Named after a bathtub
By Priya Nair, Singapore ·
Baignoire is French for bathtub, which explains the shape and does nothing to explain about how glamorous it looks on the wrist.
The small is a gold oval only 16 mm across and 6 mm thick, silver dial, Roman numerals stretched to follow the curve, quartz, on a 10 mm leather strap. It's barely there. Worn alone, it reads like a fine bracelet with a dial; next to a stack of thin gold bangles, it looks deliberately vintage, which is exactly the effect I'd want.
Be realistic about two things. Legibility at 16 mm is mostly a matter of faith. And 10,500 to 11,500 dollars for a small gold quartz watch on leather is jewellery pricing, not watch pricing, so think of it as a jewellery purchase. The consolation is that gold Cartier dress watches have a natural floor under their value, and the Baignoire has become fashionable again with women who want something that isn't a Tank.
Not for a man, not for a big wrist, not for anyone who needs to read the time quickly.