Even though a colourful palette continues to pander to pirouetting gems, pendant watches are the trend to watch out for.

Harry Winston once said "People will stare. Make it worth their while". The fascinating world of bejewelled watches has always been in a state of dynamic evolution aesthetically. The play of colour, the setting of precious and semi-precious stones and the varied motifs remain intrinsic to their innate appeal with women. While the most prominent trend in high-jewellery watches last year was secret-watches, this year we see pendant watches ruling.

Romancing History
Limelight Exceptional Piece
PIAGET
Piaget takes inspiration from the two legendary cities of Venice and Samarkand for its new collection. Entitled "Secrets & Lights-A Mythical Journey by Piaget", the collection celebrates the mysterious and captivating light effects born of an invisible time: namely the countless hours devoted to each creation that echoes the history of the Silk Route.

Secrets of Time
Pompon Transformable Long Necklace With Detachable Watch
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
An aesthetic popularised in the 1940s and 1950s, bows, ribbons and tassels in gold and diamonds get a fillip this year at the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels with a new interpretation in watchmaking, in the form of two transformable long necklaces. Here, the dial nestles among trimmings of culture pearls that evoke the fluid movement of the Charleston dresses of the 1920s. Whether hidden or revealed, time sways with the lightness of a swing tune. Composed of a long necklace, the watch comes as a detachable with a tassel or on a bracelet. These sets marry Van Cleef & Arpels' tradition of transformable pieces and the feminine aesthetic of pearls. Combined using the traditional hand-stringing technique, white cultured pearls are discretely separated by knots in silk thread to form an elegant ''free-fall'' ensemble, creating a flowing effect. Quarter-turn clasp systems punctuate the piece in three places, enabling the attachment of a jeweled tassel, which skillfully hides a watch. The latter is surrounded by four rows of cultured pearls, themselves covered with red spinels that hang with graceful harmony. The time can be glanced at discreetly, since the dial reveals its secrets only when the tassel is raised.

Obsidian Elegance
Panthere Mysterieuse Pendant Watch
CARTIER
Cartier creates a unique partnership between High Jewellery, with all the flamboyance of its gemstones, powerful style and the expertise of craftsmanship and fine watchmaking. The Panthere Mysterieuse pendant watch puts two strong symbols of the Cartier creative universe into play: the panther and the mystery movement. At the centre of a slightly concave agate medallion, a mysterious dial displays two tiny hands that float without any attachment to the mechanism. The agate, a dark stone with subtle hues, has been sculpted from a block of raw matter. A panther resides amid the rounded arc of the dial, bordered by an alternating sequence of diamonds and cylinders of obsidian. The elegant silhouette and the alternating sharp and gentle curves of its slender frame are delineated by a multitude of diamonds. Emphasising the depth and volume of the animal's form, the gem-setting produces an effect so life-like that the felineappears ready to turn and fix its emerald gaze upon its admirer at any moment. Whether motionless or preparing to pounce, the panther seems unaffected by the passing hours and the weightless progression of the watch hands within the transparent surface of the dial. The Panthere Mysterieuse pendant watch remains a Piece Unique for the true connoisseur.

Dual Pleasure
Lady Bovet Flower of Life Amadeo Fleurier
BOVET
This year, the collection explores new possibilities with the arrival of Lady Bovet Flower of life in its 39mm diameter case. Now women can also enjoy the Virtuoso II caliber's seven days of autonomy and reversibility of the case, which gives the timepiece multiple guises. For enhanced femininity and to better reflect the wearer's identity, Lady Bovet can be personalised with an infinite array of options that include hand-engraving, gem-setting or miniature painting carried out on request by the Maison's craftsmen. Two distinct identities offered by this reversible wristwatch, Lady Bovet comes with a chain that enables the timepiece to be worn as a pendant. As with all the cases equipped with the Amadeo system, it can also be converted into a desk clock without the use of a single tool. Now that's what you call multi-talented.

Satin Chic
Rosebud Heart
HARRY WINSTON
The Rosebud Heart high jewellery timepiece by Harry Winston summons a romance to wearing time. Versatile and glamorous, the heart-shaped piece can be worn as a necklace or on the wrist as a traditional timepiece. An ingenious underlying structure in the shape of a heart allows for the simple transformation of the timepiece to a pendant. The diamond-set timepiece literally clips in and out of its support to be worn according to your whim. The elegant black satin strap features an aperture in the middle allowing the white gold case of the watch to come in direct contact with your skin, just like in the necklace which sits close to your heart. Of course, for the romantically inclined, the two parallel satin straps, which are united by the white gold buckle set with 29 brilliant-cut diamonds to become one single strap could symbolise the unison of two distinct bodies as one. Shimmering with a light of its own, the natural mother-of-pearl dial with a beaded finish contains the shaft of cupid's arrow. Set with seven brilliant-cut diamonds on a similar level as the pearly dial, the hands journey over the stones, a subtle metaphor for the inexorable march of time. Naturally, a top-quality quartz movement has been fitted for carefree maintenance and precision.