A family-run business with global ambitions, the Swiss brand has presented a wide selection of new watches and jewels at Baselworld. The good move at the right time.
We have been creating jewellery watches for decades now,” says Ludovic Lesur, General Manager of the brand Charriol, based in Geneva.
“So it was time to launch jewels that are watches at the same time; we achieve this through the Forever, which bridges our two worlds: jewellery and watchmaking, at the best possible price – a criterion more important than ever!”
Presented at the latest edition of Baselworld, this new Forever timepiece comes with a chic bangle strap with slim twisted cables, in line with the coloured theme found in the jewellery and handbag collections of the same name. Available in stainless steel, yellow gold or rose gold, and worked in a 32 mm size, it also features the Eastern inspired diamond-patterned latticed motif which is a strong theme in the Forever jewellery lines. The price point is indeed very interesting for such a watch, proposed from 890 to 990 CHF.
The original jewellery collection Forever itself, with its declinations “Thin”, Colors” and “Cuff” itself has been revisited. In the first line of products, the steel cable is wound neatly between two rims, rather like the thread on a couturier’s bobbin. The slender modern bangles can be grouped as a cluster – a trend which Charriol has found a name for: “Banglemania”, which is particularly strong in Europe and America. After all, why wear only one bangle if you have more options to embellish your forearm?
An extension of the Forever “Colors” collection sees the bangles worked in bright new colours, overlaid with striking criss-cross steel set with white topaz. Another strong proposition in terms of design is of course the oversized Forever cuff with the Charriol house insignia, which has a vintage, collectable appeal.
THE ICON ON THE MOON
Creative Director Coralie Charriol-Paul has been quite active lately, as the brand also launched at Baselworld the new Fabulous jewellery collection, conceived by mixing up Charriol’s hallmark twisted cable motif with a scattering of precious stones. The ensemble harks back to the brand’s Celtic heritage, yet remains forward-looking thanks to pretty, feminine accents, for prices which span from 120 to 610 CHF.
2016 also includes a very special feminine addition to the icon of the brand, the St-Tropez line of timepieces: a dazzling jewellery watch called GlamMoon. The 35 mm-large timepiece is meant as the “ultimate dress watch”, displaying a generous cascade of shaded gems – totalizing 1.58cts. The bezel encircles a shimmering white mother-of-pearl display, set with 12 luxurious white diamond indexes. Another surprise unveiled at Baselworld, the Twist watch inspires a new, more feminine way of wearing a watch: the signature twisted steel cables are now woven into this serpentine timepiece, embellished with yellow gold PVD end-pieces and dainty clips bearing the ‘C’ insignia.
FAMILY BUSINESS
Established in 1983 by Philippe Charriol, the brand is still led by its founder, together with family members - wife Marie-Olga Charriol in Public Relations, daughter Coralie Charriol-Paul as Creative Director and son Alexandre Charriol as Visual Director. It has a large presence in the Middle East and Asia and aims at expanding particularly in the USA, Central America and in European markets. The brand totalizes 345 own boutiques (including 285 stores in China) and 3,800 sales outlets around the world. While jewellery is crafted in Switzerland and Germany, the timepieces are handmade in Switzerland.
