Fine Jewels

Live Auction: 28 September 2022 • 2:00 PM CEST • Paris

From the ‘50s to the beginning of the ‘80s, watchmakers and jewellers produced marvellous women’s watches that are still highly sought-after today. With a focus on beauty, rather than on technical developments, they are immediately recognizable. With extravagant silhouettes and sparkling coloured gemstones set in texturized gold, these playful wristwatches exude the positive energy of past decades.

Over the years, the very discreet, light-coloured enamel dial transformed into an extravagant dial carved from opaque stones in vivid colours. Among the most popular gemstones of the time were jade and malachite in raw green hues, lapis-lazuli for its electric blue shade, and tiger’s eye, a brown stone with shimmering undertones.

Sophisticated yet fun, most of these watch designs were crafted from yellow gold rather than the typical choice of platinum or white gold, thereby following the aesthetic revolution of the jewellery world at that time. This desire for authenticity is also shown through the finishes of this material, from brushed, chiselled, crinkled, hammered, grained and set with diamonds. In many cases, transformed into chain mesh soft as fabric. A favorite design of women in the ‘60s and ‘70s, they embraced chain designs in all their forms: gourmette, forçat, Milanese, Figaro, palmier, and more.

The phenomenal importance of craftsmanship in the ‘70s makes more sense than ever in today’s world. The vintage women’s watch register does not include a single model of Patek Philippe, but it does feature one very brilliant model by Rolex. The two watchmakers – which together are strongly represented in the men’s watch market – do not hold the same dominance in the field of ladies timepieces. Instead, the Swiss manufacture Piaget, formed the perfect union of watchmaking and jewellery. The synergy is breathtaking… From the late ‘50s, the development of its first 9P ultra-slim movement at just 0.7mm (1956) offered it infinite possibilities. With a larger diameter, the case opened a fabulous arena for creative expression. Designers dove in without hesitation. The dial – of which only the surround had been adorned (for questions of legibility) up until now – became a decorative element in its own right. The auction also features a few magnificent models crafted by jewellers. Not to be outdone, they have also produced extraordinarily creative pieces, integrating watchmaking techniques. Some beautiful examples are a bicolour watch by Chaumet; a gadrooned gold cuff by Cartier – slightly more recent, produced in the early ‘80s – with a dial inlaid at the back with a scarab; and the two Serpenti by the Italian house Bulgari. As desirable as it is famous, the Serpenti model is composed of an ultra-flexible Tubogas bracelet (inspired by a stainless steel exhaust pipe, shaped like a spring) with one end terminating in a round or reptile head dial. In its high jewellery version, it was one of Elizabeth Taylor’s favourite pieces.

To the delight of collectors, the auction includes women’s watches crafted by lesser-known or completely forgotten brands. “Located in Switzerland and Franche-Comté, many of these only lasted some twenty years. They did not survive the successive crisis that watchmaking has been through. They were taken over and swallowed up by other brands,” explains Magali Teisseire, director of the Sotheby’s Paris jewellery department. It would be a shame to miss out on the infinitely graceful model of the jeweller Jean Eté (who also crafted the first jewellery for Braque), working for Delaneau: the entirely paved pear dial is mounted on a rolling bracelet representing a gadrooned gold cable. So who says that the seventies was the decade overlooked by taste?

- By Sandrine Merle