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vincent berardvincent berardVincent Berard’s artistry from the sideat the heart of the dial opening. Theycome to life via the play of the quarterrepeater striking mechanism and theautomatons. A perpetual calendar andleap-year display occupy the upper halfof its sunray motif brushed gold doubledial that is sculpted in the shape ofa triskele.No matter the season chosen -- eachcase and silvered dial comes in green,yellow, red or white gold based on thetime of year – the hand crafted 18-caratgold case, measuring a whopping 91mm,is hard to miss.“Art provides the liberty to choose anyshape and size,” Berard said. “I have chosena size which is smaller than a clockbut larger than a wristwatch.”With the Luverene I, he elects tolet form reinvent technique throughhis collection of “fuseau de l’infini” or“spindle of infinity” wristwatches. Theaesthetic principles that helped definethe Quatre Saisons are obvious here aswell: a round domed case with a discreetbulge on the side and a transparent caseback protected by a cover.The collection’s first model measures42mm in diameter and 13mm thickwith a discreet lateral projection at 3o’clock and an open-worked dial. It revealsthe oscillations of a balance withscrews equipped with a Breguet overcoilbalance spring.Its mechanical movement, visiblethrough the glare-proofed sapphirecrystal case-back, is most recognizablebecause of the five spindle-shapedbridges standing out on five levels andevoking steps of a spiral staircase.“The spindle shape is a shape I use34 August 2007www.hrwatches.comwww.hrwatches.com August 2007 35