Brilliance usually comes in limited quantities. In fact, it is embodied by the new limited edition Chopard Table Clock, which stands apart from anything the horologist has created in the past three decades. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier, the company has teamed up with L’Épée 1839 – the masters of complex watches – to create the Beehive Table Clock.
After reimaging a legendary car and a colorful hand grenade as clocks, L’Épée 1839 is now giving a new horological dimension to the desk clock. Easily, one of the most complex and finely decorated Objet d’Art – spare a thought for the MB&F – the clock revives Chopard’s own iconic beehive motive originally used by the founder Louis-Ulysse Chopard in the 19th century. The bee was later adopted as the emblem of the Manufacture in Fleurier by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele back in 1996 to represent “labor, precision, and collective skill.”
Designer: Chopard
Chopard timepieces are generally an embodiment of precision and strength highlighted by timeless style. Each of its creations reflects Swiss mastery with the use of dancing gems, fine artworks, and sustainable innovation. All of this is presented well in the Beehive Table Clock, which is made of steel and brass in 18K ethical yellow gold to mimic the color of an original beehive.
The clock, measuring 25.8 cm high and with a diameter of 16.5 cm, features three jeweled bees made in Chopard’s jewelry atelier in Geneva. The bees feature a body made using 18-carat ethical yellow gold, which is studded with gemstones, yellow sapphires, and black diamonds, and have rock crystal for wings. While the bees may feel like the most distinctive part of the clock, which comprises seven rounded tiers of borosilicate glass, two of which have the hour and minute numerals. It’s the chime mechanism of the Chopard Beehive Table Clock that’s, in fact, its best highlight.
The clock’s movement plate is brass, and the base is steel, but both are finished in gold to match the beehive theme. Its chime mechanism is located at the top, where the glass dome is used as the bell struck by a small gold hammer to announce the time. There are three – Active, Silent, and On-Demand – chime modes to choose from, which can be changed by rotating the top part. In the active mode, the clock sounds the time automatically, in Silent mode, it doesn’t chime at all, and in On-Demand mode, you can manually set the clock to sound the current time.
The Beehive Clock is powered by a twin-barreled, hand-wound movement, which can be conveniently wound with a crown located at the bottom. When full-wound, the clock has a power reserve of up to 8 days. With its impressive shape, sophisticated chiming mechanism, and a legacy to live up to, the Chopard Beehive Table Clock is limited to just 10 pieces worldwide. The elusive timepiece will be sold exclusively at Chopard boutiques for an estimated $330,000.
The post Chopard’s Beehive Table Clock is a masterpiece of horological art with L’Épée 1839 first appeared on Yanko Design.