The LVMH Watch Week 2021 is underway and Bvlgari has caught our attention in the women’s watches category with the unveiling of its new Diva’s Dream Peacock collection. This isn’t a collection that merely draws inspiration from the colourful pheasant; it’s painstakingly crafted with real peacock feathers.
Three fine watches make up the collection: Diva’s Dream Peacock Dischi, Diva’s Dream Tourbillon Lumière and Diva’s Dream Peacock Diamonds – each accented by feather marquetry in unique ways. All three timepieces combine the finest craftsmanship rooted in the worlds of haute joaillerie and haute horlogerie, living up to the ‘diva’ in their names through their artistic design and elaborate watchmaking techniques.
Dream Peacock Dischi
Starting with the Dischi (meaning “disk” in Italian), the watch features two rotating discs completely covered in feather marquetry. The inner green disk is accented by a round brilliant-cut diamond representing the hour hand and the “eye” of the peacock, whilst the outer brilliant blue disk has a pear-shaped brilliant-cut diamond to indicate the minute. Both the inner and outer bezels are set with brilliant-cute diamonds flanked by sapphires standing in for the indexes.
The outer disk is further distinguished by a geometric pattern resembling two superimposed six-pointed stars. What’s more impressive is the attention to detail in ensuring the individual feathers in the marquetry match in terms of colour and alignment – an art form in itself that is practiced by very few plumassières today.
Completing the timepiece is the BVL 308 “Dischi” automatic movement, two fan-shaped pave motifs on the top and bottom of the case, as well as a striking deep blue alligator bracelet. Only 50 pieces of the watch are available, priced at $68,000 each.
Dream Peacock Diamonds
To say the Peacock Diamonds watch is lavish is an understatement. It’s the most bejeweled creation of the three, with 1,452 diamonds in total all over the case, bezel and bracelet. It also features the most literal depiction of the peacock, in the form of an art deco-inspired figure hand-painted in 14 different shades of blue and green enamel on the dial.
The miniature painting is achieved through a goldsmithing technique called champlevé, which creates subtle gradations of colour in each of the fan-shaped chambers. Also adorning the mother-of-pearl dial are pink golden diamond stars.
Equipped with the Bvlgari caliber BVL 191, the timepiece comes with an 18k rose-gold bracelet (made of recurring fan-shaped pieces) set with round brilliant-cut diamonds and folding buckle. It is priced at $99,000 per unit.
Dream Peacock Tourbillon Lumière
The most complex in terms of design and mechanics, the Peacock Tourbillon Lumière boasts a sophisticated skeleton tourbillon movement with decorative feather inlay and snow-embellished diamonds. The upper part of the dial is highlighted by stars holding a small gold diamond at their core, filling the spaces between floating skeleton frame.
Underneath the dial is a gold background decorated with laser-cut and hand-polished surfaces and sandblasted stripes before the fan-shaped cells are applied. The in-house designed Caliber BVL208 powers the watch, complemented by a blue alligator strap with pink gold folding buckles featuring brilliant-cut diamonds. Limited to only 10 pieces worldwide, this showstopping piece comes at a price tag of $143,000.
For more information on the collection, log on to the brand’s official website here.
