CHAUMET: A Dispatch from Geneva on the New Collection

CHAUMET: A Geneva Report on the 2013 New Collection

A Fantastical Watch Collection, Including Complicated Timepieces

The esteemed high jewelerCHAUMEThas taken a new step in the world of watchmaking. At a private exhibition held concurrently with SIHH (Geneva Watchmaking Grand Exhibition) in January, CHAUMET unveiled its new collection. This exquisite range, a fusion of high-jewelry aesthetics and artisanal craftsmanship, showcased unprecedented creations.SIHH (Geneva Watchmaking Grand Exhibition)At a private exhibition held concurrently with SIHH (Geneva Watchmaking Grand Exhibition) in January, CHAUMET unveiled its new collection. This exquisite range, a fusion of high-jewelry aesthetics and artisanal craftsmanship, showcased unprecedented creations.

Text by SHIBUYA Yasuhito

A Fusion of High-Jewelry Aesthetics and Artisanal Craftsmanship

CHAUMET, headquartered on Place Vendôme in Paris and a member of the prestigious "Grands Cinq" (the association of five premier jewelers), has embarked on a new chapter in watchmaking. In January 2013, the maison presented artistic models, crafted with novel techniques and masterful skill, at a discreet exhibition in Geneva.

The "Attrape-moi" (French for "Catch Me") collection comprises one complicated timepiece and six art watches. The art watches, featuring dials adorned with traditional techniques such as enameling, guilloché, miniature painting, and engraving, showcase Japanese-inspired motifs of breathtaking beauty. Details of the six art watches can be found inthis previously published articleand in the accompanying images.

However, the true highlight of CHAUMET's 2013 watch collection, introduced here for the first time, is the "Complication Creative Watch". These two insect motifs have long symbolized the courtship between men and women at CHAUMET, and have been featured in various jewelry pieces throughout its history.

In this wristwatch, a bee provocatively challenges a spider with "Catch me if you love me!", while the spider waits in its web, and both move across the dial, displaying the time as they engage in a romantic pursuit.

What is groundbreaking is that their movements are not mere circular paths. The figures, sometimes approaching each other along a spiderweb-like trajectory, create a thrilling sense of romance. The dial and case, enhanced by the brilliance of mother-of-pearl and brilliant-cut diamonds—hallmarks of a jeweler's artistry—are, needless to say, magnificent.

Furthermore, the limited edition models from CHAUMET's popular men's collection, "Dandy", featuring dials made of beautiful natural stones, are among the must-see masterpieces.