Only a select few Maisons master all the watchmaking and jewellery trades. Chopard is one of them. Craftsmen with exceptional know-how practice their trade in its workshops... SoBARNES gives you a glimpse.
When setting out to create watches and fine jewellery that are on intimate terms with perfection, the process of creation and production must be mastered from A to Z. Such was the will of Caroline and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-presidents of La Maison Chopard, (and their parents before them) when they gradually built up workshops integrating all of the know-how required for excellence. From gold casting to gem-setting and from the decoration of movements to the engraving of cases, welcome to this den of the infinitely beautiful.
For the very first time, Chopard has decided to open the doors of its watchmaking and jewellery workshops in order to shine the spotlight on its craftsmen. In Fleurier (canton of Neuchâtel), these men and women reveal the secret of their know-how with a mixture of humility and pride in work well done, revealing in passing the unsuspected dimension of their artistic practice. We unreservedly applaud Jean-Claude, Mo, Paulo, Laura, Anthony, Christophe and the others, these “artistic hands”, who work every day with simultaneous innovation and respect for traditions.
Thanks to their talent, in the haute joaillerie workshops, the different stages of jewellery creation come to life: it all starts with the sketch (the gouache, in jeweller's talk), 3D construction and sculpture, before moving on to the jewel itself and the setting. Not forgetting, of course, the choice of precious stones, a world in which Chopard’s reputation needs no introduction.
In watchmaking manufacture, these artists reveal another facet of their know-how: this is where complication timepieces are assembled. Including the L.U.C Full Strike, a minute repeater (i.e. equipped with a chime) with a subtle crystalline timbre. Don’t tell anyone, or only your closest friends by passing on this article to them, but if you want a glimpse of the result, let Christophe, watchmaker in the grandes complications workshop, be your guide in the last video. And listen to the magic at work, between 2’31 and 2’44’’!
Infos : Chopard.com
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