Inspired by the venomous spider of the same nickname and in complete contrast to the retro cool of the IWC Portofino collection the just released Mr. Green exudes ‘a dark, angst-ridden ambience’ derived from the imagination of watchmaker Lionel Ladoire who has stated: ‘Our forefathers have marked their time, now we will invent ours.’

Lionel Ladoire, seen here on the right loitering behind the bike sheds with Managing Director Richard Piras, has developed a reputation for creating cool and creative timepieces, and “Mr. Green” is no exception. The Mr. Green Black Widow watch is one of four models in the collection that will make an appearance at SIHH 2011.

He has created a model with dimensions that feature a case measuring 41.77 mm along the 12-6 o’clock axis and 50.84 mm across the 9-3 o’clock axis. The timepieces in the Black Widow collection are designed to combine wearer comfort with an aggressive character exuding what Team Ladoire describe as a sophisticated aesthetic appeal.

The dial, with green, red and white accents are the key signature features of the various models in the Black Widow collection. The dial structure is open-worked to reveal the movement which itself has a spidery look about it in keeping with the design theme.

The movement is multi-layered and delineates three regulator-type offset Hours, Minutes and Seconds zones with a patented display complication mounted on ceramic micro ball bearings. The watches also feature a GMT function with a central hand adjusted via a fast action pushpiece at 2 o’clock.

To complete the look, the strap used in the Black Widow collection is made from a single piece of full-grain, hand-sewn matt leather or alligator leather, secured by a hand-made Ladoire Helvet Manufacture pin buckle.

Each watch in the collection will come in a limited edition of 12 pieces, retailing at around $68,000 a piece, so if the Black Widow doesn’t bite you it will at least leave a sting on your credit card.