In 1969, at a time when the world of jewellery was undergoing powerful creative renewal, Chopard unveiled a collection of jewellery watches ushering in a new era of artistry and elegance. More than five decades later, this legacy endures in The Precious Hours box set, a dazzling tribute to the Maison’s mastery of ornamental stone dials. This extraordinary collection brings together unique renditions of the 26 mm-diameter L’Heure du Diamant, crafted in ethical gold with coloured dials surrounded by diamonds featuring Chopard’s signature crown-setting technique. The 12 models are powered by the Chopard 10.01-C mechanical manual-winding movement, one of the most compact sizes and thicknesses on the market. These talismans are a testament to technique, shape and material, uniting in a perfect alchemist’s blend.
A jewel that tells the time: the dual nature of Chopard’s expertise
Combining watchmaking expertise with Haute Joaillerie excellence, dainty diamond-set watches lie at the heart of the history and identity of the Scheufele family, who have served as guardians of Chopard’s development for generations. The L’Heure du Diamant collection epitomises this duality, masterfully mingling contemporary vision and vintage allure; hard materials and soft shapes; exquisite aesthetics and precision.
At the crossroads of these skills, L’Heure du Diamant is a collection inspired by a 1970 Chopard jewellery timepiece. Crafted in yellow gold with a champagne-toned dial, Milanese mesh bracelet, diamond-set bezel and refined mechanical movement, this vintage masterpiece continues to exercise a profound influence on the current interpretations of L’Heure du Diamant.
These watchmaking jewels, paired with ornamental hard stone dials, resulting from over a century of technical and aesthetic supremacy, as Caroline and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s grandfather was already dubbed the ‘Master of Jewellery Watches’ in the early 20th century. This historical heritage was acknowledged in 2013, when the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève awarded its “Jewellery Watch Prize” to a L’Heure du Diamant timepiece in rose gold entirely paved with diamonds.
Imbued with harmony and symmetry, L’Heure du Diamant models have been interpreted over the years in a variety of round, oval, cushion, octagonal or heart-shaped cases, making the collection a veritable beacon of creativity. In 2025, Chopard has chosen the treasures of its L’Heure du Diamant collection to adorn its Ambassador Bella Hadid in a new campaign, widely acclaimed across watch, jewellery and fashion circles.
Dials in ornamental stones: a myriad of colours
The extraordinary Precious Hours set houses 12 renditions of the 26-mm L’Heure du Diamant, representing the months of the year or the day’s 12-hour cycles, all presented in an elegant black lacquered case. This exquisite presentation box features a rotating tray that invites discovery, revealing a fresh expression of light and colour.
Each dial of these watches carries a unique story, brimming with symbolism and energy. New to the collection, pink opal, jade and blue agate deepen this narrative of natural beauty. Chopard’s mastery of these exquisite materials transforms timepieces into talismans, each bearing its own special meaning.
– Mother-of-pearl, embodying the shimmer of the seas, is believed to enhance creativity and protect against negativity.
– Diamonds, with their flashes of light from the depths of the Earth, are an enduring symbol of prosperity and purity.
– The fiery hues of carnelian, known as the “rays of the setting sun” in Ancient Egypt, are thought to ignite courage.
– Tiger’s eye offers confidence and clarity. It was referred to in Antiquity as the “all-seeing eye” guiding soldiers to success.
– Onyx, a splendid member of the chalcedony family, derives its name from the Greek word onux, meaning fingernail. This nod to mythology comes from the story of Cupid clipping Venus’ fingernails, which were transformed into onyx to ensure her beauty would last forever. It is thus said to bring stability and strength in times of change.
– Malachite, with its lush green patterns obtained from the presence of copper within, is regarded as the stone of transformation.
– Turquoise, long associated with unity, is a sacred stone in Native American cultures.
– Opal, the stone of dreams and intuition, owes its name to the Latin opalus, meaning ‘to see a change in colour’.
– Jade, from the Spanish expression piedra de ijada – literally “stone of the pain in the side” – is renowned for its healing properties. Early Spanish explorers named it thus after seeing natives holding pieces of the stone to their sides to cure or relieve various aches.
– Blue agate, born from magma or volcanic rock, is considered to bring renewal, soothing the spirit with its tranquil tones.
Chopard honours the raw beauty of these materials, preserving their natural variations so that each watch remains a unique masterpiece. Like time itself, no two dials are ever the same, each offering a singular expression of Nature’s artistry, captured within a timeless creation.
Noble aesthetics: a majestic dial encircled by a diamond crown
Another distinctive characteristic of L’Heure du Diamant timepieces is a bezel entirely set with generously sized diamonds, whose radiance is majestically enhanced using a unique Chopard signature gem setting technique: crown setting, which highlights the beauty of each stone by allowing the light to flood through with exceptional brilliance. Designed with V-shaped prongs, this process originally devised by Karl Scheufele supports the arrangement of the diamonds like invisible lacework. Thus, released from the constraints of opaque metal, the mineral purity of diamonds can shine through fully, as the timeless grace of L’Heure du Diamant jewellery embodies fragments of eternity.
The bark-type bracelet: a goldsmith’s masterpiece
Two of the L’Heure du Diamant timepieces in the set are paired with a bark-type bracelet in ethical gold, featuring an ergonomic, silky texture achieved by unique expertise. In reference to the plant-life theme, extremely fine veining gives the bracelet a lifelike appearance, as it endows the gold with an incomparably supple, light touch. This bracelet gently nestled against the skin does not cling to fabrics, instead following the wearer’s every move thanks to the entirely hand-crafted goldsmithing technique perfected by the Scheufele family in the 1960s. Other models in the collection come with either a leather or satin strap in a variety of joyful colours matching the dials.
A high-precision mechanism: the Chopard 10.01-C movement
Beating at the heart of these watches, the Chopard 10.01-C mechanical manual-winding movement driving the hours and minutes has a 45-hour power reserve. Measuring just 15.70 millimetres in diameter and 2.90 millimetres thick, this in-house calibre introduced in 2024 is one of the smallest and thinnest in the world, making it suitable for dainty jewellery watches. It was entirely developed and produced within the Maison’s workshops in Switzerland, revealing the technical genius and constant quest for innovation cultivated by Chopard.
