Chopard celebrates the season of gifting
In preparing for the upcoming holiday season, the Swiss luxury brand Chopard unfurls a wide range of fascinating collections of remarkable timepieces, stunning jewellery and dreamy accessories that invite customers to pamper themselves with coveted pieces, and more importantly, to share the festive spirit with their loved ones
From leather to diamonds, the Geneva-based company brings a universe of luxury craftsmanship perfect for this year’s Christmas celebrations. May it be from the iconic collections or the newly unveiled, the Chopard wonder is evident in every piece of watch, jewellery and accessory that provides exceptional quality.
Remaining true to its commitment, inscribed at the heart of each object that bears the stamp of Chopard, the renowned Swiss label shows off its mastery in providing pieces that matter to aficionados of excellence and fine workmanship. In this special holiday feature, ‘Day & Night’ magazine curates the amazing gifting selections filled from the Chopard collections.
The Happy Jewellery
Known for its famous “Happy” jewellery collections, the Chopard diamonds will certainly make an impression for the gifting season especially its iconic Happy Diamonds collection that welcomes a precious and supremely elegant new interpretation this year.
Playfully and joyfully spinning, the Happy Diamonds – free from any setting – has marked the finest hours in the history of Chopard. The latest Happy Diamonds bring a touch of sophistication to this stunning universe. Joie de vivre and elegance meet and mingle in an array of pendants, rings and earrings. Nestling inside an exquisitely diamond-set double rose gold ribbon are tiny hearts daintily hosting one or three moving diamonds between two sapphire crystals, and creating a magnificently refined effect.
Other equally riveting pieces suited for celebratory occasions hail from the Happy Hearts collection. Happy Hearts feature fine slender white or rose gold chains dotted with wide open hearts and dainty hearts enclosing mobile diamonds. The supple nature of these jewellery creations combined with the moving diamonds and the random nature of the motifs, compose a jewellery line imbued with distinctive chic and exquisite femininity.
This year, Chopard enriches the Happy Hearts collection with a precious sparkling and delicate new version in which the colourful hearts give way to hearts set with white diamonds. Colour made a magnificent entrance, with hearts of turquoise, onyx and mother-of-pearl rubbing shoulders with traditionally openwork hearts. Two new jewellery pieces also appeared on the scene: a delightful pendant as well as a bangle graced with two hearts – one in colour and the other enclosing a moving diamond – facing each other at each tip and performing an elegant pas de deux.
On one hand, the crème de la crème of the jewellery collections – the Haute Joaillerie creations – provide a sovereign elegance of diamonds. The most spectacular one of-a-kind jewellery creations are designed and crafted at the heart of the Chopard headquarters in Geneva. Over the past 15 years, in keeping with its tradition of excellence, the Manufacture has strongly developed its expertise in the domain of Haute Joaillerie. This has been notably facilitated by the regrouping under one roof of the many skills involved in the complex creation of such models. The artisans thereby pool their talents and expertise giving rise to authentic works of art in which traditional crafts rub shoulders with cutting-edge technologies.
Now, this collection showcases four new jewellery pieces, crafted from the Chopard workshops, highlighting the pear-cut diamond, one of the diamond cuts most favoured by Co-President and Creative Director, Caroline-Scheufele. The first is a delightful necklace featuring a floral motif adorned with 39 carats of diamonds, teamed with matching earrings. A pair of chandelier earrings also scintillates with a refined setting accentuating the delicacy of this gem consistently celebrated as a symbol of eternity. Finally, the last creation unveiled by the Geneva workshops is an elegant cuff bracelet forming an immaculate white ribbon that shines like a vision of beauty straight out of a fairy-tale. A unique showcase of peerless expertise, studded with diamonds paying sparkling homage to timeless feminine beauty.
The Remarkable Watches
Renowned for bringing the world some of the most fascinating timepieces, Chopard’s watchmaking craftsmanship is also a great way of greeting Christmas this year. Its perpetually reinvented icon, the Happy Sport, returns to the scene with a smaller, elegant dial with a self-winding movement, an accomplishment on both an aesthetic and technical level. Its proportions have been redefined in a mini version – graced with a dainty 30mm case – while maintaining the self-winding movement introduced in 2013 with the 36mm model. Chopard welcomes this uncompromising creation: a timeless, feminine watch that is delicately sized while exuding sophistication and technical refinement.
Meanwhile, from the brand’s epitome of fine watchmaking, the L.U.C Perpetual T, presents one of the most prestigious combinations in watchmaking. The perpetual calendar and the tourbillon along with more than one-week of operating autonomy, cement this new timepiece firmly among the horological aristocracy.
The nobility of its horological complications and the superlative refinement of its decorations, together with its discreet sophistication, sum up the highest standards integral to the legacy of Louis-Ulysse Chopard. Its tourbillon rubs shoulders with an extremely readable perpetual calendar in a watch characterised by its elaborate aesthetic appeal. Chronometer-certified by the COSC and bearing the Poinçon de Genève for the quality of its craftsmanship, the L.U.C Perpetual T is more than a mere demonstration of watchmaking mastery. It is a distinguished and functional watch designed for daily living.
While naturally rare due to the sheer complexity of crafting it, the L.U.C Perpetual T in platinum is issued in a limited edition that will be enjoyed by a privileged circle of 25 enlightened connoisseurs who succeed in acquiring one. It is taking its place firmly and securely at the peak of the L.U.C collection.
Another outstanding timepiece from Chopard is the latest addition to its XP line: The L.U.C XP Skeletec. Its new slate-grey sunburst satin-brushed dial frames the heart of the skeletonised mechanical self-winding movement, L.U.C Calibre 96.17-S, which takes the art of meticulous workmanship to impressive lengths. At the time of its launch in 2012, this ultra-thin movement equipped with two barrels was the first skeletonised calibre produced by Chopard Manufacture.
This self-winding calibre beating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz), boasts a 65-hour power reserve thanks to the Twin® technology, a Chopard-patented system combining two coaxial barrels and representing a truly remarkable technical feat in light of the extreme slenderness of the 3.3 mm-thick movement. Its mainplate adorned with Côtes de Genève on the dial side, as well as its bridges, are meticulously openworked to reveal the details of this exceptional movement. They create a contrast that cleverly highlights the gear wheels visible on the dial side.
The watch’s equally 18-carat rose gold case adds considerable strength of character to this model that derives unique elegance from this distinctive design feature. Two gilded Dauphine-type hands and the inscription L.U.Chopard appearing in white on the glareproofed sapphire crystal further enhance the elegance of this 39.5 mm-diameter ultra-thin model. The new L.U.C XP Skeletec watch comes on an alligator leather strap with an 18-carat rose gold pin buckle. It is issued in a 288-piece limited series.
Last but definitely not the least on the list of Chopard timepieces comes from the Mille Miglia, the flagship collection of the brand. This year, Chopard revisits this grand classic by introducing the collection dubbed Mille Miglia GTS (for Grand Turismo Sport). Drivers will find in this collection the new Mille Miglia GTS Chrono. Its sleek, sophisticated design rejuvenates the Classic Racing spirit embodied by the Mille Miglia collection, while remaining true to the identity codes of the chronographs rolled out over the past years.
This model with its masculine lines is inspired by the classic cars that took part in the race between 1940 and 1957. Dedicated to Italy’s most famous and eagerly followed classic car race, the Mille Miglia GTS Chrono is designed like a wrist-worn navigating instrument. Its 44 mm case fitted with short, pointed lugs that are carefully tapered to ensure optimal comfort on the wrist, while its sporting nature is enhanced by a graduated black aluminium bezel insert and facetted hands. The black dial and counters with red and white accents pay tribute to the aesthetic appeal of vintage cars. The date window appears in the red arrow representing the Mille Miglia arrow, a nod to the contestant numbers appearing on the doors and bonnets of the competing cars. The thrill of the race is symbolised by the strong presence of red on the dial, particularly on the minute track and the central seconds hand. This watch is available in steel with a steel bracelet or a rubber strap. The latter also echoes the racing world and is inspired by the classic 1960s Dunlop racing tyres.
The exclusive nature of this watch entirely matches that of the glorious classic cars that take part in this race. Its construction ensures the robustness that is indispensable on models dedicated to competitive racing. The new Millie Miglia GTS Chrono houses a self-winding movement ensuring essential ease of use. Its 48-hour power reserve enables its owner to find it still running smoothly and accurately after a period of rest. Finally, its certification by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) testifies to the precision of its rating, a must-have attribute for Chopard watches in general and of course for racing drivers. This much-coveted statute is reflected by the “Chronometer” inscription appearing on the dials of each model in the new Mille Miglia GTS chrono which bear the inscription “Chronometer”.
The Mille Miglia GTS Chrono is a tribute to “la corsa più bella del mondo”, dedicated to drivers combining a competitive spirit with distinctive style.
The Dreamy Accessories
Alongside its watch and jewellery-making expertise, Chopard has developed an accessory collection that extends to a world of dreams and travel.
For Christmas, four exceptional objects are enriching Chopard’s accessory collection. Each is produced with the same attention to quality and excellence as the company’s watches and jewellery. This uncompromising approach begins with the materials, such as the superb caviar embossed leather used for the “Vendôme” and “Monaco” handbags – the latest additions to the line of fine leather goods developed by Chopard and featuring names evoking prestigious destinations.
Meanwhile, the masculine universe welcomes a “Racer” resin rollerball pen, whose red and black livery along with the steering wheel on the cap are nods to Chopard’s beloved world of classic racing.
Finally, the “Vintage Racing” desk clock featuring a design inspired by a collector’s car rear-view mirror and interpreted in a flaming carmine red colour, will take car-racing enthusiasts on a fascinating journey along the route of the legendary Mille Miglia.
