Chopin – OPUS 10 NO.12 “Violet”

Chopin Watches is an official partner of one of the most important musical events of the year – the XVIII Chopin Competition.

On the occasion of such a prestigious competition, Chopin Watches created a special, dedicated edition of it’s flagship Opus 10 No. 12 timepiece. Just like the regular version, this one was also inspired by Chopin’s life and his special affection for the colour purple. Limited to just 5 pieces („XVIII Chopin Competition – One of Five” engraved on the caseback) comes with a small-seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock, plated in metallic, warm purple hue.

A UNIQUE TRIBUTE TO THE LEGEND EXTRAORDINAIRE

A unique tribute to the legend extraordinaire, the Chopin brand embodies over 200 years of Frederic Chopin’s legacy. With over a century of watchmaking tradition and decades of design experience, the brand combines the composer’s originality with contemporary watchmaking to commemorate the timeless heritage of an outstanding artist. Passion for protecting the composer’s image is mirrored in the brand’s exclusive series, limited to the production of 56 watches. With its utmost attention to every detail, the Chopin brand reflects the timelessness of the composer’s work and its appeal to the heart and soul.

LIMITATION

Cooperating with the Frederic Chopin Institute deepened our fascination with the artist. The brand was granted an exclusive license to use the composer’s name and produce a total of 56 watches. The limitations cultivated an important sense of duty within the brand for ensuring the highest quality of work at all stages of the watchmaking process.

WATCH DIAL

References to the Revolutionary Étude, are included on the watch dial. The watch hands have been plated to attain their blue hue and designed to mimic styles popular during Chopin's time. The indexes are placed on a multilevel staff, emphasizing the extraordinary depth of the artist’s music. Numerical indices are placed at the hours 10 and 12 as a tribute to Étude in C minor Op. 10 No. 12. Finally, the left side of the watch face features a power reserve indicator resembling a piano keyboard.

COMPOSER'S HEART

A red rim made of a precious stone – carnelian – surrounds the sub dial located at 6 o’clock. The volcanic stone’s deep, red color is not only a direct reference to the Revolution and Chopin’s incredible sensitivity, but also symbolizes the composer’s heart, which was embedded in a pillar of the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw on the 96th anniversary of his death, as per Fryderyk’s final will. The urn with Chopin's heart remains there today, while his body rests in a grave in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

RED BALANCE WHEEL

Our partners at Schwarz Etienne spent a number of months developing a way to create a balance wheel with a deep, red color. The task proved extremely difficult, with every adjustment evoking changes in other elements of the watch. A balance wheel was eventually created, perfected to work seamlessly with our choice of the MSE 210 mechanism. The red balance wheel is a distinguishing feature of Chopin brand watches – timepieces which capture the emotions expressed by Chopin in his work.

CHOPIN'S HISTORY

In order to commemorate Frederic’s rich biography, we decided to choose the most important dates from the artist’s life – those which had the greatest impact on his artistic achievements. These dates are engraved on the mechanism’s second barrel and can be seen from the watch back.