19 May 2014 | Christophe Claret , 30 minutes on the wrist , Haute Horlogerie , Horbit-Her , Baselworld 2014

"He loves me - He loves me not"

The CHRISTOPHE CLARET Margot

Is it possible to blend history, art and literature in 42mm by 14,5mm? Yes it is, if the author is Christophe Claret and the numbers written above stand for the case dimensions of his latest creation, the CHRISTOPHE CLARET Margot , the first women's timepiece ever conceived by this watchmaker's atelier. After having shocked the world with its amazing time machines, such as the Poker just to mention one, in which this watch-master has played with combined calculation and the Texas Hold 'em ( HERE is our article), the Leonardo Da Vinci of haute horologerie has drawn inspiration this time from the most romantic and powerful of all emotions: love!

It's history in the making, for he has reminded us, including the undersigned, the origins of an action all of us have made at least once in our lifetime: to pick the petals off a daisy in search of true love. Following a long standing tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages when, in Paris, at l'Ile Saint-Louis, sweethearts were used to pick the petals off a daisy while reciting: “ loves me a little ”, “ loves me lots ”, “ loves me passionately ”, “ loves me madly ”, or “ doesn’t love me at all ”. Five sentences Christophe Claret has integrated into the CHRISTOPHE CLARET Margot 's natural mother-of-pearl dial.

On the same dial are engraved some verses taken by the classic poem Unité , by Victor Hugo , one of the standard-bearers of the 19th century French Romantic movement. The center stage is emblazoned by a daisy where its 12 petals are in white satin-lacquered titanium. By pressing the push button placed at 2 o' clock position, a petal or two, it is impossible to foresee, subtly disappear under the dial and the eagerly awaited answers appear at random in calligraphic letters (in French), in the “Sentiment” display placed at 4 o' clock: Un peu (a little) – beaucoup (a lot) – passionnément (passionately) – à la folie (madly) – pas du tout (not at all).

Each press of the button placed at 2 o'clock is mated to a chime which resonates a “cathedral” gong. By pressing the reset button placed at 4 o'clock, the petals suddenly reappear around the pistil and turn the ‘sentiment’ display at 4 o’clock to an ellipsis (…). This action is enriched by a woman's most beloved jewel: a diamond. On the CHRISTOPHE CLARET Margot 's dial there are three diamonds, pear cut, placed at 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock respectively.

An additional 423 diamonds, snow-set brilliant cut (or baguette cut), enrich the gold and palladium case, for a total of 3 carats . If you think the game is over, you are mistaken; as in any Christophe Claret 's timepiece the case back deserves as much attention as the front dial: that's why the rotor of the automatic movement is in the shape of a flower and boasts eight precious stones each of them denoting a feeling such as hope, tenderness, passion...engraved alongside a central cabochon. Dear Christophe, I look forward to discover your next masterpiece!

(Photo & Video credit: Horbiter's proprietary photo-shooting; courtesy of CHRISTOPHE CLARET)

Raffaella R. @Horbiter - Watches & Luxury