When it comes to women’s watches from Chopard’s stables, one could easily say that the charge is led by the Happy Diamonds collection, whose floating gems on the dial quickly rose to become a signature of the brand after it was launched in 1976. In many ways, Chopard has put the collection front and centre—it has a sub-line called Happy Sport, a wide range of iterations, and Julia Roberts was its face in 2021. However, if one were to plumb the depths of Chopard’s expertise in both jewellery and watchmaking, the line that personifies these skills is the utterly feminine L’Heure du Diamant.

Meaning ‘Diamond Hour’, the L’Heure du Diamant was fittingly unveiled in 1969, an epochal decade for watchmaking that saw the introduction of the automatic chronograph and the quartz movement. Presenting strongly feminine watches, the very first L’Heure du Diamant was designed by Karl Scheufele III as a token of his love for his wife Karin—the husband-wife duo had acquired Chopard in 1963, and are the parents of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and Caroline Scheufele, current co-presidents of Chopard. Over the years, the line has come to represent a distillation of the maison’s mastery in different fields—how it went from a maker of pocket-watches and chronometers to that of jewellery watches, to developing an expertise in design. As a result, the collection is rich with stone dials, precious metals, intricate gem-setting techniques, harmonising proportions, and hand-crafted textures.

At Watches and Wonders 2024 Geneva, all these aspects once again came in the spotlight with the latest L’Heure du Diamant collection. Led by our cover watch, the L’Heure du Diamant Ref. 10A178-5321, the novelties present the brand’s modern-day ideals. To start with, the Ref. 10A178-5321 is crafted in ethical 18K rose gold, its 26mm case ensconcing a striking malachite dial that is topped with a glare-proofed sapphire crystal. On this dial rest hour markers set with brilliant-cut diamonds, and gilded leaf-shaped hours and minutes hands. The crown is set with diamond, and the dial is encircled by a bezel consisting of 22 brilliant-cut diamonds, using a technique called crown setting—it reduces the visibility of the V-shaped setting prongs, thereby allowing maximum exposure of the sparkling jewels. It also ensures that each stone truly stands apart by letting the light blaze through. The overall impact of this design is quite strong on the watch, especially given the small size of the dial. 

Ref. 10A178-5321 has a case that is 9mm thick, and the V-shaped setting prongs extend down the side of the case, creating a trellis-like pattern—view the side of the watch from a distance and you’ll see a crown take shape. But as far as patterns go, it is the bracelet that steals the show. Also crafted in ethical 18K rose gold, the watch is paired with a bark-style bracelet that has an incredibly sleek and velvety texture. It features fine, hand-crafted lines or veins, and is a result of a gold-sculpting technique perfected by the Scheufele family in the 1960s. Though built using several individual links, the pattern gives the appearance that the bracelet is one long piece of metal. The watch comes with an alternative satin strap.

Powering the watch is the manual-winding Chopard 10.01-C, a new movement from the brand that is also one of the smallest and thinnest in the market—5.70mm in diameter and 2.90mm in thickness. It has a 45-hour power reserve. The movement also powers the Ref. 13A178-1106, another iteration in ethical 18K white gold, with a mother-of-pearl dial and a black satin strap.

The L’Heure du Diamant is also traditionally a line that has experimented with case shapes. In the past, there have been oval (horizontal and vertical), tonneau, and, of course, round cases. This year also marked the introduction of an octagonal case shape, once again inspired by a historic 1960s design. A beautiful Art Deco piece, the octagonal case has been introduced in three 32mm references—Ref. 10A097-1404 is an ethical 18K white-gold piece with a textured mother-of-pearl dial; Ref. 10A097-5404 is in ethical 18K rose gold with a textured mother-of-pearl dial; and Ref. 13A097-1111 is in ethical 18K white gold with a patterned malachite dial.

The watches feature a clean dial that is devoid of hour markers, perhaps in a bid to keep the focus on the case shape and of course the crown-setting of the diamonds, which is present in this version as well. But equally attention-grabbing in the octagonal versions is the bracelet, crafted with several single links that are almost tubular in nature with a flat base. The design once again takes a leaf out of the books of an older model, and the craftsmanship of the bracelet is so that it is extremely supple and sits comfortably on the wrist. These three versions are powered by the automatic Chopard 09.01-C movement and have  42-hours of autonomy.

While modern designs and contemporary aesthetics abound in watches today, those looking for a classically feminine watch need only to turn to the enduring legacy of the L’Heure du Diamant.  

Images: Courtesy Brand