Baselworld 2015: new ladies' watches in which beauty and functionality conspire

By Rebecca Doulton

There is a common misconception that beautiful watches are only to be worn on special occasions, and kept in their gift box for the rest of the year. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most ladies' watches are made to be worn every day of the year and designed to keep up with our lifestyles - except, of course, if it is a precious high jewellery piece that won't appreciate being thrashed around on the tennis court.

Chopard watches shows women that you can have diamonds and fun at the same time, and marries the best of both worlds in its Happy Sport ladies' watch collection, which now appears in a new, smaller 30mm stainless steel case. This year, the watch designed in 1993 by co-president Caroline Scheufele is equipped with an automatic movement and comes in either a 30mm polished steel case or with a diamond-set bezel, with its famous five floating diamonds trapped between the dial and the glass, showing that tough and beautiful are perfectly compatible.

Louis Vuitton watches has been digging deep into its iconic steamer trunks and has come up with the most logical inspiration for its new line of high jewellery and ladies' watches. A new watch collection called Emprise has taken the travel trunk as its source of inspiration, with these small 23mm timepieces finished in poppy red, steel, or denim blue. The colour palette of the straps matches the Louis Vuitton leather goods collection designed by Nicolas Ghesquière for Summer 2015. The Emprise Malletage steel watch recreates the padded lining of the Louis Vuitton trunks, and all three ladies' watches are equipped with precision quartz movements for carefree wear and tear.

Chanel watches has revamped its highly successful J12 model in lovely pastel blue, mint and pink tones, combining beautifully with the white high-tech ceramic bezel, case and strap. Apart from their delicate-sounding names, the ceramic armour of these ladies' watches is notoriously resilient and resistant to scratches. These Baselworld watches are limited editions of 1,200 pieces each, and the 38mm watches are equipped with an automatic movement and are water resistant to 200 metres.

Also featuring at Baselworld 2015, Ulysse Nardin watches presents the Marine Chronometer Manufacture watch, packed with state-of-the-art technology under the bonnet, and feminine details such as the mother-of-pearl dial, pastel-coloured Roman numerals, and a fluted bezel set with 120 diamonds. The large 43mm stainless steel case protects a powerful in-house automatic calibre with a power reserve of 60 hours, and will see you to depths of up to 100 metres.

Chanel watches has revamped its highly successful J12 model in pastel blue, mint and pink tones, which combine beautifully with the white high-tech ceramic bezel, case and strap.
The new Chanel J12 watch in pink with a white ceramic case. The ceramic armour of these ladies' watches is notoriously resilient to scratches.
Chopard Happy Sport ladies' watches for 2015 show that you can have diamonds and fun at the same time in these new 30mm combinations with automatic movements housed in rugged stainless steel cases.
Louis Vuitton watches confirms its commitment to bringing the excitement of the catwalk to the wrist, by launching its boldest collection of ladies' watches to date.
Louis Vuitton Emprise Epi Poppy watch comes in a 23 x 23mm steel case and the leather strap features the colour palette of the upcoming Louis Vuitton leather goods collection designed by Nicolas Ghesquière for Summer 2015.
Louis Vuitton Emprise Malletage Steel ladies' watch echoes the padded lining of the iconic Louis Vuitton steamer trunks represented by the domed oval links on the steel bracelet.
Ulysse Nardin watches presents the Marine Chronometer Manufacture ladies' watch for 2015, packed with state-of-the-art technology and a feminine dial with mother-of-pearl and pastel numerals.
Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer Manufacture watch is powered by the groundbreaking Ulysse Nardin 118 calibre renowned for its DIAMon SIL escapement and silicon balance spring.
Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer Manufacture watch is a first-class combination of state-of-the-art horological technology and feminine details.
Louis Vuitton Emprise Epi Denim watch in a 23 x 23mm stainless steel case has a silver opaline dial with blue mouldings and is inspired by the upcoming Summer 2015 ready-to-wear collection by Nicolas Ghesquière.