Elite Traveler Spring 2021

DISCOVER WOMEN’S WATCHES

by Roberta Naas

IN THE WORLD OF FINE WATCHES, GOLD HAS LONG BEEN THE PREFERRED METAL FOR ELEGANT LOOKS AND SWANKY APPEAL. THAT HASN’T CHANGED. BUT WHAT HAS CHANGED IS THE TYPES OF GOLD THAT WATCH BRANDS ARE OFFERING. NO LONGER IS THERE JUST 18-KARAT WHITE, PINK, ROSE OR YELLOW GOLD TO CHOOSE FROM. SOME OF TODAY’S TOP WATCH BRANDS ARE CREATING THEIR OWN PROPRIETARY COLORS OF GOLD TO OFFER UNIQUENESS, WHILE OTHERS ARE CREATING HIGH-TECH GOLD ALLOYS, TURNING TO VINTAGE JEWELRY TECHNIQUES FOR FINISHES OR —MAYBE THE BEST YET — USING ETHICALLY MINED GOLD GOLD RUSH

Panerai Due Goldtech For quite some time now, Officine Panerai has been creating its own rose-hued gold called Oro Rosso; in spring of 2020, the brand unveiled its new proprietary Goldtech gold. The 18-karat gold is infused with a percentage of copper to endow it with a richer red hue (without the expense of going to 5N rose gold) and with platinum to help guard against oxidation. The brand turns to Goldtech for this 38mm Due watch with an automatic movement and three days of power reserve. This is the thinnest of all Panerai watches; it offers hours, minutes and small seconds with a subsidiary dial at 9 and date at 3 o’clock. A transparent sapphire crystal allows for viewing of the movement. $15,300, panerai.com

Chopard Happy Sport Ethical Gold A pioneer in the world of sustainability and ethical materials, Chopard has created watches made of Fairmined Gold for several years. Recently, the brand announced that from mid-2018 forward, it would create its gold watches using only Fairmined or ethical gold. While these golds are not special alloys or colors, they are ethically sourced — an incredibly important statement in today’s world. This Chopard Happy Sport watch features a case made of stainless steel and a bezel and lug accents made in ethical 18-karat rose gold with a crown of ethical gold. Powered by an automatic mechanical movement, the watch features the two dancing diamonds and three free-floating rubies above the dial that are the signature of this iconic collection. $7,230, chopard.com

Chanel Boy.Friend Beige Gold It was five years ago in 2015 that Chanel introduced its first Boy.Friend watch — designed to be feminine yet with a slight masculine appeal. The Boy.Friend collection has grown to be an almost iconic watch for Chanel, so it makes sense that it would create a version in its exclusive ‘Beige Gold.’ The color is more toned down than yellow gold, yet not as red as pink or rose gold (the secret formula is guarded). In this version, both the case and the bezel, as well as the crown, are in 18-karat Beige Gold. The watch features an opaline guilloche dial and is powered by a high-precision Swiss quartz movement. $15,000, chanel.com