By Harlan Chapman-Green
So, that’s it, Baselworld 2018 is all over, everyone’s going home, and there’s a lot of clearing up to do. What has been your favourite piece from this year? Stick around on WristReview as there will be a Top 5 Watches from Baselworld 2018 coming soon, but until then we’re taking a look at a dress watch which appeals to the woman market. Given that the company which makes it is more involved with the ladies market than the gents’, this isn’t much of a surprise.
What could be prettier than flowers? Well, how about flowers printed onto the dial of a watch. Flowers which have been printed onto an enamel grand feu dial using a traditional Swiss method of cutting paper. Last year Chopard unveiled a slightly different Esprit de Peony watch, which used an engraved dial to make out the delicate flowers. This time it’s a more monochromatic approach, but one which is no less stunning because of it.
Balancing out the stark black and white of the dial is the 18K rose gold case, which we can assume will measure 35mm across the case, just like last year’s model. Adorning this are diamonds, quite a few of them in fact. There are 1.83 carats of white diamonds placed onto the bezel and sides of the case to accentuate the look (also, who doesn’t like a few diamonds on their ladies watch?).
Inside the case is the calibre L.U.C. 96.23-L1, it’s made in-house in Chopard’s manufacturing site based in Fleurier, up in the mountains. Running at a steady 4Hz this movement makes use of Chopard’s L.U.C. Twin technology, which uses two stacked barrels to increase the power reserve to 65 hours and make sure that the power is delivered constantly to aid in timekeeping.
Take a moment to appreciate the level of detail that’s gone into engraving that movement. Surrounding the 22K gold oscillating micro-rotor are beautiful leaves and flowers, which are gold to stand out from the engraved plates. This isn’t Chopard’s usual high level of finishing; this is something else entirely. As we learned from our time at the factory in Fleurier last year, there are very few people who can engrave L.U.C. movements and only one who can, or who is allowed to, decorate a movement in this manner.
The watch is limited to 8 examples which are exclusive to Chopard boutiques. For more info, visit Chopard online.
