Patterns, colours, materials, and natural vistas have long found expression in watchmaking. Whether it is Jaquet Droz’s beautiful automaton watches that showcase a nest on the dial where baby birds move, or Cartier’s panther motif that comes alive via intricate marquetry on the face of the watch, nature and its bounty has been explored in many shapes and forms in watches. From the recently released designs at Watches and Wonders 2023, these are the nature-inspired watches that grabbed our attention.
Grand Seiko Masterpiece Collection Hand-engraved Manual-winding Spring Drive Limited Edition SBGZ009
The Platinum 950 case of this 38.5mm watch is directly inspired by the forest of white birch trees found in the North Yatsugatake Mountains – the watch depicts how the trees look during winters when the snow blankets the entire forest. The case is entirely hand-engraved with long grooves, along with the pattern being showcased on the silver dial - both capture the splendour of the white birch forest. The craftsmanship is by engravers of the Shinshu Watch Studio, a facility inside the Micro Artist Studio in Shiojiri where Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive masterpieces are created.
The watch is set to become available in Grand Seiko boutiques in June 2023.
Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 XPS
Another nature-inspired collection is Chopard’s Alpine Eagle, which takes after the Alps and the strength of the eagle – the dial of the watch has a textured sunburst pattern inspired by the eagle’s eye. Launched in 2019, the collection was the brand’s offering in the integrated steel bracelet genre, and since then has seen several iterations. At Watches and Wonders 2023, Chopard introduced the 41mm Alpine Eagle 41 XPS with a small seconds indication, a double chronometer, and a Poinçon de Genève certification. The watch is crafted in the brand’s proprietary recycled Lucent Steel, and the "Monte Rosa Pink" dial is topped with applied white gold hour markers, and white gold baton-type hours and minutes hands. The watch is powered by the automatic-winding L.U.C. 96.40-L movement.
Piaget High Jewellery Cuff watches
The trio of Piaget’s cuff watches introduced at Watches and Wonders 2023 were striking not just for their craftsmanship and because it seemed like their dials were peeking out of bracelets, but also because they recall Piaget’s cuff watches of the 1960s-70s that became a testament of the brand’s creativity. Of these, the third cuff in white gold reminds one of a frosty landscape, patterned with delicate ice crystals through which a green and blue opal dial peeks, its frame set with emeralds.
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Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date
Last year, Montblanc introduced its first diver’s watch, the Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date in three iterations, their nature-inspired dials all recreating the patterns formed in glaciers. The brand achieved this via a special technique called ‘gratté-bois’. The collection was a hit, and to follow up on its success, the brand has unveiled a new Boutique Edition with a green dial and a black ceramic bezel. The green is reminiscent of the green colour that forms in glaciers thanks to iron oxides getting trapped in the ice. The 41mm steel watch has a uni-directional ceramic bezel, where the first 15 minutes are in a contrasting shade. Compliant with ISO 6425 norms, the watch has also passed Montblanc’s Laboratory Test to be proven as magnetic-, shock-, and temperature-resistant, apart from having a water resistance of up to 300 metres.
Beauregard
Featuring precious and semi-precious stones, the watches by independent brand Beauregard are the work of its Canadian founder, jeweller and watchmaker Alexandre Beauregard. The watches are decidedly delicate and feminine, with several of the pieces flaunting a floral motif. One of these is Lili Bouton a 33mm, gold nature-inspired watch with topaz petals set in place to form a lush flower, in whose centre rests the dial. The quartz-powered watch features diamonds on the bezel, and is finished with a handmade, natural satin strap.
Gucci G-Timeless Planetarium
Gucci's 40mm G-Timeless Planetarium range features a flying tourbillon movement in a decorative, diamond-studded star-shaped cage in the centre. While in the past, the hour-markers have been represented by precious stones, this year, one of the four iterations offered included one where gold stars set with diamonds took the place of the indices. The watch is an 18K yellow-gold case, which is flanked by a blue alligator strap.
Images: Courtesy brands
To know which is our favourite nature-inspired watch, stay tuned... there's something exciting coming up soon.
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