Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BAUME & MERCIER TIME HONORED watch to the world a full century ago and has never hesitated to look to its rich past for design inspiration. "With watches such as our 1972 collection," says Hugues de Pins, president of Vacheron Constantin in North America, "we pay tribute to our history while celebrating the values of classic, elegant design and technical mas- tery." With that in mind, it should be noted that imagining a stunning new case shape doesn't necessarily mean it can be brought to fruition. Generally, according to several watch brand executives, bringing a truly unique shape to the market requires additional research and development, new tooling, and many more steps in the production process, often translating to an addi- tional six months or longer (as compared to a round case) before it becomes a reality. What's more, newly shaped dials and crystals also need to be cre- ated for the case shape. For these reasons, such beguiling beauties generally command a slightly higher retail price than their round counterparts but are well worth it for their abstract, timeless appeal. MA TURN BACK TIME Luxury watchmakers delve into their archives for creative inspiration. 1972 Small Model watch, Vacheron Constantin ($42,900). continued from page 94 development of the Diane von Furstenberg line of jewelry and watches, cre- ated a highly unusual geometric case shape that recalls the aesthetic influences of this dynamic woman and emulates her jewelry inspirations. "A watch should be designed for the woman with a powerful and feminine spirit," says Roberto Stern, H.Stern's president and creative director. Creative case shapes are currently enjoying renewed attention in Chicago. Creative case shapes have long been popular with sophisticated watch lov- ers and are currently enjoying renewed attention in Chicago. Watch brands began creating these shapes as early as the 1920s, with many inspired by the floral forms of Art Nouveau. Suddenly round wristwatches gave way to bejew- eled beauties flowers, leaves, or in the shapes of ribbons and bows. Not even a decade later, a new genre of emerged—shimmering pieces oversize rectangular, marquise, or triangular shapes as watch brands emulated the architectural and geo- shaped watches in metrical motifs of the art, fashions, and designs of the Deco age. The post–World War II era saw a renewed interest in flora and fauna, and animal-inspired watches burst onto the scene. Later, bolder styles contra- dicted this style, with many brands unveiling rectangular, oval, and tonneau (barrel) shaped cases with sleeker profiles and more classic designs. The venerable house of Cartier was inspired by its exquisite jewelry designs to turn shape into time on the wrist with its Délices collection of femininely curved timepieces. Its elongated, fluid form is both whimsical and weighty, calling to mind the art of Salvador Dalí. Vacheron Constantin's 1972 has an asymmetrical form based on an archival time- piece from 40 years ago; in fact, this brand (the oldest continually operated Swiss watchmaker still in existence) unveiled its first tonneau-shaped 96 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM Today many high-end watch brands are reinterpreting gemstone dials and unusual case shapes from the past and updating styles for the 21st-century woman. During the 1970s top brands introduced creative case shapes, including oval, cushion-cornered square, and avant-garde asymmetrical designs. At that time, Vacheron Constantin designed its now-iconic 1972 watch with its strong geometric form. "The 1972's asymmetric shape pushed the boundaries of horological design, yet has proven its style is enduring," says Hugues de Pins, president of Vacheron Constantin in North America. "Today's savvy customer understands and appreciates the different lines of time that influence all of us." In 1973, Baume & Mercier was honored with the Golden Rose distinction for its creative diamond-set white-gold Galaxy Stardust watch, which featured an onyx dial set in an asymmetrical, round-cornered rectangular case, surrounded by a bezel set with 138 diamonds. Also in the mid- 1970s, Chopard won the Golden Rose award for its first Happy Diamond watches, in which diamonds seem to free-float on the dial. These timepieces were offered in cushion-cornered square cases for added drama. During this era, Piaget favored the oval dial, often set horizontally and constructed of semiprecious gemstones such as jade, coral, turquoise, malachite, and tiger-eye. Baume & Mercier's diamond-set white- gold Stardust watch from the 1970s.