The Swiss watchmaking industry has some 500 active brands — some of which produce just one watch a year, simply to preserve the use of their trade name. Each time a new brand is launched, it is always with the same question in mind: what can be added to this abundant offer? Alexandre Beauregard, creator of the eponymous brand, did not really ask himself this question. He had an idea, that of a feminine, rich and generous jewellery collection. He is neither an opportunist nor a banker: he conceives and designs his pieces himself, shapes the petals and assembles each Haute Joaillerie dial.
Floral compositions
In ten years of maturation, the Beauregard brand has produced two collections: Dahlia and Lili. The floral inspiration is obvious. At the sight of the generous petals, one cannot help but think of Claret's Marguerite, Chaumet's Hydrangea, or even Richard Mille's RM 19-02 with its animated tourbillon within a magnolia.
Of course, Chanel's magnolia is not far away either. The affinity with the maison of rue Cambon is confirmed with Lili, whose case profile matches that of the Chanel Boy-Friend, inspired by the Place Vendôme.
Wrong way!
Of course, the floral inspiration is obvious for women. But to stop at these comparisons would be a mistake. For where the aforementioned brands play the technical card (tourbillon or poetic complication), Beauregard works first and foremost for, through and with decorative stones. Voluptuous, generous, abundant, soft.
Mother-of-pearl, onyx, opal, topaz, turquoise: he cuts them into curves and arcs. There is no longer any question of facets or angles. The Dahlia and Lili are devoid of them. The sumptuous work on the dial offers a continuous reading of the stone, which is no longer fragmented.
It is no longer a question of reflections, but of nuances. The light is not reflected on the stone: it glides, unfolds and diffuses. Has anyone ever seen a ray of light reflected in a flower petal? No. It caresses it, goes around it. It penetrates it (a little), plays with it (a lot). It is this set of nuances that the cut so dear to Beauregard renders with grace and subtlety.
Clockwork bouquet
Three variations explore this naturalistic impulse. Dahlia is the best known, pre-selected at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) as soon as it was released in 2018. For in addition to the mastery of the jeweller, there is also the mastery of the watchmaker. With the Têlos studio (Franck Orny and Johnny Girardin, already authors of dazzling creations, notably for Montblanc), Alexandre Beauregard has designed a central automatic tourbillon, whose upper bridge drives a cage designed like a flower. An aerial sculpture, quite technical, which offers no less than 72 hours of power reserve. The crown is at 3 o'clock, also sculpted in the form of a flower.
As for the Lili, it is available in two versions. A first version replaces the 39mm of the Dahlia by a case refined to 33mm. The snow setting disappears in favour of a more conventional and regular setting. The central tourbillon makes way for a full dial, matching the petals, circled in gold and covered with openworked leaf hands. The same floral assortment is then presented in a rectangular case with bevelled sides, which again features the snow setting.
The second Lili leaves the garden and heads for the confectionery. The petals are transformed into a colourful lollipop. It reproduces the bright and sweet tones of candy, again thanks to round-cut stones that reinforce the generosity of the composition. A quartz piece, like the other Lili, with a 33 mm case.
