Exquisite Timepieces for Valentine’s Day

“If I had but an hour of love … upon this Earth, I would give my love to thee,” wrote Alice Seebold – and what better way to do so, on Valentine’s Day than with one of these exquisite timepieces?

Vacheron Constantin

Perennial symbols of the harmony between a man and a woman, the moon and the stars play a leading role in Vacheron Constantin’s Égérie collection of gem-set ladies’ moon-phase timepieces, whose elegance and exquisite execution lie at the outer limits of haute horlogerie – much like celestial bodies. Along with an off-centred subdial and crown between 1 and 2 o’clock, diamonds feature on all the watches, while the opaline dial flaunts a guilloché pattern resembling delicately pleated fabric. In 37mm cases of pink gold or steel with diamond-set “halo” bezel and gold Arabic dial numerals, and presented on matching metal bracelets or interchangeable leather straps, the Égérie is driven by a self-winding 1088 L calibre that provides around 40 hours of power – and whose hand decorated, open-worked Côtes de Genéve oscillating weight in 22K gold, which isvisible through the caseback crystal, is shaped like a Maltese Cross.

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Rendez-Vous collection presents an array of variations on the theme of femininity, but few strike us as more gorgeous than this captivating Jewellery Moon model in a 39mmcase of pink gold, with diamond-pavé bezel, a dial of red Aventurine, mother-of-pearl, diamonds and gold appliqués, and a self-winding calibre 935 with skeletonised pink-gold oscillating weight. Romance on the wrist!

Omega

A constant in the Omega line-up for more than 70 years, the Constellation has combined luxury with a sense of casual elegance through countless iterations. This 29mm ladies’ model in a Sedna gold case with diamond-pavé bezel, a natural red Aventurine dial, diamond hour markers and a matching alligator bracelet makes a stunningly feminine statement for a confident modern woman. As it’s powered by the self-winding METAS Master Chronometer-certified calibre 8701 with silicon balance spring (not to mention a Sedna-gold oscillating rotor), it’s also a serious horological instrument.

Blancpain

In a romantic gesture for Valentine’s Day 2023, Blancpain has dressed up its Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe in tones of white and pink – and to underline the intent it’s also added a delicate heart to the seconds hand. In a satin-brushed 38mm case of stainless steel, which houses the automatic calibre 1150, this 99-piece limited edition is also a fully functional diver with 30-bar water resistance,making it an ideal gift for the action woman in your life.

Rado

Although not expressly designed with romance in mind – it’s actually a collaboration between Rado and the 2022 Australian Open Women’s Singles Champion – this contemporary-styled ladies’ True Square Ash Barty Limited Edition III in rose-hued high-tech ceramic looks to us like the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. Aside from being in a run of fewer than 1,000 pieces, this is the kind of watch that looks feminine and right in just about every situation imaginable – casual or smart, daytime or evening – while also providing a tantising glimpse of its mechanics via a cut-out in the white mother-of-pearl dial (and that mechanism, not so incidentally, comprises Rado’s automatic Calibre 734, which promises a reserve of 80 hours as well as class-leading anti-magnetic capabilities from its Nivachron hairspring). Completing the package is a powder-pink leather bracelet, a tiny gold tennis-ball motif on the dial and a digitally printed commemoration on the caseback crystal.

Rolex

What can we possibly say? Rolex’s Lady Datejust is probably the most emblematic women’s watch on the planet, and this particular model, in a 28mm white-gold case with President bracelet, diamond-pavé bezel, pink opal dial and diamond-set gold hour markers, is about as feminine as it gets. What it isn’t, though, is some delicate prairie flower, for on the inside it boasts the same ultra-accurate Superlative Chronometer-Certified calibre, with Syloxi hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers, that powers some of the most ruggedly reliable and accurate tool watches you can buy.

Breguet

After unveiling its rabbit-themed limited edition for the Lunar New Year, Breguet has quickly followed it up with this 28-piece 30mm white-gold edition of the Classique Phase de Lune 9085, suitably sprinkled with diamonds on its bezel and lugs, and with a fluted caseband and white mother-of-pearl dial alternately studded with rubies to form six hour markers – and it’s just in time for Valentine’s Day. The dial is engine turned in a delicate Clous de Paris guilloché, the odd numbers are rendered as classic Breguet Arabic numerals, and the open-tipped hour and minute hands are in blued steel, as is the small-seconds hand that’s incorporated into the moon-phase counter at 6 o’clock. Power for this ultra-feminine timepiece is provided by the Calibre 537 L, whose white-gold guilloché rotor can be gazed at lovingly through the caseback crystal and which vibrates at 3.5Hz for a reserve of 45 hours. It’s supplied in a gift box, along with a pair of quick-change alligator straps, one in red and the other in white.

Girard-Perregaux

Late last year, Girard-Perregaux unveiled three new “A Secret” Eternity wristwatch editions of its classic La Esmeralda Tourbillon pocket watch, which was first revealed at the 1889 Exposition Universelle. In 43mm pink-gold cases, each with a virbrant hand guilloche enamel dial (in red, green or turquoise) and combining several artistic crafts, any one of these timepieces would serve as an extravigant Valentine’s Day gift for an extremely fortunate male. For the sake of thematic continuity, we’re showing it here in red – of course.

HarryWinston

Trust the “King of Diamonds, Harry Winston, to come up with not one but three exquisitely feminine timepieces for Valentine’s Day 2023, which range from the 14-piece Avenue Classic Valentine limited edition in white gold, diamonds and mother-of-pearl, to this new Emerald model in a rose gold octagonal case with diamonds, rubies and a mother-of-pearl dial. Supplied on a soft red alligator strap, it’s powered by a Swiss quartz movement.