By Harlan Chapman-Green
Here we are folks, this article is officially the last Only Watch first look article because, believe it or not, we’ve actually run out of watches to write about! Perhaps we’ve saved the best watch ‘till last? The Boucheron Epure Vague De Lumière watch does have a certain marvel to it, in the same way, the Chanel Mademoiselle Privé watch does and our masthead agrees. This new watch is a fitting end to our first look articles, as the Only Watch auction itself is this Saturday (7th).
After you’ve read this sentence I want you to close your eyes and imagine yourself lying on the golden sand in the warm sunshine on a lovely beach, a beach where the sky is cloud free and sapphire blue, where the gentle breeze soothes your skin and the gentle lapping of the waves, as clear as gin, can be faintly heard in the distance. Isn’t it the perfect feeling? No worries, no stress, no hustle and bustle. Just the serenity of the beach and the warmth of the sun. It’s a shame we can’t just do this all day long, but alas the weather has other ideas. That and the fact that we’d never get anything done if we all just lounged around on a beach all day but isn’t it nice to dream?
If you haven’t guessed by now, waves are the theme of this watch. Specifically, one huge wave made of round and baguette cut diamonds adorning the dial of this lovely timepiece. The dial has been made in such a way as to give the wave the third eye-catching dimension. The watch has also been given a new colour for Only Watch, the coloured parts of the dial and the leather strap have been given a playful blue colour which “interprets the naturalism so dear to Maison Boucheron”. The beautiful dial of this piece is protected by aventurine glass, which is also known by the name goldstone, it can be very difficult to work with.
The case of this watch has been made of 18k white gold and has a bezel set with baguette cut diamonds with a single cabochon set in the crown, the case itself is 41mm in diameter. The movement inside of the piece is a Girard-Perregaux manufacture GP400 automatic winding movement with a 40-hour power reserve, a good choice for Boucheron as it’s a solid performing movement which can be decorated to look absolutely stunning. The caseback on this watch has been engraved with the words “Je ne Sonne que les Heures Heureuses”, which in English means “I Count only the Joyful Hours”.
Here is what’s called a “Boucheron Moment”, an interesting insight into the history of this company and its clientele:
“The famous American actress Joan Crawford was a cherished client of the Maison Boucheron: she acquired a jewellery set made of aquamarine stones and diamonds. She confided that the sparkle of the jewels was so intense that she drew inspiration from it and would often insist on wearing it on stage.
Wishing to own something to remember his favourite actress by, Andy Warhol bought the set in 1977: in his eyes, the jewels were priceless as he was convinced that the stones contained a part of the actress’s soul.”
There are many more moments like this which help those of us who have never heard of the company before to get acquainted with the romance of the brand. For more info, please visit boucheron.com
Can you guess how much this watch will sell for when it goes under the hammer at Only Watch on Saturday? Stay with WristReview to find out.
HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN – CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
A keen bass guitar player, Harlan enjoys all the perks modern watchmaking technologies the industry has to offer. Although you might catch him sampling Omegas or the odd Rolex, Harlan loves all things Haute Horology, with his three favourite brands being Breguet, A.Lange & Söhne and Vacheron Constantin. He hopes to study timekeeping more in depth someday and will never be able to thank his father enough for introducing him to the industry. You can follow him on Instagram Read his articles here
