2013/04/29

Chopard the Impériale Joaillerie Améthyste

 

A veil of light for a finely crafted movement

Equipped with a movement from the workshops of Fleurier Ebauches (the Chopard Group facility dedicated to industrial movement production) the Imperiale Joaillerie Améthyste model combines Haute Joaillerie and precision mechanics to create an exquisitely unique aesthetic. This new model is a watch graced with clean lines bearing elegant testimony to Chopard’s impressive range of in-house capabilities. 

Is it a watch or a piece of jewellery? That is a challenging question to answer due to the fact that the Imperiale Joaillerie Améthyste is clearly unwilling to reject either of its these facets. Chopard refuses to choose between Haute Joaillerie and mechanical excellence and has instead channelled expertise from both fields into this model. While the Imperiale Joaillerie Améthyste appears in majestic grandeur with its admirable gem-setting composed of graded shades of baguette-cut amethysts, baguette-cut diamonds and brilliant-cut diamonds, this irresistible treasure is also endowed with a mechanical movement entirely developed in-house and manufactured by Chopard in the Fleurier Ebauches workshops.

A Chopard movement…
Entirely developed and crafted in the Chopard workshops of Fleurier Ebauches, the Chopard Calibre 01.03-C which drives the Imperiale Joaillerie Améthyste beats at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hertz) and is equipped with a barrel ensuring an excellent 60-hour power reserve. These technical characteristics ensure the reliability, performance and precision of this mechanical self-winding movement. Resting at the heart of the Imperiale Joaillerie Améthyste and visible through a transparent exhibition back, the Chopard Calibre 01.03-C appears in full splendour tinged with a magnificent shade of purple. 
 
…adorned in imperial splendour
Entirely paved with diamonds and amethysts, the 40 mm-diameter and 18-carat white gold case of the Imperiale Joaillerie Améthyste provides a spectacularly contrasting frame to its mother-of-pearl dial adorned with amethyst hour-markers. Enthroned at its centre and surrounded by diamonds, the characteristic arabesque motifs of the Imperiale collection, inspired by the scrolling patterns on imperial regalia, form a delicate background and serve as a subtle reminder of the dagger-shaped hours and minute hands. The presence of the colour formerly known as “imperial purple”, the lugs inspired by the columns of classical architecture, and the crown shaped like a lotus flower form a regal set of details echoing the heritage of the grand historical empires in this watchmaking collection.