BASEL, March 21— The Swiss watchmaker and jewellery house has unveiled a new “Imperiale Joaillerie” watch at the Baselworld watch and jewellery fair in Basel, Switzerland (on now through March 24). This new exceptional timepiece shimmers in all the colours of the rainbow thanks to no less than 581 sapphires, totalling 47.98 carats.
In an exceptional new creation that matches watchmaking expertise with high-end jewellery design, Chopard has formed an extraordinary rainbow effect using different coloured sapphires, with shades fading from purple — the iconic colour of the “Imperiale” collection — through blue, red and yellow to lime green. It’s a real burst of colour that makes an eye-catching design.
This exceptional timepiece is made with 581 sapphires, totalling 47.98 karats, and over 1,000 hours’ work — 1,012 to be precise — went into selecting cutting, sorting and setting the stones.
A couture watch
Drawing on jewellery design, couture and watchmaking, this colourful new “Imperiale Joaillerie” model is made from 18-karat rose gold, and sees its case, crown, dial and strap covered entirely with baguette-cut sapphires arranged in colours that fade subtly from one to the next. The crown and the lug-covers are set with amethysts.
This masterpiece of jewellery design also comes loaded with a Chopard calibre, a self-winding mechanical movement with hours and minutes functions and a 60-hour power reserve. The movement can be admired through the exhibition case-back. — AFP-Relaxnews
