Hublot Big Bang Portocervo Men's Watch 301.PE.230.RW.094

Chaumet is one of the rare jewellery and watchmaking companies to have several watch collections that have established themselves in their respective niches. The Dandy, for example, has become a must-have men's watch. The Attrape moi… si tu m'aimes watch is a reference in the domain of creative feminine jewellery watches; while the Liens collection that was first designed in 1977 made a successful return to centre-stage in November 2013. The new register explored by Chaumet with the Hortensia collection made an immediate impression on informed observers with a range of novel bouquet-inspired floral compositions.
In 2014, Chaumet will be confirming its approach by enriching all of the existing collections.

Future ties
With its Liens watches, Chaumet is targeting a return to entry-level ladies' timepiece, a field it had deserted for a certain period in order to focus on upscale artistic pieces. Chaumet will now therefore considerably reinforce this collection to ensure it achieves the success it deserves.
Six new references will be launched in 2014, definitely upping the pace for this range of which the first seven models were launched less than three months ago. An unusual self-winding 33 mm model set with 64 diamonds will appear, while the others will be quartz-driven and feature a 27 mm diameter. Chaumet will alternate between gold and steel variations fitted with satin straps or metal bracelets.
 

The Chaumet bestiary will welcome new flowers, insects, butterflies and birds. These models will feature the most precious artistic crafts, mingling painting, engraving, sculpture and gem-setting. This is a field of expression that Chaumet has always associated with its creations and that it is naturally pursuing in 2014.
The dials of the Attrape moi… si tu m'aimes collection are framed by a 35 mm pink gold case set with diamonds. The colourful satin or white alligator leather strap, secured by a gem-set pink gold pin buckle, is attached to the collection's two signature perpendicular lugs. Finally, the two hands are driven by a self-winding movement featuring an oscillating weight engraved with a dragonfly, a butterfly and a bee.

The first chapter in the collection will indeed be dedicated to bees, a favourite theme for Attrape moi… si tu m'aimes watches. A rock crystal bee and a miniature-painted blue butterfly face each other on a guilloche mother-of-pearl. As they gather pollen from the flowers, a cluster of diamonds flies up into the air.
A second chapter in the saga will follow, once again dedicated to the butterfly, this time appearing alone in white mother-of-pearl lacework lit up by cool orange enamel. The flowers will be sculpted in turquoise with a heart made of royal blue sapphires.
TThe third piece will see a ber contrast, with two dragonflies in mother-of-pearl, agate and cornelian flying across a lapis lazuli sky dotted with diamonds above an engraved gold lake.
The fourth and more autumnal Attrape-moi… si tu m'aimes is graced with six butterflies in red cornelian marquetry, white wood and blackened gold, quivering on diamond-set pink gold stems. This exquisite choreography will be enhanced by a myrtlewood burl base.
Finally, the last model in red tones depicts a flight of doves from a diamond-rimmed gold cage, illuminating in their wake an orange-tinted stone sky. The birds are sculpted out of agate using the cameo technique, with their wings embellished by grand feu enamel cabochons.
 

An explosion of blossoms
The new Hortensia collection will focus on two themes already featured when the range was introduced in October 2013: jewellery and Fine Watchmaking. In all, Chaumet will present no less than seven new models.
The four High Jewellery models will comprise two hand-wound tourbillon watches (based on a movement developed by Hublot) celebrating blue and white hydrangeas, a 'river' watch on a flowing ruby bracelet, and a 'secret' watch in pink gold set with precious stones. The two first models will be in white gold and display the tourbillon at 6 o'clock, of which the upper bridge and plate form the shape of a hydrangea bloom.

The Chaumet 'secret' watch is a one-of-a-kind model, with a bouquet of pink hydrangeas concealing a white mother-of-pearl dial punctuated by four diamond hour-markers, and held to the wrist by a pink satin strap with a clasp composing a gem-set pink gold hydrangea bloom. The time is thus revealed beneath a myriad of pink gold flowers, paved with brilliant-cut diamonds and set with pink sapphires, sculpted cabochon-cut opals and tourmalines.
Then come four precious watches in yellow or white gold. They feature an unusual 31-millimetre round watch with gentle curves and domed profiles that make it resemble a precious pebble, fitted on a black satin or white leather strap. Nestling at the heart of a polished or gem-set bezel, they give pride of place to a bouquet of hydrangeas crafted using techniques involving marquetry, imagery or an engraved and chequered guilloche geometrical motif.