Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Carl F. Bucherer Manero AutoDate Love (Live Pics & Pricing)
A refreshingly feminine line-up of watches designed with Chinese actress and environmental activist Li Bingbing for the Manero collection.
Most of us associate the Manero collection with men’s watches and Carl F. Bucherer’s trademark peripheral technology For women’s watches, CFB has the Pathos and Alacria families with complex case structures in precious metals and mostly quartz movements, basically sophisticated jewellery watches designed for special occasions and not for everyday wear and tear. Last year, the Bucherer Blue 35.5mm with diamonds and blue sapphires made an inroad in the Manero collection paving the way for the Manero AutoDate Love line-up, which was introduced earlier this year following the cancellation of Baselworld 2020.
To create a truly feminine watch that was not just a downsized men’s watch, Carl F. Bucherer partnered with Chinese actress and environmental activist Li Bingbing to create the Manero AutoDate Love collection. Killing not two but three birds with one stone, CFB targets the all-important Chinese market, caters to female watch enthusiasts and spotlights Bingbing’s charitable organisation (L.O.V.E.) with the Manero AutoDate Love.
Although the Manero collection has mainly focused on men’s watches, and many of its watches feature CFB’s renowned peripheral rotor, including the sensational Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral, the AutoDate Love models are not fitted with in-house movements with peripheral rotors; they are powered by calibre CFB 1971, a base Sellita SW 360-1 automatic with small seconds. With prices ranging from EUR 12,800 to EUR 2,900, the underlining tenet of this collection is choice.
Variety is the name of the game
Available with vibrant red, petrol blue or white mother-of-pearl dials, the three dial variations are accompanied by a choice of case materials. The most luxurious – and expensive – option is the red dial in an 18k rose gold case with a sprinkling of 62 diamonds on the bezel. The common denominators across all variations are the 35.5mm case size (height 9.15mm), the hour, minutes, small seconds and date functions, and naturally, the CFB 1971 automatic calibre with 42-hour reserve.
The red Manero AutoDate Love has a vibrant and intense red dial with a sprinkling of gold dust. Obviously the colour red is close to Chinese customers; not only does it symbolise luck, joy and fertility, it is the colour chosen by Chinese brides to ward off evil. Another Oriental motif is the graceful golden leaf motif (I’m guessing it’s made from applied gold/silver powder) adorning the small seconds counter. This pattern is, in fact, the motif used by Li Bingbing’s charity L.O.V.E. Responsible Life foundation and represents her concerns for environmental protection. If you look again at the sharply defined hour markers, you’ll notice a curious feature on the 7 o’clock marker. Replacing the elongated pyramid markers is a slightly misaligned golden leaf and its stem. Classic Manero family traits include the faceted applied hour markers and the dauphine-style hands. The date window at 3 o’clock is outlined in a contrasting colour and has a white background.
As mentioned, the red dial model comes in a choice of three cases: solid 18k pink gold with 62 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel and a red alligator leather strap; a two-tone pink gold and steel case version and red alligator strap; and a two-tone pink gold and steel version with a matching steel and gold bracelet.
The striking petrol blue dial model is available in three variations: two-tone rose gold and steel case with blue alligator strap; two-tone with two-tone bracelet; and full steel with blue alligator strap. With its sunray-brushed finish, the dial catches the light beautifully. The small seconds counter is snailed and also features the golden leaves that characterise this collection along with the leaf hour marker at 7 o’clock. Both the petrol blue dial models with gold bezels feature applied golden hour markers, golden dauphine hands and golden leaf motifs. However, the solid steel model exchanges the golden details for silver appliqués to match the case metal.
A third variation, with a mother-of-pearl dial, is also included in the new Manero AutoDate Love collection. Available in solid steel with a purple alligator strap, in steel with diamonds on the bezel and a purple alligator strap, and in steel with a steel bracelet, all the elements on the dial match the case metal. The beauty of mother-of-pearl is its natural iridescence and as you can tell from our pictures, when the light hits the dial the pearly nacre emits a wonderful rainbow of soft colours.
Calibre CFB 1971
Powered by an automatic calibre based on a Sellita SW 360-1, the hours, minutes, small seconds and date will keep in perfect synch for stretches of up to 42 hours. The sapphire crystal caseback reveals the movement with its large rotor decorated with vertical Côtes de Genève and perlage on the plates.
The price difference of the nine variants of the Manero AutoDate Love oscillates enormously – almost EUR 10,000 – depending on the case metal and diamonds: the top-of-the-line model in 18k pink gold with diamonds retails for EUR 12,800; a two-tone gold and steel model with alligator strap for EUR 4,500 and EUR 5,500 with bracelet; and the full steel model with alligator strap retails for EUR 2,900.
For more information, please consult carl-f-bucherer.com.
