The Most Breathtaking New Jeweled Watches That Will Light Up Red Carpets This Year

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Any watch and jewelry brand seeking maximum attention to convey its core message is wise to invite Julia Roberts, because who wouldn’t turn up for a glimpse of one of the world’s biggest movie stars?

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That was key to Chopard’s strategy during the annual Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva (March 27 to April 2), when the Oscar-winning actress was indeed the star attraction at the brand’s standing-room-only keynote presentation. Roberts is appearing in the luxury house’s current “Chopard Loves Cinema” campaign, directed by James Gray, but instead of discussing the behind-the-scenes details of high-wattage advertising, she threw her support behind the initiative that ranks highest within the house: sustainability, as Chopard furthers its efforts to craft 100 percent of its designs in ethically sourced gold, diamonds and gemstones, as well as the brand’s proprietary recycled Lucent Steel.

“To be sustainable, to be pioneers in this way, is something that people really do admire and look for,” Roberts said at the event. “People here know that consumers are asking really smart questions, and they’re making their purchases based on more than what catches the eye; those days are over. For Chopard, this is just the start, and I think other people will say they have to join. It’s their moral imperative, and it’s also good for business.”

Yet Chopard was only one story among many in a week of stellar watch debuts. Among the designs geared for women, the overarching theme centered on exceptional handcraft in sophisticated pieces that suited a wide range of aesthetics. Here are 10 of the week’s best women’s watches.

Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Pique-Aiguilles

Chanel debuted a variety of timepieces that honor the codes of the house, from pieces splashed with stars to secret watches hidden behind the golden lion that symbolizes Coco Chanel’s astrological sign, Leo. But the collection that captivated many editors was a limited selection of designs based on the pincushion found on the wrists of les petite mains, the seamstresses who excel at couture needlework in the atelier’s workrooms. The Mademoiselle Privé Pique-Aiguilles watches comprise five designs limited to 20 pieces each; four are rooted in needlework themes, such as the lace design seen here, crafted via a trio of Metiers d’Art techniques to create camellias embellished with gold beads and five diamonds. Other dial motifs explore a deconstructed Chanel jacket, a grouping of quilted handbags, and Chanel chains and Byzantine brooches, while the fifth design is a snow-set diamond dial that evokes sequins on a black fabric. Each watch is housed in a 55mm case of 18-karat yellow gold and features a domed crystal and hands crafted to resemble sewing needles, all placed on a black grosgrain strap. Price upon request; at chanel.com

Piaget High Jewelry Sautoir Watch

The lengthy, often pendant-enhanced necklaces known as sautoirs were everywhere in Geneva, each serving as the framework for an elegant watch treatment. At Piaget, iconic designs from 1969 inspired a grouping of sautoirs and cuff watches, including this High Jewelry Sautoir Watch in 18-karat yellow gold, crafted with twisted threads to resemble rope-like links and tassels embellished with diamonds, all to highlight the engraved gold oval dial, which is positioned upside down for easy readability by the wearer. Price upon request; at piaget.com

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Féerie Or Rose

Enchantment is theme lovingly told at Van Cleef & Arpels, from a butterfly that might emerge from the center of a bouquet of flowers on an automaton to the fairies that populate the watches collectively known as the house’s Poetic Complications. On this 33mm Lady Féerie Or Rose timepiece, the house has set one of its signature three-dimensional fairies, here embellished with diamonds and pink sapphires, on a dial crafted of mother of pearl and opaque and plique-à-jour enamel in tonal shades of white, pink and deep plum. The self-winding mechanical movement displays the jumping hours, while the fairy’s wand points the wearer to the retrograde minutes. Price upon request; at vancleefarpels.com

Cartier Clash [Un]Limited

Cartier debuted a healthy selection of new timepieces from its Tank, Panthère, Santos and Pasha collections, yet a resounding favorite among editors was this high-jewelry watch, dubbed Clash [Un]Limited, that represents the pinnacle of the house’s Clash collection. Geometric shapes crafted of coral, chrysoprase, spinels and tsavorites have been combined with diamonds totaling 10.1 carats, all set in rhodium-finished 18-karat pink gold to create a bracelet watch that balances chic modernity with a palette that feels steeped in 1930s glamour. Limited to 30 pieces, price upon request; at cartier.com

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Precious Colours

The latest of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s iconic Reverso watches features a protective case that, as its name implies, allows the wearer to flip, or reverse, the watch dial to reveal a cover highlighting a graphic Art Deco treatment. The Reverso One Precious Colours takes its cue from the Art Deco movement of the 1920s, the decade prior to the original Reverso’s 1931 debut. The 40x20mm case’s pattern is crafted in a miniature geometric pattern employing grand-feu enamel in tonal shades of green, accented with white diamonds and set in 18-karat white gold on a green alligator strap. Price upon request; at jaeger-lecoultre.com

Hermès Arceau Petite Lune

Planets and stars are crafted of aragonite, opal, freshwater mother of pearl, aventurine and diamonds to form the dial on the latest Hermès Arceau Petite Lune, which features a moon-phase function at the 10:30 position. The self-winding mechanical movement is housed in a 38mm case of 18-karat white gold, embellished with 70 round-cut diamonds on the bezel. The sapphire-blue alligator strap is also crafted in the house’s horological workshops. $49,020; similar styles at hermes.com

Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas Infinity

Bulgari released its first Serpenti coiled gold watch in 1948, but the Rome-based house has never rested on the laurels of one of its most iconic designs. To celebrate Serpenti’s 75th anniversary, Bulgari’s artisans have perfected the ability to set diamonds on the coils of 18-karat gold so they form a seductive, continuous curve as they wrap around the wrist, while also remaining smooth to the touch. Christened the Serpenti Tubogas Infinity, the quartz-powered watch is crafted in 18-karat rose gold with a diamond-set dial and is available in both the single-wrap version seen here and a double-wrap style. $66,000 for the single spiral; at bulgari.com

Chopard Happy Sport

Chopard’s announcement that it was expanding its use of Lucent Steel, crafted using 80 percent recycled materials, to include watches beyond its Alpine Eagle collection was indeed the major sustainability statement of the week. Chopard co-presidents Caroline Scheufele and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele said the house’s plan is to use Lucent Steel for all steel watch cases and bracelets by the end of 2023, while upping the amount of recycled materials in Lucent Steel to 90 percent by 2025. This just-released Happy Sport watch is a step in that direction: The 33mm two-tone case is crafted in 18-karat ethical rose gold and Lucent Steel and houses an automatic movement, blue and purple gradient guilloché dial and five dancing diamonds, the signature element of Happy Sport designs, all on a violet alligator leather strap with mother-of-pearl finish. Price upon request; at chopard.com

Dolce & Gabbana Anna Watch

In a suite offering a spectacular view of Lake Geneva, Dolce & Gabbana presented its latest watch and high-jewelry designs, including this Anna timepiece, highlighting tonal pink tourmalines in mixed cuts, which are then placed in a variety of settings crafted of 18-karat red gold by the house’s master goldsmiths in its Italian workshops. A quartz movement and diamond-paved dial are housed in the 34mm case, also encircled with pink tourmalines; an alternate style is available highlighting citrines. $223,300; at saksfifthavenue.com

Gucci G-Timeless Planetarium

Celestial themes were indeed prominent throughout watch appointments in Geneva, and that extended to Gucci, which hosted its presentation at a historic lakefront villa. Amid lavish, wallpapered rooms that put one in mind of The White Lotus‘ second season, Gucci debuted high-watchmaking pieces like this G-Timeless Planetarium, which features at its center the house’s Dancing Hours Flying Tourbillon, GGC.1976.DS, a designation that takes its cue from the Orion Nebula. Around this diamond-embellished tourbillon, a dozen stones — consisting of topaz, peridot, amethyst and Ethiopian opals — represent the hours; when the crown is pressed, each stone spins on itself as the group orbits clockwise around the dial. Price upon request; available exclusively at Gucci, Place Vendôme, Paris

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