Posts by Brooke Magnaghi and Talya Cousins

Basel: Four golden moments

We're still thinking about some of the gorgeous gold watches we saw at Basel. Seems such a shame to have to wait for a birthday, the holidays or graduation...

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As part of its Ma Jolie collection, Boucheron presented a most delicate rose gold-and-diamond watch, with a bracelet that appears to be made of tiny gold fans.

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Bulgari has updated its classic Serpente watch, tweaking the fit of the chic coiled bracelet so it's perfectly snug.

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Christian Dior unveiled a collection of miniature watches, including this retro-looking gold watch. We love how the grid details flow from the bracelet to the face.

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You can never go wrong with a Rolex. This one has a strong yet feminine look, featuring Roman numerals, diamond details on the bezel that remind us of sun rays and a rosy face.

Previously: The most covetable jewelry we saw at Basel.

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Jewelry report: The best of Basel

We recently returned from the annual Basel world fair, where luxury timepieces, of course, are at the center of attention. Still, we never fail to discover extraordinary jewelry at Basel, and this year was no exception. Here, some of the standouts.

Gurhan's multifaceted aquamarine ring in dreamy sea blue looks like a tiny swimming pool on your finger (below):

blog_gurhan_01.gif Chopard's seedpearl Ram necklace (below) is a part of the brand's 150th anniversary collection featuring 150 animal-inspired pieces. The whimsical collection will be exhibited at the Frick collection at the end of April; the pieces will be available for sale at the end of the year:

blog_ram_01.gif We can always rely on Brazilian jewelry designer Carla Amorim for sexy shoulder-dusting earrings. These (below) were inspired, believe it or not, by French pastry:

blog_carlaamorim_01.gif David Yurman showed a bold selection of darkened silver, quartz and black diamond pieces, including this cuff (below). The design plays on Yurman's signature cable twist:

blog_yurmancuff_01.gif Conch pearls, which are a beautiful shade of pink, are extremely rare. Mikimoto's one-of-a-kind conch pearl-and-diamond earrings (below) are some of the most elegant, ladylike earrings we've seen:

blog_mikimoto_01.gif Baccarat's Bouchon collection is inspired by perfume bottle tops and was designed in collaboration with designer Elie Top, who works on the jewelry for Lanvin (below):

blog_baccarat_01.gif De Grisogono never disappoints with their oversized colorful cocktail rings (below). For this ring, the stones are set upside down, creating an almost studded effect:

blog_degrisogono_01.gif And Stephen Webster's fascination with sea creatures continued this season. We thought these diamond jellyfish earrings were so sweet (below):

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Basel: Feeling the Blues

Even though a gold watch with brown strap is always a classic, we were excited to see watch makers embracing new color schemes for their 2010 collections. And the color du jour definitely seems to be blue. Here are some of the variations we saw:

blog_baselwatch_movado2.jpg Movado's new take on their famous Museum dial watch in a bold black and blue.

blog_baselwatch_technomarine.jpg Technomarine's neon blue details on their diving watch.

blog_baselwatch_rolex.jpg Rolex's night blue face with scattered diamond details on the bezel.

blog_baselwatch_yurman.jpg David Yurman's new ladies' watch with a blue mother-of-pearl face.

blog_chanelwatch_01.gif Chanel's first diving watch with a blue rotating bezel.

blog_baselwatch_valentino.jpg Valentino's elegant timepiece with blue enamel dial.

blog_baselwatch_phillipe.jpg Patek Philippe's always classy Calatrava model, shown in a mesmerizing midnight blue.

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Dynamic Duo

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Watch connoisseurs on this side of the pond have big reason to celebrate: Patek Philippe has just opened its first full-service retail salon in the U.S., located on the mezzanine floor of the Tiffany & Co. flagship on New York's Fifth Avenue. The space marks the pinnacle of a partnership that began in 1851, when the companies' founders struck a deal—by way of a gentleman's verbal agreement and a handshake—for Philippe to manufacture timepieces for Tiffany & Co.

To commemorate the opening, an exhibit of Philippe's horological evolution is currently on display, through April 26, on Tiffany's fifth floor. After that, it heads to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills (May 16-18). Exhibition highlights include a silver and rose gold pocket watch that was gifted to Pope Leo XIII in 1888 to celebrate his ten-year pontificate (the timepiece is engraved with his likeness), and a wristwatch, circa 1945, made for King Farouk I of Egypt. While those items aren't for sale, many others are, such as the Star Caliber 2000, a pocket watch that, with six patents, twenty-one complications and more than 1,100 individual parts, is said to be one of Patek Philippe's most complicated timepieces ever. Its price? The exact figure has yet to be determined, but a company exec says it will be in the $3 million-ballpark.

Patek Philippe's Star Caliber 2000, King Farouk I of Egypt watch, and Pope Leo XIII pocket watch

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See You at Noon-ish

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On our recent flight to the BaselWorld watch fair in Switzerland, we were marveling over the concept of slow living and how someone could ever achieve such a lifestyle in the fast pace of New York. Later, while frantically negotiating our nearly impossible schedule (sixty-three appointments in three-and-a-half days), our answer came in the form of, ironically, a watch. The nifty conversation piece is Jaquet Droz's limited-edition Grande Heure 24 timepiece (only eighty-eight were produced), but we prefer to call it the "ish" watch. Forget minute accuracy. Instead, it suggests a vague estimation of time between the hours of the day, i.e. 2:30-ish or 5-ish. We quickly took the watch's witty design to heart, arriving at our next appointment around 3-ish.

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