One of the things that has been happening in recent years is an increasing use of quartz movements by high-end brands, particularly for women’s watches. Longines’ 2015 watches for women are all quartz, and Pavonina by Glashütte Original, first presented in 2013 and with new designs introduced at Baselworld 2015, is another example. A lot of women like the practicality of quartz, and for the brand, it is a way of extending their price range downwards.

In a way, this could be thought of as the Swatch Group’s revenge. In the early 1970s, the Swiss watch industry was decimated by the influx of cheap quartz watches from Japan. It was the cheap Swatch quartz watch that enabled the resurgence of Swiss watches, enabling the top-tier brands such as Glashütte Original to reposition their mechanical timepieces as prestigious, luxury products. Now, watches like Pavonina show that there is no reason why quartz watches should not be a part of the luxury timepiece industry. The calibre 03-02 quartz movement by ETA used in these pieces has a metal cage that provides increased protection against the influence of magnetic fields, and a mainplate with Glashütte stripe finish. I don’t think it will be long before we see display casebacks on watches with quartz movements.

Glashütte Original ensured that Pavonina was designed by women for women, coherent with their policy of making practical, user-friendly watches. It has a 31 mm case, 7.5 mm thick, in three parts, with a slight curve that ensures comfort on the wrist. The cushion-shaped case is based on a design dating back to the 1920s, a period in which the company as it was then actually made more wristwatches for women than for men. The Pavonina has a strap that can easily be changed by the user.

This year’s new versions of Pavonina extend the range, with luxurious models in red gold with diamond-setting, through to lower-priced references in stainless steel. They all share a new dial design with Arabic numerals as well as diamond or cabochon indices, and a whole range of visual appearances, including some with radial guilloché at the centre. The new pieces are in three families: stainless steel, a two-colour combination of stainless steel and red gold, and all in red gold. Particular attention is dedicated to the straps, in satin and leather, in colours that include blue and in particular the dark blue which is one of the trend colours for 2015. Metal bracelets are also available, with links echoing the cushion shape of the case. The polished casebacks of the watches are perfect for personalized engravings.

References

Reference 1-03-02-04-05-30 is in red gold, with mother-of-pearl dial, four Arabic numerals, eight brilliant-cut diamonds, a diamond on the crown and more on the lugs. The watch has a cream-white alligator leather strap. The same watch is available with a red gold bracelet with diamonds, reference 1-03-02-04-05-14.

Reference 1-03-02-09-05-30 is in red gold, with galvanized black dial, four Arabic numerals, eight brilliant-cut diamonds, a diamond on the crown and more on the lugs. The watch has a black alligator leather strap. The same watch is available with a red gold bracelet with diamonds, reference 1-03-02-09-05-14.

Reference 1-03-02-04-16-34 is bicolour with case in stainless steel and red gold, with white mother-of-pearl dial, four Arabic numerals, eight brilliant-cut diamonds, a diamond on the crown and more on the lugs. The watch has a grey Roma satin strap. The same watch is available with a red gold and stainless steel bracelet with diamonds, reference 1-03-02-04-16-14.

Reference 1-03-02-03-06-34 is bicolour with case in stainless steel and red gold, with white mother-of-pearl dial, four Arabic numerals, eight red gold cabochons, and a diamond on the crown. The watch has a grey Roma satin strap. The same watch is available with a red gold and stainless steel bracelet, reference 1-03-02-03-06-14.

Reference 1-03-02-06-12-34 is in stainless steel, with blue mother-of-pearl dial, four Arabic numerals, eight brilliant-cut diamonds, a diamond on the crown and more on the lugs. The watch has a blue Roma satin strap. The same watch is available with a stainless steel bracelet with diamonds, reference 1-03-02-06-12-14.

Reference 1-03-02-12-12-35 is in stainless steel, with galvanized silver dial, four Arabic numerals, eight brilliant-cut diamonds, a diamond on the crown and more on the lugs. The watch has a glacier blue leather strap. The same watch is available with a stainless steel bracelet with diamonds, reference 1-03-02-12-12-14.

Reference 1-03-02-10-02-34 is in stainless steel, with galvanized silver dial, four Arabic numerals, eight cabochons, and a diamond on the crown. The watch has a petrol blue Roma satin strap. The same watch is available with a stainless steel bracelet, reference 1-03-02-10-02-14.