Swiss watchmaker Blancpain has introduced a limited collection of jewelry watches inspired by a timepiece once worn by Marilyn Monroe. The launch coincided with the centennial of Monroe’s birth on June 1.
Blancpain’s Ladybird Tribute capsule comes in seven different strap colors, developed by Pantone based on Monroe’s “visual universe,” Blancpain said. Every watch is engraved on the caseback with a single letter from the name Marilyn.
The Ladybird Tribute is a reinterpretation of a Blancpain dating to the late 1940s or early 1950s that was owned by Monroe. The company said it acquired Monroe’s watch in 2016 after it was in a Julien’s Auctions sale from the estate of Lee Strasberg (the star’s acting teacher and custodian of her estate).
Ladybird Tribute watches—priced at $54,300 each—have double-wrap calf straps and an opaline dial within a case set with 60 baguette diamonds and two marquise-cut diamonds. Additional diamonds on the links, arch attachments, and pin buckle bring the total carat weight to 1.36.
Monroe’s original Blancpain, which the watch brand publicly exhibited for the first time in 2019 in New York, features an elongated rectangular case typical of American art deco design. It was crafted in platinum and set with dozens of diamonds, with a miniature movement produced by Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon.
Blancpain said the history of how Monroe acquired the watch remains unclear, though it confirmed that the actress wore the piece during her lifetime.
The JCK News Desk uses AI to help research and produce the first draft of articles. This story was then reviewed by staff writer David Blomquist.
Top: Ladybird Tribute watch with Black Beauty calf leather strap, engraved on the caseback with the R from Marilyn—as in Monroe (photo courtesy of Blancpain)
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