Forget mere diamonds. The ultimate symbol of feminine power in 2025 is a grand complication. Discover how timepieces with tourbillons, minute repeaters, and bespoke mechanics are becoming the wearable museums of modern women's autonomy, from Breguet's royal legacy to Van Cleef & Arpels' poetic automata.
Forget mere diamonds. The ultimate symbol of feminine power in 2025 is a grand complication. Discover how timepieces with tourbillons, minute repeaters, and bespoke mechanics are becoming the wearable museums of modern women's autonomy, from Breguet's royal legacy to Van Cleef & Arpels' poetic automata.
December 9, 2025
Forget mere diamonds. The ultimate symbol of feminine power in 2025 is a grand complication. Discover how timepieces with tourbillons, minute repeaters, and bespoke mechanics are becoming the wearable museums of modern women's autonomy, from Breguet's royal legacy to Van Cleef & Arpels' poetic automata.
A fact preserved in the archives of Breguet in Paris reveals that the first wristwatch recorded in history was completed by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1812, commissioned by Caroline Murat, the Queen of Naples. Reference No. 2639 was not merely an accessory; it was a complete movement miniaturised within an oval gold case – a prophecy of a future where a woman's wrist was deemed the rightful home for the most exquisite mechanics.
More than two centuries later, that prophecy has not only materialised but is now defining the latest chapter in horological art. As we look towards 2025, we witness the rise of a generation of women's watches that need not be compared to any other standard. They are setting their own: where complexity is no longer the end goal, but the very medium for expressing beauty, emotion, and personal identity.
The legacy of the Queen of Naples is honoured in the iconic Breguet Reine de Naples collection. The modern Reference 8918, with its mother-of-pearl dial and diamond-set bezel, remains a symbol of classic femininity. Yet to see that pioneering spirit pushed further, one must look to a model like the Reine de Naples 9808 – a tourbillon watch featuring a lightweight titanium tourbillon bridge and a silicon balance spring. This is not a replica of the past, but a bold reinterpretation, proving that the pinnacle of technology can serve a design that is already a masterpiece.
And one cannot overlook the legend of Breguet No. 160, commonly known as the "Marie Antoinette". Commissioned in 1783, this grand complication (with minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and power reserve) was not completed until 1827, becoming one of the most complex and fabled watches of all time. It established a philosophy: ultimate complexity is a gift for the minds that can appreciate it, irrespective of gender.
The watch industry marked a pivotal moment in 2009 when Patek Philippe introduced the Ref. 7071R Ladies First Chronograph. This was not just the maison's first ladies' chronograph, housing the meticulously hand-finished CH 29-535 PS movement, but a statement of technical capability. It proved a complex chronograph mechanism could be encased in an elegant, cushion-shaped rose gold bracelet watch, becoming part of everyday style.
Yet, the true pinnacle of sonic artistry likely resides in the Minute Repeater. Patek Philippe has masterfully integrated ultra-thin repeating mechanisms into women's models within their Grand Complications collection. When activated, the chimes ring out with crystalline clarity, distinctly signalling the hours, quarters, and minutes, transforming time-telling into a multi-sensory experience. This complexity is not loud, but subtle, demanding active appreciation.
The dominant trend today goes beyond equipping functions. It lies in making mechanics the heart of an artistic narrative.
Consider Van Cleef & Arpels – a master of this craft. The Lady Arpels Brise d'Été watch (launched in 2023) from their Poetic Complications® collection is a perfect example. An intricate automaton mechanism causes gem-set butterfly wings to flutter gently, recreating a fragile summer moment. Time is not measured drily, but felt through moving beauty.
The luxury of the new age is also redefined by materials. Piaget continues its "ultra-thin" heritage with tourbillon watches in the Limelight Gala collection, where complex movements become remarkably approachable and graceful. Meanwhile, Richard Mille has successfully made the tourbillon part of an active lifestyle with models like the RM 07-01, using ultra-light and resilient Carbon TPT®, proving a complication can keep pace with any endeavour.
This is perhaps the highest privilege of this era: profound personalisation. Houses like Vacheron Constantin with their Les Cabinotiers workshop, and Patek Philippe itself, offer special clients the opportunity to participate in the creative process. One can select finishing styles (polishing, engraving patterns), the colour of bridges, or commission a unique dial using enamelling, engraving, or stone marquetry. The watch becomes a bespoke work of art, where every detail tells a personal story.
At a recent exhibition, I spoke with a young female collector. On her wrist was an Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Tourbillon Openworked. She said: "People see the complexity and ask me what I use it for. I tell them: to remind myself that complexity is beautiful. I am complex, my life is complex, my decisions are complex. And this watch tells me that's okay – in fact, it's something to cherish."
That is the ultimate power. The complex machines on women's wrists today are no longer mere symbols of possession. They are tangible proof of autonomy. They affirm that the modern woman does not just receive beauty, but understands, appreciates, and desires the most refined creations – those that demand time, intellect, and patience to craft. In a noisy, hurried world, they are a quiet reminder of the value of slowness, of artisan craft, and of building legacies meant to outlast time itself.
