Photo courtesy of Chopard

In an exceptional new creation that matches watchmaking expertise with high-end jewellery design, Chopard has formed an extraordinary rainbow effect using different colored sapphires, with shades fading from purple -- the iconic color of the "Imperiale" collection — through blue, red and yellow to lime green. It's a real burst of color that makes an eye-catching design.

This exceptional timepiece is made with 581 sapphires, totaling 47.98 karats, and over 1,000 hours' work — 1,012 to be precise — went into selecting cutting, sorting and setting the stones.

A couture watch

Drawing on jewellery design, couture and watchmaking, this colorful new "Imperiale Joaillerie" model is made from 18-karat rose gold, and sees its case, crown, dial and strap covered entirely with baguette-cut sapphires arranged in colors that fade subtly from one to the next. The crown and the lug-covers are set with amethysts.

This masterpiece of jewellery design also comes loaded with a Chopard caliber, a self-winding mechanical movement with hours and minutes functions and a 60-hour power reserve. The movement can be admired through the exhibition case-back.