Emile Chouriet, the Swiss Luxury watchmaker, is quite open in saying it puts women at the heart of its thinking when manufacturing timepieces. New additions to their Chinese-inspired Pearl collection are dazzling and genuinely feminine. Jeremy Webb takes a close look at the watch company’s latest models, which are full of Eastern promise.
For millennia, pearls have been revered and used as currency like Gold; they are intertwined with status and luxury. The Chinese culture celebrates them, as does Emile Chouriet’s Pearl collection, marking the first commercial partnerships between the Swiss watchmakers and the Emperors of China formed centuries ago.
Hundreds of years ago in China and Japan, the first steps toward pearl culturing occurred when pioneers created whole cultured gems. When natural Pearl production declined in the 1920s, the cultured ones became commercially viable, leading to a booming industry in the two countries. Pearls are treasures from the Earth’s ponds, lakes, seas, and oceans, and they’ve always embodied water’s mystery, power, and life-sustaining nature.
The spherical shape of some pearls led many cultures to associate this gem with the moon. In China, pearls are believed to guarantee protection from fire and fire-breathing dragons. In Europe, they symbolise modesty, chastity, and purity, ideal for the Emile Chouriet women’s watches.
Emile Chouriet’s Pearl collection is their most luxurious range testament to the brand’s forward-thinking and long heritage. The range combines the traditional art of watchmaking with gem-setting, recalling the exceptional watches made by Swiss Horologists that found their way to Emperors Qianlong and Kangxi courts. The watches have feminine curves with perfect proportions and a sensuous oval silhouette allowing the timepieces to wrap perfectly around the slimmest wrist.
The new model’s diameter is a petite 33mm, and you have a selection of case materials from Stainless Steel to Red Gold, and then you can choose whether you want to adorn it with diamonds or more 18k gold elements. Exuding luxury, the dials of the Pearl collection combine precious gemstones with exotic materials and striking tones.
The models are eye-catching and highly personal, creating an outstanding women’s watch. You can choose Dials in natural mother-of-pearl and scintillating aventurine mineral glass, as well as a deep black lacquer. Hour markers can be coloured gemstones or brilliant-cut diamonds, so the dials sparkle and the leaf-designed hands add further feminine appeal.
Emile Chouriet uses its own developed and manufactured EC5318 calibre movement within the Pearl collection models, the brand’s first automatic movement. The EC5318 contains an in-house produced regulating organ, which, when fully wound, provides a power reserve of 45 hours. It was conceived exclusively for their women’s timepieces.
The Pearl collection watches have Sapphire glass front and rear and are water resistant to 30 metres. You get a beautiful black crocodile leather strap to secure it to your wrist.
For more information on all Emile Chouriet watches, visit www.emilechouriet.ch.
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