French Watches, Clocks & Jewellery at Basel 2003

French attendance at BaselWorld 2003 includes 80 producers of watches, clocks, straps and parts for watches, jewellery, high jewellery, gems and pearls, representing some 130 brands.

Both diverse and original, the new French collections demonstrate manufacturers' creativity, ingenuity and ability in terms of innovation and know-how.

With a spirit of excellence, these manufacturers combine intuition and flexibility to produce designs in step with fashion developments and suited to consumers' many and varied expectations, as they seek to stand out and affirm their differences with valorising and personalised products.

The new French designs include several trends:

Watches
Sports, fashion, high-tech or luxury, the watch takes on pure lines, softened contours and a more discreet size, although of course there are some extra-large designs.
In terms of shape, round, square and rectangle with straight or curved lines (barrel) are the stars of the show.

PÉquignet

White metal mainly steel, with chrome, rhodium, palladium is still dominant. Black is developing. Yellow gold and gold plate are here too, mainly in the ladies' designs.
Metal bands filled or linked, with links, rings or chains are still number one although leather, reptile skin and synthetic straps are coming back in a big way.
Watches are becoming colourful: dials and straps take on white or black, very fashionable, with pastel shades too (baby blue, pale pink, pale green, yellow, mauve, lilac) or brighter colours (red, bright blue, lemon yellow, grass green).
Diamonds, white or brown, semi-precious and synthetic gems adorn bezels and dials, as well as straps.
Dials are discreet, both in terms of pattern and colour. Mother of peal comes in several shades.
Quartz, automatic or mechanical watches, chronographs and technical models are all part of the range.

For men, chronographs and sports watches share the top spot, with city or evening models in a discreet, elegant style, in neutral shades. White metal, mainly steel, remains the favourite for watchcases and, to a lesser extent, for straps which also come in leather, gum and rubber. The trend is towards slimmer models, even extra-flat, but designs of a more generous size still have their fans.

Ladies' watches receive particular attention, taking an increasingly important place in collections; they are seen as an essential accessory to a look, an indispensable complement to clothing. Precious, elegant, relaxed or sporty, ladiesí watches come in a full range of models, a wide variety of shapes, materials and colours. There are reversible models too and transformable watches with inter-changeable parts to increase variety.

Jewellery-High Jewellery
Discreet or exuberant, jewellery no longer hides away and is worn at any time of the day or night, in any place and any circumstances.
In a variety of styles, shapes, materials, finishes, colours and patterns, jewellery is open to all interpretations.
Gem-studded models are favourite, in a multitude of colours.
Diamonds, with white gold or platinum, yellow gold or combined with coloured gems and pearls, sustain their leading position.
Emeralds, rubies, multi-coloured sapphires, gems and semi-precious stones in innumerable shades all contribute fun and fantasy.
Blue and every shade of red (from pale pink to violet, including bright red and orange) are given pride of place.
Pearls grey, black, white and gold also play a leading role.
All-gold models also play on diversity with colour combinations and/or a variety of finishes (polished, mat, sanded, satin-finished, ridged, brushed, hammered, dotted, engraved).
Silver is successful again, used alone or adorned with synthetic gems, pearls and enamel.
Modern, with strict, pure lines, figurative, romantic or baroque, jewellery comes in a wide variety of styles.

Thierry Mugler

Nature is a particular source of inspiration, specifically flowers and leaves.
Message-jewellery, lucky charms, religious and ethnic jewellery all have their ranges.
Rings get larger: juxtaposition of several rings, wide rings surmounted with big, central gems (cabochon or inlaid), surrounded by rows or scatters of small gems.
Engagement rings, solitaires and wedding rings take on modern shapes.
Earrings and tie-necklaces attract a wide clientele.

Chains with links in a wide variety of shapes, linking and cushioning is used on bracelets and necklaces, sometimes set with gems.
Nylon thread, rubber and cord are all used in pendants.
Many collections include complete ranges of jewellery (rings, cufflinks, necklaces, bracelets, pendants) designed specifically for men.

www.emotionfrance.com
Contact: [email protected]
(please credit europastar.com)

Source: emotionfrance.com press release
April 2003