Exquisite timepieces inspired by nature.
Photo: David Lewis Taylor

5 Gorgeous Watches Inspired by Nature

Feathers, butterflies, and a seductive snake crafted in precious materials embellish these exquisite watches from Chanel, Bulgari, Dior, Van Cleef, and Jaquet Droz

 

1. A delightful bouquet of hand-painted flowers adorns Jaquet Droz’s Petite Heure Minute Butterfly Journey. The butterfly was done in champlevé: The details were carved and then filled with enamel. It’s all set in a case of 18K white gold embellished with diamonds; $64,900.

2. A boa for your timepiece? The dial on the Dior VIII Grand Bal Coquette features real feathers, delicately placed by hand. The translucent blue-lacquer face is set off by brilliant-cut diamonds, tsavorite garnets, and sapphires; price upon request. 

3. Van Cleef & Arpels shows off its green thumb with the Lady Arpels “Papillon Automate” Poetic Complication, whose lush dial is handcrafted of diamonds, sapphires, miniature painting, and enamel. The watch has an in-house movement that allows the butterfly to gently flutter, an action controlled by the wearer’s movements or the press of a button on the 18K-white-gold case; price upon request. 

4. To create the embroidered dial on its Mademoiselle Privé watch, Chanel turned to the artisans at Maison Lesage, the Paris atelier renowned for its haute couture handwork. The camellia is made of silk threads, natural pearls, and a diamond. Sixty brilliant-cut diamonds circle a case of 18K white gold; $39,250. 

5. Bulgari recently reinterpreted its sleek and slinky Serpenti watch, one of the Italian jeweler’s most iconic designs, with the diamond-encrusted Serpenti Incantati (“enchanted snakes”). Snow-set diamonds nestle in a case of 18K pink gold; $43,200.

Cover: Exquisite timepieces inspired by nature.
Photo: David Lewis Taylor

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