News The first Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix was awarded on 29 November this year to the Lady Kalla watch from Vacheron Constantin. Sculpted from a block of 18-carat white gold, the watch is set with more than 120 emerald-size white diamonds selected with meticulous care and patience, whose purity, colour and proportions required painstaking research. Its dial is set with 15 emerald-size diamonds. Combining prestige watchmaking and luxury jewellery, the Lady Kalla (see photo) has a manually wound mechanical movement of the lever type, containing 17 rubies and beating at 19,800 v/h. Like all movements designed by Vacheron Constantin, this one includes "Côtes de Genève" decorations. The crown is placed under the movement to give pride of place to the brilliance of the gems.
Winner of the 2001 Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix, the Lady Kalla, which costs a trifling 492,000 francs, was also nominated by the panel of judges as the best jewel-watch. The six other award-winning timepieces were the Calatrava extra-flat reference 5120 from Patek Philippe (Geneva quality mark category), the Edward Piguet chiming minute repeater in yellow gold from Audemars Piguet (Complicated watches) (see photo), the Osmior chronograph from Leroy (Watches for men), the Gucci travel alarm (Miniature clocks) and the Luminor Marina from Panerai (Public Prize), as well as, in the Ladies' Watch category, the Flyback pastel chronograph from Blancpain.
January 17, 2002
