june-2011

Hemispheres Watch Guide
Dior VIII Grand Bal
Patek Philippe’s
Minute Repeater For Women
80 HEMISPHERES PROMOTION • JUNE 2011
pitched ding-ding-ding-ding
sounds the minutes. So 2:31
would be dong, dong, dingdong,
ding-dong, ding. It
sounds playful, but is one of the
most difficult horological feats,
especially in such a small sized
case (33.70mm).
For women who like to see
the mechanics below, Richard
Mille’s RM026 tourbillon will
certainly not disappoint, with
its masculine black onyx and titanium
parts that are combined
with two stunning ruby, emerald
and diamond encrusted, 18-carat
white gold snakes.
A number of feminine
watch functions are also seeing
the light of day. Dior’s VIII
Grand Bal has its oscillating
Saskia Maaike Bouvier’s 8 Moons
Women are becoming as excited about
mechanical watches as their male counterparts
and watch companies are feeding their
new-found passion with an array of
fascinating new timepieces.
rotor (normally on the back of
an automatic movement) on
the front of the dial. Covered in
diamonds, the rotor depicts a
choice of four different twirling
ball gowns that swirl with the
movement of the wrist. Another
interesting feminine complication
is Saskia Maaike Bouvier’s
8 Moons, which shows the
progression of the phases of the
moon for each day of the week.
And it doesn’t stop there,
the really good news is that it
isn’t only high-end timepieces
that are being equipped with
mechanical movements. Watch
brands such as TAG Heuer,
Tissot, Hamilton, Ebel, Zenith
and more are developing mechanical
movements for their
ladies’ timepieces at affordable
prices so everyone can enjoy
and delight in the magic of a
mechanical timepiece.
So What’s the
Difference Between
Mechanical and
Quartz?
Battery-powered timepieces have
the practicality of keeping time
for a number of years at a time,
while a mechanical movement
contains a miniature, handcrafted
engine that needs no
external power source other than
a wind of the crown (manual
timepieces) or a movement of the
wrist (for automatic wristwatches).
If you can’t see the movement
inside, just hold the watch
to your ear and listen for the
signature tick-tock of the moving
mechanical parts beneath.