Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Papillon Automate
Out of the house of Van Cleef & Arpels is another stunning work of art that one can forget also tells the time. The dial is full of soft shades of blues, greens and mauves, and is reminiscent of a scene from Monet's garden. Resting on top of the dial set with round and pear-cut diamonds, blue and mauve sapphires, champlevé and paillonné enamel, and a mother-of-pearl, plique-à-jour, is a blue enameled butterfly. Not a static butterfly by any means, this butterfly beats it wings during each hour, more frequently so when worn. Since Van Cleef & Arpels know how the owner of the watch will love the movement of the butterfly, the wings can also be activated on command by pushing the button on the side of the case, and they will then beat five times consecutively.
The diamond set white gold case measures 38 mm and the crown is set with an additional diamond. The watch has a blue alligator strap and a diamond set white gold pin buckle.
Show A Little Timely Love for Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day will soon be here and the gift dilemma is in full swing. Here are a few beautiful options for the gift of time for her.
Harry Winston Premier Precious Love - Limited Edition of 14 Pieces
If you want to show how much you love your partner everyday, this is a stunning piece to make that happen. The dial is exquisite with ten heart-shaped rubies and 47 brilliant-cut diamonds set over a white mother of pearl latticework frame, over a pink mother of pearl background. The minute and hour hands are set into the center of a flower made of overlapping hearts, and below is another heart, outlined with six of the ten heart-shaped rubies.
The white gold case measures 36mm and is also set with 57 brilliant-cut diamonds, and is topped off with an pink satin or an alligator leather strap with white gold buckle, and adorned with 17 brilliant-cut diamonds.
Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Astorite - Limited Edition of 28 Pieces
If your valentine prefers a more minimalist dial, then this may be the one. The 35mm 18kt red gold case is set with 232 diamonds, and the dial is taken from a pale pink rare gem called Astorite. The minute and hour hands are set into a white mother of pearl sub dial at 12 o'clock.
The watch is available on a hand-made grey satin strap with an 18kt red gold buckle.
de Grisogono New Retro
If rubies are the winner, then this is the watch for you. Simply stunning in color from top to bottom, the pink gold case is set with 70 baguette cut rubies, and the dial has an additional 60. Continuing the glorious color combination, the ruby galuchat strap also has a pink gold folding clasp set with another 112 rubies. The crown set at 12 o'clock adds to the symmetry of the design.
Audemars Piguet Diamond Outrage
This white gold watch comes with outrageous spikes covered in either white diamonds or blue sapphires, equaling about 65 carats worth of stones. To tell the time you open one of the spikes to reveal the dial. It might contain a quartz movement, but at this point, who cares! It's edgier than most watches out there, but all I can say is, it works for me!
Urwerk's UR-106 Flower Power Limited Edition of 11 Pieces
Continuing the theme of something a little different, lets take a look at the Urwerk UR-106 Flower Power. There is no doubting that this is an Urwerk, however the recognizable shape has been transformed into a dazzling diamond encrusted watch instead of the snake skin pattern we usually see. The single block steel case is set with 239 Top Wesselton quality diamonds, plus the dial's central flower in white gold set with 30 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.184 ct), and a further 3 small flowers in white gold set with 6 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.522 ct).
WT'MB&'F?
Holy Horological Machines Batman!! I was expecting something amazing when MB&F teased us with the movement for their HM7, but this one just blew me away.
Looking like a cross between a spaceship and a submersible, the design was actually inspired by jellyfish. Eric Giroud is the designer of the striking piece, and along with a team of 49 people, the first water resistant Horological Machine was conceived.
Not to be content with just the shape of the watch, with a unidirectional rotating bezel that seems to orbit around the edge of a see through spaceship, the watch also contains a central flying tourbillon and a vertical movement between its domed sapphire top and bottom. Super lume comes courtesy of Black Badger creator James Thompson.
The MB&F HM7 Aquapod comes in two variations, 33 pieces in titanium, and 66 in red gold, both are delivered on rubber straps.
Another one for the shopping list!
Golden Globes 2017 Best Dressed
The sun shone on the celebrity arrivals at this years Golden Globes Awards Show. Several trends were on display including plunging necklines, soft pinks, metallics and embroidery. For me some looks stood out more than others. Here are my favorites from this years red carpet arrivals.
Olivia Culpo in Zuhair Murad Couture - Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Carrie Underwood in Iris Serban - Photo by Frazer Harrison-Getty Images
Sofia Vergara in Zuhair Murad - Photo by Neilson BarnardNBCUniversalNBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Chrissy Teigen in Marchesa - Photo by Venturelli-WireImage
Emma Stone in Valentino - Photo by Steve Granitz-WireImage
Kristen Bell in Jenny Packham - Photo courtesty of Getty Images
Lily Collins in Zuhair Murad Couture - Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Elsa Pataky in Zuhair Murad - Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Priyanka Chopra in Ralph Lauren - Photo by Jordan Strauss-Invision-AP
Giuliana Rancic in Rani Zakhem - Photo by Steve Granitz-Wire Image
Zoe Saldana in Gucci - Photo by Steve Granitz-Wire Image
