Whether one likes, fears or loathes them, they make their presence felt on the dials of our watches, where they delicately brush the passing of time with their delicate wings. Astonishingly lifelike butterflies flutter around their sapphire cages, while dragonflies flit amid high grass and spiders creep towards the watch hands with their fuzzy legs as if to better seize the moment. Insects hovering on the wrist engage in a graceful ballet that one never tires of admiring and which involves no risk of being stung.
Boucheron Khépri
The scarab beetle, the ultimate insect-world symbol of good luck, is the star of the Khépri watch. A precious protective lucky charm, the insect stylised by Boucheron is inspired by the story of the sun god Khépri which, in ancient Egypt, was represented by a man with the head of a scarab or by a scarab pushing a sun before it. Here, we have an incarnation reinterpreted with unparalleled jewellery mastery. Dawn, which saw the rebirth of Khépri every morning, is represented by the mother-of-pearl marquetry dial in subtly graded shades of blue and purple, while the scarab is a study in contrasts, with a blue sapphire cabochon head, opals adorning the wings, along with engraved rock crystal, diamonds… Vivid colours are thus layered in a light, refined composition.
Chaumet Attrape-moi… si tu m’aimes
The theme has been interpreted for several years now, to delightful effect. Staging joyful, colourful scenes from nature, the Attrape-moi… si tu m’aimes collection is reinvented season after season, in turn lending its dials as playgrounds for butterflies, spiders and bees. This particular version is devoted to a ballet of two miniature-painted dragonflies with their wings enhanced with white mother-of-pearl, yellow agate and red carnelian. They waft across a night sky dusted with lapis-lazuli powder and lit up by seven diamond stars sparkling over shimmering waters featuring miniature hand-painted reflections of the applied reeds waving gently above them.
Richard Mille Tourbillon RM 19-01 Natalie Portman
It doesn’t climb the walls and doesn’t bite, instead weaving an imaginary web designed to capture women’s hearts. The spider living at the heart of the Tourbillon RM 19-01 created in conjunction with actress Natalie Portman spins a thread between the mechanical excellence for which Richard Mille is renowned and jewellery-making expertise. In creating this 20-piece limited-edition model, the watchmaker has effectively woven the diamond-set spider into the very structure of the hand-wound movement. Its abdomen stiffens the tourbillon bridges while its legs support the two winding barrels. This creature epitomising freedom radiates an unmistakable sense of power and energy.
Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Papillon Rouge Gourmand
Seasonal fruit and a butterfly freed from its chrysalis are the poetic and ethereal highlights on this irresistible canvas. For Van Cleef & Arpels, the butterfly represents a source of inexhaustible inspiration that the company has been exploring from every possible angle since the 1920s. To create the dial of the Lady Arpels Papillon Rouge Gourmand, the company called upon the know-how of the best enamellers. Several enamelling techniques are used to enhance the white mother-of-pearl background. Plique-à-jour enamel is applied with a brush to the alveoli of the upper wing, while cabochonné enamel gives the strawberries the graceful curves that make them stand out from their surroundings, and the leaves are clothed in green using the champlevé technique. The result of this artistry is a 22-piece limited edition that is a delectable treat for any season.
