Jewellery

Although many brands claim to have been "the jeweler's jeweler," Hatot truly was. Born in 1883 in Burgundy, Hatot went to Paris at 22 to hone his watchmaking craft and, soon, he opened his own jewelry, watch, and accessories atelier. Much of his work was commissioned by Place Vendome and Rue de la Paix jewelers, who sought out his expertise. "We acquired some of his archives, which includes more than 5,000 drawings and sketches as well as manufacturing records of pieces created for Cartier, Boucheron, Tiffany, and Van Cleef & Arpels," Emch adds.
Hatot often is associated with Art Deco, which he helped pioneer in his designs. He even received the French Legion of Honor at the Art Deco Exposinon of 1925 in Paris. Hatot, if anything, was a modernist. He evolved from the old school constructions to explore new concepts in design such as Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Orientalism.
If there's one thing that permeated his designs, it was a sense of freedom and femininity, says Emch. "This, the era of Isadora Duncan, Amy Johnson and Louise Brooks--and, perhaps most famously, Josephine Baker, the cabaret singer who was the toast of Paris and one of Hatot's favorite clients. His contemporaries were Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, and Cezanne. You can see the freedom of form and the freedom women had in his designs."
Besides jewelry, Hatot also pioneered electric clocks under the ATO brand and, in the 1930s, his "Rolls" watch, with his own self-winding movements, was coveted by wealthy women. Joan Crawford calls her Roils watch "an eternity in a box."
The latest line reflects much of this heritage. Watches are feminine and hidden beneath bucklelike cases that easily pop open to reveal the time. Jewelry collections are limited, due to the intricacies of design, cost, and the fact that customers want a special look. "If a woman is spending $200,000 on a piece, she doesn't want to see it on anyone rise," Emch says. Jewelry watches in steel may start under $10,000, but prices increase to $50,000, and some jewelry may even be up to more than $1 million.
One spectacular piece exhibited in Basel, the "Nange," featured 3,000 full-cut brilliants, 35 baguettes, and 20 marquise stones. It sold within two days. "It's not something you are likely to see again, although we do have a smaller version that's appropriate for day wear," Emch says. "It took 300 hours of development and 150 hours of production. But, for this customer, she is looking for a standout piece that is creative and individual."
Many of the pieces feature the brand's proprietary ideal cut, known as the Coup de Foudre (thunderbolt), whose 57 facets have eight arrows or eight hearts, according to the light and point of view.
Emch says the rollout to the United States is slow and deliberate. "In the U.S. market, there is no making mistakes. You do it right, or you won't make it."