On Centennial of Marilyn Monroe’s Birth, Blancpain’s Ladybird Tribute Collection Reinterprets the Actress’s Timepiece

Marilyn Monroe, one of the most photographed women of the 20th century, was born on July 1, 1926. At some point in her life she acquired a lovely platinum jewelry watch created by Swiss manufacturer Rayville-Blancpain, precursor to today’s Blancpain. The slender, Art Deco-styled timepiece features 73 diamonds, an opaline dial with yellow gold markers, a hand-wound movement, and a double safety chain bracelet. Its existence was not known to the public until a 2016 auction of Marilyn’s personal effects. Blancpain acquired the watch. A decade later, the manufacture celebrates Marilyn’s style and timepiece with the launch of a capsule collection of seven unique timepieces based on her original watch.

The Ladybird Tribute watches draw from the distinctive elements of the original watch: its opaline dial, yellow gold applied hour markers, conical hands, and the geometric Art Deco setting that structures the rectangular case. Powered by the in-house caliber 510 manual-winding movement, the timepiece has a power reserve of 52 hours and water-resistance to 30 meters. The 35mm-18K white gold case and buckle together are set with 85 diamonds weighing 1.360 carats.

Each unique piece bears one letter of the name MARILYN individually engraved on the case back. And each timepiece is mounted on a double-wrap calf strap, available in one of seven colors developed by Pantone® to mark the 100th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth.