Sandra‘s Closet

The idea behind CARTIER Clash [Un]Limited was to create a collection that was limitless in terms of creativity, innovation and style; which resulted in limited-edition jewellery pieces including the unique and spectacular Baignoire mitten watch – a watch inserted into a gold and diamond mitten that dares to be extravagant and unexpected.

The Clash [Un]Limited mitten watch has a second-skin effect that covers three quarters of the hand, achieved using 3D printing. This unique piece was developed at the innovation unit of the Maison des Métiers d’Art in collaboration with a master glove-maker who provided the initial design.

Lily Collins sporting the Clash [Un]Limited mitten watch.

Remarkably supple, it is made up of a rose gold mesh set with a constellation of diamonds surrounding a Baignoire Allongée watch with a diamond-paved dial hemmed with studs. It constituted a major challenge for CARTIER’s artisans who meticulously assembled thousands of tiny gold particles, welded together thanks to the extreme precision of lasers and small pliers inspired by microsurgery. It also called for a creative dialogue between all the different crafts and skills, starting with the watchmakers who were faced with the challenge of concealing the watch’s winding crown under the dial, followed by the jewellers who set, on an infinitely small scale, nearly 1600 diamonds. The CARTIER mitten watch took two years to develop and almost 227 hours of work to complete and is a single piece.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Cartier
DISCLOSURE: This post is not sponsored.

Perfect memories of summer – it is the dazzling blues that nature creates, transformed by the summer light, and so hypnotic that they seem unique and impossible to reproduce, that we would most like to bring back with us. Through its expertise in materials technology, Hublot is immortalising this perfect simplicity with the creation of the Big Bang Unico Summer. The 42-mm case is made anodized satin-finished and polished aluminum, a modern, lightweight colored material.

This technical feat creates a uniform blue; turquoise like the deepest lagoons.

Just 200 of these unisex pieces are being released, initially available on the e-commerce site and in the Mediterranean boutiques in Capri, Forte dei Marmi, Mykonos, Ibiza, Bodrum, Saint-Tropez and Monaco. Available for CHF 19.000.

The places we visit remain forever in our minds… and in our hearts. Like a souvenir from our travels, the Big Bang Unico Summer keeps their memory alive.

Reminiscent of the holidays of our dreams, the Big Bang Unico Summer features a unique turquoise blue, which shimmers as its satin and polished finishes catch the light. Anodisation was used to colour the case and its components this very special pastel shade. This process guarantees remarkable longevity and protects the case from scratches and impacts. This lightweight timepiece, with its 42-mm diameter, is designed to suit every wrist. At its heart beats the UNICO manufacture calibre (HUB1280), featuring a 72-hour power reserve, and an oscillating seconds clutch, a chronograph friction system with ball-bearing adjustment, and a column wheel that can be seen through its dial. The hands shimmer in luminescent white and turquoise as they move around the dial to the rhythm of the hours and minutes. The movement is just 6.75 mm thick, allowing for a thinner case measuring just 14.5 mm.

Equipped with the patented interchangeable «One Click» attachment system, the Big Bang Unico Summer comes with two straps in this same radiant colour: one Velcro strap with matching stitching and one natural rubber strap. The sports buckle (for the Velcro strap), and the decorative plate on the deployant clasp (for the rubber strap), are also made from turquoise anodised aluminium with the HUBLOT logo engraved and lacquered in brilliant white.

The places we visit remain forever in our minds… and in our hearts. Like a souvenir from our travels, the Big Bang Unico Summer keeps their memory alive.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hublot

Sometimes I receive press releases that literally make me drool over their content. When I read about Audemars Piguet‘s 2021 women novelties, this was about to happen. Those new watch models are amazing, so beautiful and special. Blending tradition with avantgarde, the variegated timepieces offer creative contrasts, from the sleek aesthetics of black ceramics to the shimmering sparkle of Frosted Gold or the vivid hues of multicoloured gemstones. These multifaceted mechanical pieces will be true statements when worn on the wrist.

THROUGH THE LENS OF HARLEY WEIR
Drawing synergies between Haute Couture and Haute Horlogerie, photographer Harley Weir explored for Audemars Piguet how a timepiece or a couture look reflects the wearer’s personality and free-spirited attitude. Eclectic in colour, savoir-faire, materials and style, the Audemars Piguet 2021 novelties find inspiration in diverse worlds to present a kaleidoscopic view of the contemporary woman.

A NEW 34 MM ROYAL OAK SELFWINDING DRESSED IN BLACK CERAMICS
The sleek aesthetics of the new Royal Oak Selfwinding in black ceramic is enhanced with pink gold accents for a refined two-tone contrast. Timeless and versatile, the black hues will seamlessly complement the unique style of its wearer.

Adit wears the Royal Oak Selfwinding in black ceramics, accompanied by a short strapless dress in black vegan leather embellished with gold studs.

THE NEW ROYAL OAK SELFWINDING CHRONOGRAPH PLAYS WITH COLOUR AND LIGHT
The new Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph’s 18-carat pink gold case and bracelet are elegantly enhanced by a purple dial and a bezel set with 32 baguette-cut amethysts. The new chronograph in 38 mm will be available solely in Audemars Piguet boutiques. For the first time, the Manufacture is offering a solid 18-carat pink gold timepiece with a bezel that has been set with an array of baguette-cut amethysts. These purple gemstones surround and match the tones of the timepiece’s purple dial to perfection. Developed by the Manufacture’s artisans, the timepiece’s dial displays a range of purple hues that dance and change colour in the light.

Katlin wears the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph adorned with amethysts, matched with a long evening gown with an asymmetric bust in fuchsia silk, pleated and split at the front.

A NEW ROYAL OAK FROSTED GOLD SELFWINDING MODEL IN 34 MM WITH BLUE DIAL
Audemars Piguet is expanding the 34 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding collection, established in April 2020, with a new reference shimmering with Frosted Gold – a jewellery technique developed in 2016 in collaboration with Italian jewellery designer Carolina Bucci. The 18-carat white gold piece is further enhanced with a Tapisserie dial in new shades of blue.

Chin Chin wears the Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding, dressed up with a long body-hugging gown in sequined ruthenium jersey.

RAINBOW MEETS FROSTED GOLD IN THE LATEST ROYAL OAK DOUBLE BALANCE WHEEL OPENWORKED
Last but not least, here comes my favorite: Rainbow meets Frosted Gold. Audemars Piguet will complement its Royal Oak Frosted Gold Double Balance Wheel Openworked series with three new references in 41 mm and two in 37 mm, all displaying a rainbow bezel composed of multicoloured gemstones and emphasizing the scintillating effect of the Frosted Gold case. The watches will be exclusively available in Audemars Piguet’s Boutiques as of October 2021.

Ola wears the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked, with a technicoloured organza and translucent 3D hand-casted dress.

Frosted Gold models in yellow and pink gold also make their debut in the collection. Keeping with the aesthetics of the current 41 mm offering, the new yellow, pink or white Frosted Gold case and bracelet are contrasted by the openworked movement’s slate grey NAC-coated bridges and enhanced by the dial’s black inner bezel. The two-tone design is accentuated as the double balance wheel at 8 o’clock takes on yellow gold-toned, pink gold-toned or rhodium-toned hues to echo the case’s colour. Similarly, the hour-markers and luminescent Royal Oak hands are crafted in yellow, pink or white gold.

THE 37 MM COLLECTION EXPANDS ITS OFFERING
The Manufacture releases two new 37 mm Royal Oak Frosted Gold Double Balance Wheel Openworked references in 18-carat pink and yellow gold for the smaller wrists to complement the 18-carat white gold piece launched in 2019. Both sport a matching pink or yellow gold-toned openworked movement, sharply contrasted by the blackened openworked barrel at 1 o’clock which discloses the watch’s mainspring. In the same tone as the movement and case, the pink or yellow gold hour-makers and luminescent Royal Oak hands blend in to foreground the artistry of Calibre 3132.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Harley Weir – Inès Dieleman – Courtesy of Audemars Piguet
DISCLOSURE: This post is NOT sponsored. I am loving it.

In April this year, I introduced you to CHANEL‘s amazing watch capsule collection CHANEL ELECTRO, with graphic codes borrowed from Electro culture.

In the 1990s, this music genre offered a radically original reflection of the night-time world and ambience within which it developed. Electronic music moved beyond the bounds of music to generate an authentic aesthetic culture. Performance became all-encompassing, a sensory, graphic experience that transcended sound. Inseparable from the venues where it evolved, Electro culture developed into a fully fledged artistic genre. At the heart of this narrative lies the confrontation between black and white and color. Color lights up white. Deep black intensifies color.

Needless to say, I couldn’t resist and am so happy about this new addition in my watch closet: PREMIÈRE ELECTRO watch that is a limited edition of only 555 pieces.

Steel case with black ADLC treatment. Steel caseback. Steel crown with onyx cabochon. Black-lacquered dial with neon pink CHANEL logo. Triple row steel chain bracelet with black ADLC treatment interwoven with neon rainbow leather strap. High precision quartz movement. Water-resistance: 30 meters. Functions: hours, minutes. Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 6.2 mm.

The watch bracelet comes in different sizes. I am wearing an XS.

And there is more. The Première introduces its Electro edition with 7 Watchmaking creations displayed in a presentation box.

PREMIÈRE ELECTRO BOX
PREMIÈRE ELECTRO BOX presents a graphic polyptych of 7 watches arranged to create an
ultra-vivid color field. An intense contrast between the depth of the black and the neon colors
of the leather straps that encircle the wrist. An ode to color and a promise of an easy, relaxed
look for every day of the week.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © CHANEL and © David Biedert Photography
#CHANELElectro #CHANELPremiere #CHANELWatches

Time is the most valuable asset, which is not the only reason I am investing in watches. I am such a watch aficionado. Even with the rise of iPhones and other digital devices that are better suited to record time, I prefer wearing analogue watches and their sales continue to spike year over year.

Watches were originally seen as a status symbol for men, a way to express their personal style. Now that gender tropes have become passé, women are breaking down the doors of the all-boys club. And I am loving it! When it comes to watches, I like buying across sectors, from diamond-encrusted smaller-case sizes, to mechanical masculine watches. I think of them as investments for every day: wearing beautiful outfits plus the kind of timeless-with-a-twist watch that goes wherever you do.

My newest addition to my watch wardrobe is this beautiful Maillon de Cartier 16mm 18-karat white gold diamond watch that I ordered at Net-à-Porter. Subtly feminine, the beautiful watch bracelet is like a piece of jewelry lending modern edge to just about anything you wear them it. I love to combine it with the Clash de Cartier bracelet MM in white gold which is finally available in size 14. It is all about duality, contradictions, and when it comes to the best timepiece, remember it is always time to invest.

More watches to come soon …

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography, © Rian Davidson and © DaydreamStudio
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

The aesthetics of the ROLEX Oyster Perpetual models set them apart as symbols of universal and classic style. For 2021, the famous watch got a refresh in the form of new 36mm models featuring colorful lacquer dials. And underneath that dial is the new in-house caliber 3230.

I fell immediately in love with the turquoise color, that is so summery and fresh. However, those watches are extremely hard to get unfortunately. Therefore you can imagine my level of happiness when my love surprised me with this beauty, the Oyster Perpetual 36 with a turquoise blue dial and an Oyster bracelet.

TURQUOISE BLUE DIAL
A DISTINCTIVE FACE

The dial is the distinctive face of a Rolex watch, the feature most responsible for its identity and readability. Characterised by hour markers fashioned from 18 ct gold to prevent tarnishing, every Rolex dial is designed and manufactured in-house, largely by hand to ensure perfection.

OYSTERSTEEL
HIGHLY RESISTANT TO CORROSION

Rolex uses Oystersteel for its steel watch cases. Specially developed by the brand, Oystersteel belongs to the 904L steel family, alloys most commonly used in high-technology and in the aerospace and chemical industries, where maximum resistance to corrosion is essential. Oystersteel is extremely resistant, offers an exceptional finish once polished and maintains its beauty even in the harshest environments.

THE OYSTER BRACELET
ALCHEMY OF FORM AND FUNCTION

The Oyster bracelet is a perfect alchemy of form and function, aesthetics and technology. First introduced in the late 1930s, this particularly robust and comfortable metal bracelet with its broad, flat three-piece links remains the most universal bracelet in the Oyster collection. For the Oyster Perpetual models the Oyster bracelet is fitted with an Oysterclasp.

3230 MOVEMENT
SUPERLATIVE PERFORMANCE

The Oyster Perpetual 36 is equipped with calibre 3230, a movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex, launched by the brand in 2020. At the forefront of watchmaking technology, this self-winding mechanical movement led to the filing of several patents, and offers fundamental gains in terms of precision, power reserve, resistance to shocks and magnetic fields, convenience and reliability. Calibre 3230 incorporates the Chronergy escapement patented by Rolex, which combines high energy efficiency with great dependability.

OYSTER PERPETUAL 36
Oyster, 36 mm, Oystersteel
CHF 5’300,-

The colorful dials are also available for other sizes, such as the Oyster Perpetual 41, or 31. However, I like the 36 size the best.

There aren’t that many rules that I apply to watch collecting, as is probably evident from the versatile assortment of watches I’ve put together over the years and the variety of stories of how they came to be in my chosen set. With this one, it was love at first sight, and I am so grateful my lovely fiancé surprised me with it.

This watch is my «fun« summer piece in my collection – a timekeeper that brings a smile anytime it’s on my wrist, especially as it reminds me of my better half. One clear sign that you are falling in love with a watch is that you put it on, take it off, find an excuse to put it on again. I am sure I will wear turquoise all the way through winter …

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Rolex and © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: This post is not sponsored.

Street Diver, the latest addition to Louis Vuitton’s Tambour watch range is unveiled in an advertising campaign shot by renowned photographer Mario Sorrenti. Embodied by friends of the House – actors Tahar Rahim, Sophie Turner and Minho Lee – the Tambour Street Diver invites one to Journey Beyond the Surface, to take a metaphorical plunge into an urban odyssey.

British actor and House ambassador Sophie Turner sports the white and navy-blue, Pacific White Tambour Street Diver. With Golden Globe and Bafta nominations for his 2021 film «The Mauritanian», French actor Tahar Rahim wears gradients of blue across his wrist with the Skyline Blue colourway, while multi-award-winning South Korean actor Minho Lee models the Neon Black variation.

Crafted from a single block of metal and larger at the base than at the top, the unique shape of the Tambour was inspired by a drum. With applied horns that seamlessly integrate the case and strap, the position of the hours is indicated on the caseband by the 12 letters «L-O-U-I-S-V-U-I-T-T-O-N».

By looking beyond its stylish surface, the sportier aspects of the Tambour Street Diver are revealed. From the screw-down crowns and 100m of water resistance, to the generous coatings of Super-LumiNova on dial elements and inner rotating bezel, all bear witness to the utilitarian practicality of this Swiss-made timepiece.

Highly artisanal, multi-functional and creatively distinctive, the Tambour Street Diver brings together all the requirements of a traditional dive watch, while retaining the vibrant and unconventional style elements that have always been central to Louis Vuitton. This radical combination of design and purpose bridges the ever-flowing connections between craftmanship and technology, work and play, the lure of adventurous discoveries and everyday city living.

The campaign will be revealed in April 2021 issues of magazines worldwide.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton / Mario Sorrenti

CHANEL‘s signature watches receive the rainbow treatment for Watches & Wonders 2021 with the introduction of the Electro collection «inspired by the electronic dance music culture of the 1990s,» as Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the maison’s watchmaking creation studio, explains. «This musical movement created a radical new visual universe,» and became Chastiangt’s starting point for this new watch collection centred on the J12, that enters a polychromatic world of the rainbow setting.

Let’s have a look at those amazing timepieces constituting the CHANEL Electro line:

J12 Electro Box
The J12 Electro Box is a 12-piece collection of black ceramic watches each set with baguette-cut sapphires of the same colour, and together form the rainbow gradient. The set costs over CHF 1 million.

J12 X-Ray Electro Star
This 38 mm model in 18k white gold is set with over 32 carats of baguette-cut diamonds and 13 carats of sapphires. Totalling 267 baguette-cut stones, the sapphires are set on the flanks of the case and links, creating a rainbow gradient of colour. It’s powered by the cal. 12.1 movement made by Kenissi, the movement maker partially owned by CHANEL.

J12 X-Ray Electro Caliber 3.1
A creative and technical feat, the J12 X-RAY watch, featuring the Caliber 3.1 movement, is made entirely of sapphire crystal and set with baguette-cut diamonds. A fully transparent creation, available in a limited edition of 12 numbered pieces.

J12 White and Black Electro Dream
This polished white ceramic J12 has the bezel, crown, and back in 18k white gold. It is similarly set with coloured sapphires on the dial and bezel, while the movement is the cal. 12.1 automatic made by Kenissi. The J12 Black Electro Dream is the chromatic opposite – matte black ceramic with the same coloured sapphires and cal. 12.1 movement.

J12 Electro Dream
This is the base model, a 33 mm ladies watch in polished black ceramic and equipped with a quartz movement. The numerals and scales on the dial and bezel are printed in a rainbow gradient of colours.

Première Electro
Next up is my favorite watch from the entire Chanel Electro collection (as it is also one of the more affordable ones). The simplistic octagonal Première Electro gets a complete new look through the gradation of the leather and a shocking-pink Chanel logo. The watch is powered by a quartz movement.

Code Coco Electro
This quartz watch is a very modern take on the classic jewelry watch. It’s a bold statement.

Boy Friend Electro
Last but not least, the CHANEL Boy Friend Electro is the watch that stands out from this collection. Instead of using bright rainbow colors as accents to emphasize the inspiration behind the collection, CHANEL settled on captivating gem-setting.

Chanel actually makes blingy ladies watches look cool. I am loving it!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © CHANEL

By combining exclusive high watchmaking caliber with a subversive Vanitas, Louis Vuitton orchestrates a scintillating show with the Tambour Carpe Diem. This virtuoso timepiece writes a new chapter in the history of the jacquemart watch.

Having produced several special orders for watches with automata in secret for a select group of clients, Louis Vuitton decided to lift the veil on the mystery by creating a one-of-a-kind model. It took two years of development for the Tambour Carpe Diem to join the House’s watch collections. «Our aim was to get off the beaten track», explains Michel Navas, Master Watchmaker at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. «We wanted to bring to the jacquemart our vision of the 21st century with all the energy and creativity characteristic of our brand since it began producing watches in 2002.»

The historic jacquemart on top of the Zytgloggle tower in Bern.

Originally, jacquemarts were automata, mechanised figure of a person, usually made from wood or metal, created to strike the hours on church bell towers. A well-known historic jacquemart is found on top of the Zytglogge tower in Bern, Switzerland for example.

When watchmakers miniaturised them on timepieces, their function became essentially decorative – to add a bit of fun to the dial – and the time continued to be indicated by classic hands.
Today, Louis Vuitton wanted to give jacquemarts back their original meaning. In order to do this, the framework of the Tambour Carpe Diem was built around two major axes, a perfect mastery of this type of calibre in which the automaton is truly functional as it tells the time on demand, without hands.

By pressing a push-piece, the dial’s miniature scenery comes to life on the wrist and the story’s protagonists, the snake and the skull which perform the role of jacquemarts, indicate the time. To this is added another determining feature in the creation of this high-watchmaking timepiece, a unique stylistic approach on the historic symbolic art theme of the Vanitas, tackled in a way that is both positive and subversive. I love this 21^st century jacquemart watch!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton and via the city of Bern

This Easter, I went on a special egg hunt and found an amazing treasure, a beautiful new watch at the newly opened TAG Heuer boutique in Zurich. Located on the prestigious Bahnhofstrasse, it is the fourth flagship store in its home country of Switzerland, complementing its existing Geneva, Zermatt and Lucerne point of sales.

Launched in 1860, in Saint-Imier at the very heart of the birthplace of watchmaking, by a bold young named Edouard Heuer, it is owned since 1999 by French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH. The name TAG Heuer combines the initials of «Techniques d’Avant Garde» and the founder’s surname.

Capturing TAG Heuer’s motto, originally introduced in 1991, «Don’t Crack Under Pressure», are prominent partnerships and brand ambassadors that express the brand’s passion for action and high performance, among them actors Chris Hemsworth and Patrick Dempsey, ATP next-generation tennis players Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger Aliassime, and big wave surfer Kai Lenny. They are athletes, surfers, actors, pilots. Whatever the conditions, they want to make history and break records. No matter the pressure, the public and adversity, they never give up, they never back down from any challenge. Therefore you can imagine my excitement to be also a TAG Heuer ambassador, as I breathe the same energy. I never give up, I never let myself down. If I have a vision, I go for it, no matter what!

So which watch did I choose you might ask? You will be amazed. It’s not a ladies watch, not a diamond watch. I went for this amazing masculine Carrera Automatic Chronograph that sets a blistering new pace in prestige timekeeping in sumptuously chic black and rose gold. Housed in a 44-mm steel polished, fine brushed case, the legendary Calibre HEUER02 Automatic movement now comes outfitted with splendid finery. Sober yet stellar, 18K 5N rose gold accents the entire timepiece, from hands and indexes to the watch’s crowns and push-pieces.

The black brushed dial sits under a sapphire crystal dome, locked in with a ceramic black tachymeter fixed bezel. Inside, the manufacture Heuer 02 movement made with a vertical clutch and column wheel – signatures of improved chronograph timekeeping and high-quality manufacture movements – will last 80 hours with an impressive power reserve. The sporty yet elegant design is highlighted by a black alligator strap and steel folding clasp, exuding strength and speed.

The Carrera model has a beautiful story. In 1962, CEO at the time Jack Heuer, the great-grandchild of Edouard Heuer, wanted a clean and well-proportioned chronograph designed for drivers and inspired to the world of motor racing. When he heard the Spanish word «Carrera», used for the renowned Carrera Panamericana race, he loved the sound and the multiple meanings – including road, race, course and career – so much that he quickly decided that the product had to be called «Carrera». The Heuer Carrera was launched in 1963 and since then it has been a symbol of the brand and one of the most popular sport chronographs ever designed.

I personally love that this 44-mm case adopts well to my small wrist. It symbolizes strength, power and diversity for me. I see myself wearing it with a romantic floral dress as well as a business suit. Stay tuned for many unexpected combinations, for this certain twist, for this «je ne sais quoi» attitude that makes the difference. But don’t feel pressure, or at least don’t crack under it!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored.