Elite Traveler Fall 2019

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JAQUET DROZ Magic Lotus Automaton

In the 18th century, Pierre Jaquet-Droz established himself as a master at creating life-size automatons. Today, the brand continues his tradition, but in miniature, regularly releasing automaton watches that surprise and delight even the most seasoned collectors. The Magic Lotus Automaton is no exception. The watch presents a garden that comes to life in all seasons in an incredible fashion in an animation that runs for more than four minutes. The fully rotating lower dial emulates a pond, complete with swimming koi and an animated lotus flower. To mark the changing seasons, a lotus flower bud on gold petals signals spring, a full-bloom lotus marks summer, a lotus flower fallen on the water represents autumn and a seedpod at 6 o’clock stands for winter. The lotus petals are carved from mother-of-pearl and finished with translucent enamel. A dragonfly between 8 and 9 o’clock moves downward when the power reserve is low, and it rests on a leaf when depleted. The complicated self-winding movement consists of more than 500 components. $210,000 in 18K rose gold, Jaquet Droz in New York, +1 646 692 6470, jaquet-droz.com

DIOR Grand Soir Reine des Abeilles

Turning to Christian Dior’s beautiful gardens that brought him so much inspiration, the House of Dior creates an exceptional new series of one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by the bumblebee. Each piece is different, and each features wings that are built in an en tremblant fashion —meaning the wings actually flutter whenever the wearer moves her wrist. The entire case, bracelet, lugs and dial are gem set using snow-set round diamonds, and a bezel of round brilliant-cut diamonds outlines it all. A finely sculpted bee made of 18K white, yellow and pink gold, and bedecked with round, triangular and pear-cut diamonds sits center stage on the dial. The bee is accented with a white mother-of-pearl orb and gold foil on the wings. In total, more than 2,280 diamonds weighing 20.21 carats are carefully hand-set on this high- jewelry timepiece. Price on request, Dior in New York, +1 212 931 2950, dior.com

ROLEX Oyster Perpetual Cosm Reinforcing its commitment to cre métiers d’arts at the forefront of thi Cosmograph Daytona. The stunni diamonds and black lacquer. The s in black and champagne. For a uni feature the traditional hours, but r gold-set diamond markers form th 36 trapeze-cut diamonds weighin self-winding chronograph movem Parachrom hairspring and bidirecti Superlative Chronometer certified case is water resistant to 100 met $103,100 in 18K yellow gold, Role +1 212 759 8278, rolex.com

ograph Daytona a tive dial designs, Rolex places its excellence in s sensational 40mm Oyster Perpetual n g dial features a leopard motif created with 243 u bdials of the chronograph are color-coordinated q ue twist on telling time, the numerals do not a ther minutes — 15, 30 and 45 — and eight e other indices. The bezel is meticulously set with g 4.58 carats. The Perpetual Calibre 4130 e nt equipped with a paramagnetic blue o nal winding rotor powers the watch. It is a by COSC and Rolex, and the proprietary Oyster e rs. x at Wempe Jewelers in New York,