Dior, from fashion to watches
Haute couture has always been a tireless muse for Dior’s high jewelry artistic director, Victoire de Castellane. Her taste for lace, tie-dye, braids and ribbons has informed her bedazzling creations, while couture-themed prints have also caught her discerning eye. Think checks, stripes, tie-dye color gradations, geometric motifs and Liberty prints, executed in striking graphic form, featuring a blend of asymmetry and color. One particularly noteworthy example is this secret watch from the Dior Print collection featuring a delightful, feminine concoction of blue and pink sapphires, amethysts and diamonds set on pink and white gold, majestically topped by a majestic pink sapphire setting the tone.
Piaget, light as a feather
Sun and light are synonymous with Piaget Haute Joaillerie, and this year the Maison focuses on that special hour when the sun sets and darkness descends. The Solstice collection notably includes an enchanting watch where emeralds, blue sapphires and diamonds set in a magnificent color gradient represent the twilight theme, coupled with a mesmerizing blue opal dial. But the real twist comes courtesy of a bold burst of feathers from four types of bird. These can also be detached and worn as earrings – enough to give us wings!
Chaumet, a precious port of call
The sea is an endless source of inspiration for many Haute Joaillerie Maisons and Chaumet captures its dazzling beauty through the Ondes et Merveilles de Chaumet collection. Think jewelry sets evoking the mix of hot and cold gulfstream waters, watches recalling drone-like views of parasols on a beach… Witness this gorgeous Escales watch evoking a boat quietly anchored in an inlet, with the red hues of the land represented by a flurry of garnets and spinels juxtaposed against the shore’s translucent azure waters illustrated by an undulating blue-gradient pattern of Paraiba tourmalines and sapphires matching the brilliance of the diamonds.
Chanel, the skyborne spirit
This year, Chanel’s 1932 collection paid homage to Gabrielle Chanel’s one-and-only Haute Joaillerie collection, Bijoux de Diamants, released in 1932. The 77-piece collection, themed around the stars, sun and moon, was presented in a standout exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris last month, just after Chanel’s haute couture show. Although no watches were produced this year, the Maison showcased several Haute Joaillerie re-editions of watches created in 2015 and belonging to the Chanel archives – making them as rare and wonderful as catching a glimpse of a shooting star in a winter sky.
Bulgari, The butterfly effect
Bulgari invites us into a luscious and fertile Garden of Eden where several Haute Joaillerie watches bloom in gorgeous bouquets. The queen of the garden is the Giardino Dell’Eden Tourbillon, for which the numbers do the talking: 4,400 hours of work, 6,500 stones totaling 223 carats, 700g in weight plus 76 different kinds of bejeweled petals – all inspired by the Bulgari archives. Two butterflies and a snake are hidden among the foliage of this cuff-watch that transforms into a detachable brooch, offering another way of appreciating the tourbillon of the in-house-assembled mechanical movement, here making its first foray into Haute Joaillerie. Wow factor sorted.
Cartier, the world at our feet
Cartier’s Beautés du Monde collection gives pride of place to floral and fauna, art and architecture. Craftsmanship, expertise and design tinged with a hint of daring are also in the spotlight, as epitomized in this Tichodroma watch bearing the genus name of the small Wallcreeper bird with its unmistakable blue-gray and fiery red plumage. Cartier translates this colorful motif through special-cut opals complemented by two centerpiece diamonds and 17.75cts of cabochon-cut rubellites. The result is a prestigious and sensual watch proudly bearing the Cartier signature.
Chopard, Cleopatra on the red Carpet
To mark 75 years of the Cannes Film Festival, Chopard created 75 extraordinary Red Carpet Haute Joaillerie models all inspired by iconic films, from Charlie Chaplin’s first sound movie, City Lights, to Hitchcock’s classic To Catch a Thief. This extraordinary secret watch takes its cue from Cleopatra, with vibrant swirls of tourmalines, pink sapphires and tsavorites mingled with turquoise stones. When the secret watch reveals the dial, the latter appears like a flower adorned with precious gems. One could easily imagine Liz Taylor wearing this watch, on or off screen – and Cleopatra herself would doubtless have loved it too!
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