Best Ladies Chronographs of 2013
The great thing about these watches, aside from the fact that as mechanical chronographs they are professional-level sports watches, is that they are more than just sports watches. They are also fashion watches, jewelry watches and made specifically for women. In the current renaissance of ladies’ timepieces, watch companies have begun to create watches that are more feminine than ever before: not solely through adornment, but by realizing that women are more than one-dimensional and that a watch can be many things at once. A sports watch combined with diamonds, mother-of-pearl and other decorative elements (like Hublot’s divine Zebra-pattern strap), and other functions such as big date windows, define the ladies’ modern chronograph. And they are scaled down for a woman’s wrist – yet so much more than just smaller versions of men’s watches.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore LadyCat, with the models signature hexagonal case and Mega Tapisserie dial, as well as the automatic integrated chronograph movement caliber 2385, but with the addition of a diamond-set bezel and links. The case is a very wearable 26.2mm.
Chopard Imperiale Chrono, with an automatic movement housed in a steel case that is blackened with a DLC coating (Diamond-Like Carbon), with metallic black counter hands shaped like the tapered daggers Imperial sovereigns. The bezel is set with a ring of round brilliant diamonds.
Corum Admiral’s Cup Legend 38, in pink gold with 72 diamonds on the bezel and diamond hour markers. The signature Corum key is part of the gold chronograph seconds hand. It contains the new in-house automatic chronograph caliber CO 132, which also drives a date indicator.
Blancpain Chrono Grande Date, with mother-of-pearl dial set with diamonds. The automatic chronograph movement drives hour and minute totalizers, central chronograph seconds, and off-centered hour and minute dial and a large date window at 6 o’clock.
Hublot Big Bang Zebra Edition, in pink gold, with the bezel set with colorless topaz and black baguette-cut spinels. The zebra print dial is matched by a zebra print strap made of calfskin leather sewn onto black rubber. It contains the caliber HUB4300 automatic chronograph movement.
