Increasingly, the line between jewellery and watches is becoming more blurred, a trend evident in Louis Vuitton's new women's watches for 2014. Take the four watches that make up the Dentelle de Monogram collection - their design is directly inspired by Louis Vuitton's 2012 high jewellery collection, called Voyage dans le Temps. In these jewels, the Dentelle de Monogram pattern of flowers and stars more commonly found on Louis Vuitton's iconic trunks and leather goods was recreated in diamonds and gold on a supple, skin-hugging Victorian-style lace collar.
Bringing this design to watches, the same pattern is carved into either white or grey Polynesian mother-of-pearl dials. The shimmering lace-like dial is surrounded by a ring of diamonds set into the bezel and finished with an elegant white or grey satin strap. A more elaborate version uses diamonds to pick out the pattern of flowers and stars on the dial. This version comes on either a satin strap or a very opulent all diamond-set 'rivière' bracelet that drapes over the wrist with all the ease of an haute joaillerie creation.
Adding to the dazzling line up of jewellery watches at Louis Vuitton this year, the Damier Absolu makes a feature of the oversized bezel, which is generously adorned with baguette diamonds that shine out like a halo of light around the dial. 'Damier' refers to the checkerboard pattern that decorated Louis Vuitton's early trunks, which is now a design staple of the house.
There are two versions, one more indulgent than the other. The more modest version features a dial made up of 60 slices of white mother of pearl, arranged in a checkerboard sunray pattern using the traditional craft of marquetry. The warm lustre of the mother of pearl is the perfect foil to the magnificent sparkle of the 90 baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel. The diamonds, of graduating sizes, are all held in place using the sophisticated 'invisible setting' that abuts each diamond directly to the next with no metal showing at all.
But for all-out glamour, the Damier Absolu Rivière takes the prize. The invisible-set baguettes of the bezel are enhanced by an entirely diamond-set dial and a diamond 'rivière' bracelet. The effect is one of awe-inspiring beauty and technical prowess. One look and you will be mesmerised - just imagine the shower of light that a flick of the wrist would throw out into the night.
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