FROM LEFT: Calibre de Cartier watch ($23,100), Cartier; Jules Audemars selfwinding chronograph ($38,900), Audemars Piguet; Carerra Heritage Watch ($10,500), TAG Heuer
In the past, all that glittered was yellow gold. But today that honor belongs to warm rose gold, and watchmakers are embracing the trend whole-heartedly. The color of the breathtaking Long Island winter sunsets, these rich, rose-gold treasures are the result of adding copper to gold. The hue varies according to the amount of copper used in the alloy, and each tone is given a number: 3N, 4N, or the deepest rose, 5N.
Rose gold was a favorite during World War II; gold was harder to come by, so it was often mixed with other metals. After the war, watchmakers and jewelry designers reverted back to yellow and white gold. However, over the past 10 years, the passion for bold yellows and brash whites has shifted to a love of roses. Its richness, especially against dark-colored straps, offers an understated yet definitive statement of power and stature. These timeless beauties are the perfect complement to the tweeds, cashmeres, and Barbour coats seen on Hill Street or fireside at The Palm this winter. Indeed, elegant 18k-rosegold watches, sometimes interchangeably referred to as pink gold (though men typically shy away from this term), have become the universal must-haves in today’s watch world.
From Cartier, the Calibre de Cartier watch ($23,100) offers seconds subdial indication at six o’clock and arc date indication at three o’clock. The handcrafted timepiece houses a Cartier Manufacture automatic movement. Americana Manhasset, 2060 Northern Blvd., 800-CARTIER
Audemars Piguet’s Jules Audemars selfwinding chronograph ($38,900) offers hours, minutes, and small seconds, in addition to the chronograph function with central seconds, 30-minute counter, and tachometric scale. London Jewelers, 2 Main St., East Hampton, 329-3939
The Carerra Heritage Watch by TAG Heuer ($10,500) offers vintage appeal in a 39mm case, with a silver dial and a brown alligator strap. It houses an automatic movement. Tourneau, Roosevelt Field, 630 Old Country Road, Garden City, 516-873-0209
