Enchanted Forest To Aurora Borealis: Green Mania In Full Effect As We Go Hands-On With Two Of The New Chopard Ladies Watches for 2021
Editor’s note: Today we go hands-on with two new Chopard Ladies Watches for 2021. These watches have been photographed with the grateful assistance of J Farren-Price Sydney and Chopard Australia. This is the second in the series, and you can read the review of the Happy Ocean here.
The Bedazzling Trio
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort”. The new Chopard Ladies Watches for 2021 present a trio that embody the spirit of this sentiment.
The Happy Sport Green Mother-of-Pearl and the Imperiale Green Mother-of-Pearl present the joy of looking at two shades of a colour that’s come to rule this year. And the new Happy Ocean (reviewed here) presents with the thrill of marvelling at the creative effort of the brand that (perhaps) presents the best ladies sports watch in the market. Together, this bedazzling trio mark a solid achievement for the brand.
It is also a colour fiesta, ranging from the blues & greys you get when you cause a ripple (Happy Ocean) to the depths of a rainforest (Happy Sport Green) to the hypnotising imagery of the northern lights (Imperiale Green).
The new Chopard Happy Sport Green
This pleasantly lightweight Happy Sport Green Mother-of-Pearl that weighs only 64g — the lightest of the trio — and is timeless enough to be paired with any outfit.
Stylish, it retains the two-tone rose gold effect and the lug design of the Chopard Happy Ocean but brings a mesmerising dark green fume mother-of-pearl dial with oversized Roman numerals to play.
The number of floating diamonds also increase from 5 to 7, and keeping in tune with this year’s watches, the shade dark green is a winner.
When looking at the watch from the side with the crown, there is a curvy indentation along the crown, providing for a nice play of surfaces. Feminine to the core, it oozes elegance with a hint of mischievousness.
The smokey mother-of-pearl dial is definitely beautiful, and the presence of 1 green tsavorite (1.17 ct.) in the crown and (0.35 ct.) moving 7 diamonds should bring joy to its wearer.
The ref. 278578-6002 retails for 9’900 CHF or 14’600 AUD and makes use of an outsourced Sellita SW300 movement.
This 26.2mm diameter and 3.6mm thick movement features 25 jewels, provides a 42-hour power reserve and beats at the standard frequency of 4Hz. The movement is encased inside a 36mm diameter and 12.15mm thick 18-carat rose gold and steel case that is water-resistant to 30m.
Thanks to the smaller 36mm diameter the new Happy Sport Green Mother-of-Pearl boasts of a conservative 43.4mm lug to lug spacing and 18mm lug interhorn spacing. The case-back is open on this one, making it is standout when looking at quartz heavy ladies watches in general (even if the movement is not in-house).
“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance,” said Coco Chanel. The new Chopard Happy Sport Green Mother-of-Pearl is a watch that’s as simple as it is elegant.
Imperiale Joaillerie Green
“For still there are so many things that I have never seen: in every wood in every spring there is a different green,” said J. R. R. Tolkien.
The second watch that we went hands-on with from the new Chopard Ladies Watches for 2021 collection is the new Chopard Imperiale Green Mother-of-Pearl cloaked in an entirely different green attire. If the above Happy Sport Green is night, then the Imperiale Green is day. Featuring a much lighter green dial, this 36mm diameter and 10mm beauty is all about bringing some soul to bling.
Retailing for 43’600 CHF or 63’700 AUD, this rose gold diamond studded affair with glitz features 88 small diamonds in the centre of the dial and the indices — 0.20 ct. — that are framed by further 58 (larger) diamonds — 2.28 ct. — on the bezel and lug-joinery.
Not stopping here, there are also four pear-shaped diamonds — 0.52 ct. — on the sides of the lugs that are inspired by ancient architectural columns, one 0.09 ct. briolette cut large diamond in the centre of the crown that is curved like a lotus flower, and finally 6 more diamonds — 0.04 ct. — framing the side of the crown.
With so much glitter, the new Chopard Imperiale Joaillerie Green Mother-of-Pearl ref. 384242-502 is definitely a timepiece that would find comfort amidst an enchanting gala.
The centre of the dial features a pattern that recurs frequently in Chopard’s Imperiale collection: an arabesque motif that draws inspiration from royal draperies.
Despite being the same diameter as the above timepiece, the lug to lug comes in at 46.3mm, a reading nearer to the 40mm Happy Ocean (and technically with the diamond studded crown that diameter becomes 40mm).
In short, for ladies with slightly large wrists, it will find a befitting home. This increase is thanks to the exceptionally beautiful lugs. But don’t be skeptical about it looking over-bearing; weighing only 78g and measuring 10mm in thickness, it’s got a great wrist presence but doesn’t appear oversized.
In regards to the movement, it features the same automatic movement as the above Happy Sport Green Mother-of-Pearl (and is hidden under a closed case-back).
Overall, I like the concentric circle aesthetics, which sees the watch split into 5 zones: the sunken flowery arabesque centre, the diamond layer, the hour track, the thick gold frame, and the diamond-studded bezel. This layering breaks up the watch visually, allowing for each of these segments to stand out.
As impressive as all this is, the true magic occurs when you expose the dial to some natural light. The mother-of-pearl base comes alive, producing a kaleidoscope of colours. This perhaps is best feature, given diamond-studded watches are common but one that colour-shifts is quite unique. The best way to describe the dial would be to call it something that mimics the aurora borealis. At a certain angle, even a rainbow can be seen forming.
And when you take this under the shade, the temperament changes. The dial now has a moody feel to it, something like the forming of dark clouds on the horizon.
“But when Aurora, daughter of the dawn, With rosy lustre purpled o’er the lawn”, writes Homer in the Odyssey. The Imperiale Green brings this natural beauty to your wrist.
That’s All Folks!
“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman,” said Coco Chanel. The new Chopard Ladies Watches for 2021 allow their wearer to dress the wrists impeccably.
All of the three new timepieces we looked at are elegance personified.
It’s the dance of waves and diamonds with the new Chopard Happy Ocean. The grey waves motif on the blue dial triggers a poetic moment, and the five diamonds swirl around the dial, creating a symphony of movement. The dark forest green fume dial of the Happy Sport Green Mother-of-Pearl provides a sense of mysterious enigma, while the Chopard Imperiale Joaillerie featuring a stunning pistachio pastel green dial with smokey effect and skeletonised hands ensures that the lady’s wrist is the talk of the town.
The essence of Julius Caesar’s Veni, vidi, vici — I came, I saw, I conquered — is present front and centre with the new Chopard ladies watches for 2021 lineup: the bedazzling trio elicits a number of reactions, both emotional and visual, and together, they conquer the very essence of how high-end ladies watches should be executed.
To find out more about the new Chopard Ladies Watches for 2021 and other Chopard watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise specified are ©Watch Ya Gonna Do About It, All rights reserved. Make sure to check out our reviews of other Watches & Wonders 2021 releases here.