Hailed as watchmaking’s most poetic complication, the moon phase stars in a new L’Heure du Diamant timepiece, following the lunar cycle through the sparkling nuances of aventurine glass and the fire of diamonds magnified by the crown-setting technique. The sophistication of this creation combining Chopard’s dual expertise in watchmaking and jewellery continues with the new Chopard 09.02-C self-winding movement.
A new moon-phase movement
For the first time in its history, L’Heure du Diamant collection has a complication at the heart of one of its timepieces. Measuring just 20.40 mm by 4.60 mm, the 169 components composing the new self-winding Chopard Calibre 09.02-C enable it to fit neatly into a small ladies’ watch case. An aventurine disc serves to display the moon’s trajectory with remarkable precision. Calibrated by the Manufacture’s finest watchmaking artisans, this display is endowed with astronomical precision: with a time difference of just 57.2 seconds between two lunar cycles, it will take 122 years for it to show a one-day discrepancy with the path of the actual moon. Only then will it need to be adjusted.
Aventurine glass: celestial and precious
The Maison’s artisans have enhanced this extremely romantic complication with decor inspired by the beauty of the cosmos. With its blue aventurine glass dial studded with points of light, this watch is a beautiful reminder of the vastness and wonder of the galaxy. More than just its starry appearance with its sparkling inclusions, aventurine glass is the story of an accidental invention. It is said that a 17th century artisan working in one of Murano’s glassmaking workshops inadvertently dropped copper filings into his molten glass. The result was a coveted new material named aventurine after the Italian word peravventura, meaning ‘by chance’. This material belongs to a longstanding tradition of colourful dials in the L’Heure du Diamant collection, known for its variations in coloured ornamental hard stones such as malachite, opal, tiger’s eye and onyx.
Light effects and crown setting
Reflecting the Scheufele family’s expertise in the realm of jewellery watches, the brilliance of the diamonds surrounding the dial in a halo of light is further enhanced by a gem setting technique that is unique to Chopard. Crown setting enhances the brilliance of the stones by maximising light penetration, creating a dazzling display of flamboyant light effects. Developed by Karl Scheufele, the V-shaped prongs of this setting support the diamonds like an invisible lacework base. Unencumbered by the constraints of metallic opacity and exuding all the mineral purity of diamonds, the timeless grace of L’Heure du Diamant jewellery represents fragments of eternity.
A legacy of creative expertise
The radiance of great classics sculpted with unprecedented lightness and viewed through the prism of contemporary elegance: L’Heure du Diamant takes its place amongst those collections perfectly distilling the spirit of Chopard. Inspired by the modernism of the 1960s, this watch and jewellery collection stems from the entrepreneurial genius of Karl and Karin Scheufele, combined with unique jewellery expertise handed down over generations.
