Watches made with feathers
Harry Winston Watches unveil new watch materials
You can always expect luxury watches to come with all the standard materials: precious metals, gems, leather, etc. but at Bazelworld watch fair, many designers are excited to showcase their new watches featuring materials you might not normally consider in a luxury timepiece.
This year, many watch designers are featuring watches made with natural materials that not only make their luxury watches stand out, they also bring a softer side to the relentless precision their watches are known for. But don’t let this fool you into thinking their watches are delicate. Watchmakers are still creating luxury watches that will stand the test of time.
Harry Winston worked with Nelly Saunier, a plumassiere – that is, a designer who works with ornamental feathers – to unveil four elegant watches with peacock and pheasant feathers arranged in intricate geo-metric patterns on the dial.
“In some civilizations, feathers had a similar value and meaning to diamonds,” Frederic de Narp, president and CEO of the jeweller and watchmaker, said at the fair.
Also at the fair, many watchmakers have unveiled other natural materials suck as bamboo, straw and wood inlays showcasing the delicate intricacies that go into every luxury watch.
Don’t expect the standard gold, silver and platinum to go away any time soon, but you can expect the designer watches releasing in the next year to feature some unexpected twists and turns that will keep you delighted all over again with your growing watch collection.
