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Baselworld 2015 Report: CHOPARD Ladies / Women watches

Baselworld 2015 Report: CHOPARD Ladies / Women

This is an overview of the new CHOPARD Ladies / Women watches shown at Baselworld 2015.
It highlights the evolution of the Ladies' Collections - L.U.C, Happy Sport, Happy Fish, Imperiale and Haute Joaillerie.

Chopard has fulfilled the wishes, requests, nay - demands - that aficionados and collectors have made for years by bringing them all to fruition in 2015.  Chopard prowess in mechanical watchmaking and jewellery arts is well established but fans have been asking for finer details like:

Elegant smaller case diameters,
Improved dial designs,
Slimmer bridges,
Grand feu enamel,
Mechanical ladies' watches,
And more in-house mechanical movements across the Chopard range.

This was meant to be a "rest" year between the 'special' CHOPARD anniversaries in 2014 and 2016 but Baselworld 2015 has proven to be richer than expected for novelties. "CHOPARD exceeds Expectations in 2015".

We will go into detail about individual watch models before the production watches hit the retail boutiques later in 2015. For now, we will discuss why it has been a good year for CHOPARD novelties...so far.  There are a few more surprises coming in the next 18 months!

The ultra-thin L.U.C XPS model is a classic watch since its conception as a gents' timepiece.

In 2014, the diameter of this iconic model was reduced, creating the L.U.C XPS 35mm variant.

For 2015, the L.U.C XPS 35mm Esprit de Fleurier addresses women with a subtle mother-of-pearl blue dial, while its Manufacture-made movement is adorned with fleurisanne engraving, an almost extinct artistic craft that Chopard revived in selected Gents' watches.

For ladies, this new L.U.C XPS 35mm Esprit de Fleurier provides all the haute horlogerie once reserved for elegant gentlemen and takes it to another level.

Although I report it here for convenience in our Chopard  Ladies / Women Summary Report, within CHOPARD this watch is communicated and marketed in the haute de gamme L.U.C Collection and press releases.

That significance may pass by unnoticed but this watch is "one of the boys" for L.U.Chopard Collection...it is THAT good.

HAPPY SPORT 30mm AUTOMATIC watch

The headlines read: "Steel and diamonds: a daring and modern alliance that gives rise to a perpetually reinvented icon – the Happy Sport."

For 2015, the icon returns with a smaller, elegant dial AND with a self-winding movement, a fulfilment on both an aesthetic and technical level that accomplishes the requests of lady aficionados of fine watchmaking.

"Have it all!" - that motto is aimed at women that wear the Happy Sport 30mm Automatic.

This is a very significant additon to the Chopard catalogue.

This is the 'bread & butter' of Chopard like the 'DateJust' for Rolex or 'Ballon Bleu' for Cartier.

By serving the feminine need for technical, precious and modern: the Happy Sport 30mm Automatic is the next Chopard icon to represent the quintessence of watchmaking success. Its proportions have been redrawn in a “mini” version – enveloped in a dainty 30mm case – while keeping the self-winding movement introduced in 2013 for the 36mm model.

For ladies anywhere in the world with slender wrists and especially in the growing markets due East, this timeless, feminine watch that is delicately sized while exuding sophistication and technical refinement is Chopard's "Killer App".

I should devote more words to this watch in proportion to its significance to Chopard revenue but I will just let the pictures do the talking.....

HAPPY FISH watch

Chopard indulged the whimsical with their “métiers d’art” Happy Fish for 2015.

Ladies are familiar with the Happy Diamonds concept invented for a Gents' watch in 1976 by Ronald Kurowski, a talented Chopard designer. That allowed diamonds to enjoy total freedom of movement due to a dial inserted between two sapphire watch crystals. We've seen Happy Fish frolicking before with the whirling dance of diamonds but with this year's novelties, "under the sea" showcases their most precious treasures.

In real life conditions, the fish engravings glow in a warm and subtle manner but for the purposes of illustration in this report, we used artificial UV light for a psychedelic indulgence....

The extreme delicacy of this jewellery craftsmanship continues on the bezel which is set with diamonds of three different alternating sizes for a softer effect, while the 18-carat rose gold case fitted with a white shimmering alligator strap shelters a mechanical self-winding movement.

The 25 pieces of this limited edition are exclusive to Chopard Boutiques & Corners.

IMPERIALE 36mm JOAILLERIE watch

The Imperiale line has drawn upon the design codes of grandeur from the Roman Empire for the re-launch of the Collection in 2010.

For 2015, the Imperiale 36mm Joaillerie watch explores Tahitian mother-of-pearl and diamonds. 

We are drawn to the diamond-set crown sensitively curved like a lotus flower and fitted on a case with pure, sleek sides that give the watch a lighter touch and an even more lustrous glow.

The best part is the mechanical automatic winding movement that demonstrates how trends have changed in women's' watches in the last 5 years.

Previously, electronic quartz moveemnts was the norm in the Imperiale Collection.

CHOPARD HAUTE JOAILLERIE watch

Chopard haute joaillerie under the direction of Caroline Scheufele is all about Light.
 

Previously, Chopard Haute Joaillerie was enriched with a series of dazzling collections: Animal World, Red Carpet, Green Carpet and Temptations, to mention but a few.

This year, the artisans pool their talents and their skills in creating genuine works of art, mingling traditional techniques and cutting-edge technologies to explore the majestic beauty of nature.

This Stage that they play on "pay tribute to the light and colours of the seasons, as well as the boundless emotions they inevitably stir in the human heart".

The stunning one-of-a-kind creations defy logic but exalt the refinement of jewellery.

The Haute Joaillerie l'Heure du Diamant is one such piece.

CONCLUSION

With the Ladies' Collections, Chopard has achieved nearly all the objectives listed at the beginning:

Elegant smaller case diameters,
Improved dial designs,
Slimmer bridges,
Mechanical ladies' watches,
And more in-house mechanical movements across the Chopard range.

"CHOPARD exceeds Expectations in 2015" for the Ladies' Collections but also for the Gents' L.U.C and Mille Miglia Collections described in separate reports.

A pleasant surprise indeed for an ostensible "rest year" between the brand anniversaries in 2014 and 2016.

The seemingly innocent improvements in technique and aesthetic point to some amazing revelations in the next 18 months from the House of CHOPARD.

Dr M. Teillol-Foo; 2015.

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