ZIENBTH – Moonphase Lady
For the past few years, Zenith has charmed its way into many a lady’s heart. The Marque’s four flagship women’s collections – Star Sea, Star Love, Star Rock and Starissime.
Each collection dished out personality in spades: You could choose to be a beach bunny (Star Sea) one day and glam rock goddess (Star Rock) the next, indulge your inner princess (Star Love) or live the life of a high-society maven (Starissime).
This year, country club kittens get their share of the limelight: the ChronoMasters Moonphase Lady is just the thing to don on golfing green. Its sporty character is highlighted the chronograph functions, powered by an automatic chronograph movement with column-wheel mechanism.
Rounding off this dynamic athlete is a triple calendar, function and moon phase indicator. A glimpse through the transparent case back will reveal a powerful heart, the 357 part El Primero 410 movement with 22K gold rotor.
Keen observers will note that the watch derives from men’s ChronoMaster range, hence the similarity in appearance. The double godron case is smaller (37.5mm in diameter) but the dial maintains the same Roman numeral appliques and grain d’orge (barleycorn) guilloche that made the ChronoMaster so successful. The female of the species also bears a distinctive tiara of diamonds totaling 4.88 carats. In 18K rose or white gold with a white or brown crocodile strap.
MAURICE LACROIX – Masterpiece Le Chronographe Squelette
Departing from the traditional refined aesthetics of skeleton timepieces, Maurice Lacroix’s Masterpiece Squelette unveiled in 
2007 bowled aficionados over with its contemporary and futuristic leanings. This year, an exquisite chronograph version housing the brand’s first in-house movement extends the collection’s repertoire.
A 45mm leviathan, it incorporates the in-house ML 106-7 calibre (developed from the ML 106 base chronograph movement) bearing the patented lever which guarantees precision by locking the zeroing function when the chronograph hands are in operation. The 60-minute chronograph counter, along with the small seconds counter is shaped like skeletal discs, resembling tyre rims.
Further into the labyrinthine structure, the hand-decorated bridges plated with black gold come into view. And against this chic mechanical web is the snailed architecture and black screws of the bottom plate, golden gears, and black balance wheel that blends inconspicuously into its surroundings.
As an indication of refinement, Maurice Lacroix combines a variety of finishes on the steel case: Polished sunray, circular- and vertical-brushed. The dials are coated with anti-reflective coating on both sides for a clearer view of the movement, and treated with a slate-grey metal coat to enhance the effect of the double counters. A black hand stitched crocodile strap rounds off the watch. Limited to 250 pieces.
