Chopard's Wonderful World: Nature-Themed Watches

Forbes

6 hours ago

Chopard Imperiale Four Seasons.
Moving Through Time: Chopard's Imperiale Four Seasons
Chopard applies its boundless creativity to the well-loved Imperale line with a new take on this time-honored classic: the limited edition Chopard Imperiale Four Seasons. Here, Chopard masterfully blends its penchant for watchmaking and fine jewelry craftsmanship to create a real stunner that comprises sculpted gold, mother-of-pearl marquetry, and diamonds. And while the aesthetics are arresting to say the least, watchmaking offers another opportunity to shine. Inside, beats the in-house developed L. U. C movement, orchestrating 227 components and bestowing 65 hours of power reserve.
A rotating disc, indexed to the hour hand, completes a full revolution every 365 days. Its decor is painted mother-of-pearl marquetry, which transforms the miniature tableau into a moving landscape that conjures the cycle of the four seasons on the lower half of the dial. The upper half is embellished with 18-karat white gold sculpted into the image of a lotus flower, which is a recurring motif of the Imperiale. Satin-finished gold petals set off the delicate flower, each with polished gold veins. Open-worked dagger-shaped hour and minute hands add further dimension.
The ethical white gold 36mm case is water resistant to 50 meters, and the bezel, crown, and lugs, also in ethical 18-carat white gold, are set with diamonds. The watch has an exhibition caseback for a mesmerizing view of the self-winding movement, operated via a tungsten alloy micro rotor. Four interchangeable alligator leather straps accompany the watch, each suggesting the palette of a season.
Themes of Nature
The natural world is an important theme for timepieces this year, with many brands showcasing their métiers d'art in a variety of exquisite watch collections. Last spring, Harry Winston introduced its botanical-inspired collection of watches and jewelry using emeralds, pink sapphires, yellow diamonds and more to evoke flowers in bloom.
The new Rendez-Vous Shooting Star from Jaeger-LeCoultre offers two new variations this year. The watch, first introduced in 2022, derives its name from a dial design that expresses the effect of a shooting star when activated, here concealed by intricate hand-painted peonies when inactive. The 36mm pink gold pink peony model features a diamond-set pink gold bracelet; 625 brilliant-cut diamonds decorate the watch. The blue peony variation is paired with a shiny blue alligator leather strap; it is set with 189 brilliant-cut diamonds on the case and dial. The watch is fitted with the Jaeger Le-Coultre automatic caliber 734, with 70 hours of power reserve, visible through the exhibition caseback.
Vacheron Constantin looks to the heavens with the early-July debut of its Métiers d'Art Tribute to the Celestial series of 12 watches, whose dials are decorated with a hand-guilloche depiction of a zodiac sign and its associated constellation. The 39mm white gold case is decked out in baguette-cut blue sapphires to complement the blue dials, which are in turn set with brilliant-cut diamonds to evoke stars, and the four signs representing human figures (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Aquarius) feature opaline details. It takes approximately 16 hours of focused work to create just one zodiac sign for each dial.