diamond, and emer- ald crocodile, and one with a gold and diamond flamingo over a mother-of-pearl dial, emulating a piece made for the Duchess of Windsor in 1940 by Cartier's famed designer Jeanne Toussaint. Meanwhile, Jaeger-LeCoultre is building on the strength of its two-year-old Rendez-Vous collec- tion, made exclusively for women who appreciate both form and function. This year the brand intro- duces a perpetual-calendar version and the Rendez-Vous Date, with the 27.5mm Calibre 966, one of the smallest mechanical movements on the market. "While we have a long history of making watches for women, this one was different," says Philippe Bonay, president of Jaeger-LeCoultre North America. "We had to create an all-new case just for women, as opposed to shrinking something down from the men's collections. Especially in the high-end watch sector, there is a culture of women who know exactly what they want, who see the watch as a horological piece. While they still want beauty and precious materials, they want a move- ment that makes a statement and elicits a response to their knowledge." MA For more watch features and expanded coverage, go to michiganavemag.com/watches. continued from page 122 FROM TOP: Richard Mille's RM 07-01 Ceramic ($105,000) houses the specially designed caliber CRMA2, a skeletonized automatic high-performance movement. The watch is crafted in gold and scratch-resistant high-tech ATZ ceramic. Atelier Swiss Fine Timing, 645 N. Michigan Ave., 312-337-4700; richardmille.com F.P. Journe's new quartz-powered Elegante ($11,400) stops displaying the time after lying flat for 30 minutes but is awakened by motion, automatically readjusting the clock. Available in June at Swiss Fine Timing, 645 N. Michigan Ave., 312-337-4700; fpjourne.com The Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Perpetual Calendar watch ($49,800) is powered by the mechanical Calibre 868 automatic movement, which takes into account the unequal lengths of the months and requires no adjustment until March 1, 2100. Marshall Pierce & Co., 29 E. Madison St., 312-372-2415; jaeger-lecoultre.com 124 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM TIME HONORED 122-124_MA_SS_TimeHonored_May/June_14.indd 124 4/14/14 9:59 AM