A new trend this year, is collaborations between couture shoe designers and luxury brand horologists …. Take a look
Jaeger-le Coultre and Christian Louboutin got together to create a brand new masterpiece to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the watchmaker’s iconic Reverso Collection. These iconic timepieces are part of the Atelier Reverso collection and can be customized with various options. One can choose the dial material, motif, color and hour markers, which can also be set with jewels. The new collaboration sees the watches’ colors and textures being matched to Louboutin’s signature shoe designs. The collection is called Jaeger-LeCoultre Classic Duetto Louboutin. One of the watches features shimmering, iridescent tones of orange on the dial and an iridescent strap of another series of colors (a range of blue, green and purple tones). This particular watch was inspired by Louboutin’s ‘scarababe’ shoe design. Another timepiece in the collection has a clear transparent plastic strap, which is a nod to Louboutin’s use of transparency to flatter the ankle in various of his shoe collections.
Famous Swiss horologist Roger Dubuis worked with French couture shoe designer Maison Massaro to create a new women’s watch in the Roger Dubuis Velvet Collection. The magnificent strap is a copy of the hand-stitched, pleated gold leather heel backs that are a signature of Massaro’s stiletto heels. The Roger Dubuis Velvet by Massaro watch dial is barrel-shaped and decorated with diamonds surrounded by the watchmaker’s trademark elongated Roman numerals. In total, this design collaboration features just under two carats of diamonds. All Roger Dubuis watches are meticulously decorated by hand. The new Massaro timepiece is a limited edition; only 88 watches have been produced.
The latest timepiece collab is between Hublot and Parisian shoe designer Berluti to celebrate the French shoemaker’s 120th anniversary. This particular timepiece comes with a shoeshine box and accessories. Berluti’s famous signature Venetian leather is used on the watchstrap and also the watch dial of the timepiece, which is called the Hublot Classic Fusion Berluti. As leather is an organic material, the leather used on the dial has been specially processed so that it would not damage the watch movement or fog the underside of the sapphire crystal. The strap was made using the same procedure Berluti follows for its shoe leather. Each timepiece comes with an optional shoebox that is filled with polishing cream and brush to ensure the leather stays at its best. The watch case is created either in 18 carat gold or black ceramic.