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Katherine S. Cunanan

Most Beautiful

A wristlet forever.

Who doesn’t love flowers? Any lady can likely run through the names of her favorite flowers. Red damask roses because they are romantic, fresh oxeye daisies because they’re simple, pristine lilies of the valley because they remind me of my Mom, delicate sampaguita for their sweet fragrance. The list goes on. Flowers for formal events, flowers for everyday smiles.

My first memory of a peony goes back a few years. Okay, a few decades. Not in Japan or China, but in the good ole US of A. I remember being a little kid, probably in kindergarten, visiting my grandparents in Minnesota. My Gramma, my Mom’s mom, was quite a gardener and she took pride in her garden out back. That summer that we were visiting, my Mom took me out to the peony patch at the side of the house each morning to measure how high the peony plant had grown. It hadn’t even bloomed yet but it was so intriguing because that peony bud stem was nearly half my height. Yes, I was a little kid at the time, but still, half my height was impressive to me. The anticipation of the actual bloom was wonderful. Would it be a delicate pink, or deep red, or even a gentle peach? The day it finally blossomed was a day for celebration. The peony, most beautiful.

Most Beautiful. When Chopard searched for inspiration, they didn’t go wrong with the peony. Greek legend has it that the peony takes its name from the god Paeon who received the flower from the mother of Apollo. There is a bit of tragedy in this beauty though – Zeus turned Paeon into a flower because Paeon was beginning to outshine him. A bloom magnificent enough for a god is surely worthy of artistic interpretation.

When Chopard Manufacture first introduced the L.U.C. ultra-thin 35mm watch in 2014, the vision was to offer the ladies a version of a watch previously only available for the gentlemen. So coveted was this thin wisp of a watch that ladies tended to borrow the timekeeper from their men and, just perhaps, nonchalantly forget to return it. The strong minds in Chopard realized they had an audience for this slim watch. Not only would the ladies appreciate having their own version, but the gents would be relieved that they would be able to keep their watches for themselves.

In 2015, the watch took a new turn with the release of the L.U.C XP 35 mm Esprit de Fleurier. Adorned with the majestic peony, the watch was every bit as beautiful as you could imagine. Some may know that the name peony actually means ‘most beautiful.’ The Japanese have a term for associating flowers with meanings – hanakotoba. They don’t own the patent on that practice, though, as floriography, meaning the language of flowers, originated in the Victorian era. We turn to flowers and symbolism to sometimes express what we ourselves can’t find the courage to say. Those ‘from a secret admirer’ flowers sent or received could have had something more profound than the typical ‘I like you,’ if only we knew the hanakotoba behind those blooms.

The L.U.C XP 35 m Esprit de Fleurier Peony is an exquisite expression of beauty. The 18-karat rose gold watch, of course, comes in at 35 mm and is only 7.5mm thick. Or, I should say, thin. The flanks, lugs, and part of the case are diamond-set, adding more flair to this horological piece. Of course, the beauty behind the name and the essence of this piece, is the peony motif, with diamonds, done in hand-crafted Fleurisanne engraving. What makes Fleurisanne engraving so special?

To understand this, and to learn a little more about the Manufacture, let’s take a look at the history of Chopard. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele founded the L.U.C Haute Horlogerie collection in 1996 with the goal of producing high-precision movements. Where did this happen? In Fleurier, a village in Switzerland, which is a historical cradle of watchmaking. Not only did the Manufacture want horological precision, they also sought to perpetuate traditions to honor the cultural and aesthetic heritage. Foremost among these traditions is the artistic technique of Fleurisanne engraving. As Chopard explains it, “This highly distinctive expertise is notably distinguished by its raised motifs. The engraver ‘spares’ the motif that he intends to make stand out; the surface thus preserved is then engraved with scrolling patterns or flowers, and then polished to achieve a shiny effect. The base surrounding the motif is then stippled dot by dot to create a grainy effect. To perform this slow and lengthy process requiring extreme dexterity, Chopard has trained expert hands in-house to perpetuate this traditional skill.”

This ultra-thin and ultra-feminine watch is powered by the L.U.C 96.23-L calibre. The movement itself is only 3.3mm thick, and has a frequency of 28,800 vph. Not only that, it has a power reserve of 65 hours. Not bad for something so slim. The Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial has gilt dauphine-type hours and minutes hands. The canvas strap with a diamond-set rose gold pin buckle keeps this peony on your wrist, in pink to match the dial. Think of it as a permanent wrist corsage, beauty that will never wither.

If you’ve decided that the Chopard peony is your flower of choice to be forever on your wrist, get thee to a Chopard Boutique, as there are only 8 pieces available.

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