A walk on the wild side
Nature provides the perfect canvas for haute horlogerie to showcase its magnificence, says Vivienne Becker
There’s a horde of wild animals on the loose, plus a swarm of insects and flocks of birds, all joining forces to shake up the world of haute horlogerie. They’ve migrated from high jewellery, the natural habitat of lions and tigers, birds and butterflies. As jewels and timepieces move ever closer, it feels natural for nature to show off the skill set of high watchmaking – the fantasy and imaginative artistry that have transformed the jewellery watch into a wondrous and whimsical object of desire.
The animal-themed watch is embedded in Cartier’s heritage: the first onyx and diamond panther appeared on a 1914 wristwatch. Today, its famous menagerie is reinterpreted afresh each year, including in the 2021 Sixième Sens High Jewellery collection. Here we meet a tiger, its diamondpaved and onyx-streaked head biting down on a ring holding the dial, while the newest iteration of the Panthère timepiece features a panther’s gem-set head and paws gripping the pavéd dial.
Tracing in diamonds is taken to a whole new level in Graff ’s Gyrograff Endangered Species watches. One-ofa-kind masterworks depict the stylised faces of an elephant, panda, tiger, gorilla and rhino in diamond marquetry on an aventurine dial. Each diamond is custom cut, and the gem-setter’s skill is matched by the ingenuity of the grandes complications.
Animal magic also animates Vacheron Constantin’s breathtaking Mécaniques Sauvages, part of the brand’s Les Cabinotiers series. The dials of the Imperial Tiger and Majestic Tiger combine engraving with wood marquetry, while the Wild Panda is composed entirely of wood marquetry, ageold techniques producing a stunning cinematic 3D effect. The animals take centre stage on the dial; the hands-free, digital timetelling is viewed through four apertures.
Like your wild animals fashion-forward? Chanel’s Mademoiselle Privé Bouton Lesage will work wonders for you. Coco Chanel’s emblematic gold lion’s head covers the dial, set into a cuff embroidered by Maison Lesage. Hermès, meanwhile, fuses fashion and Fauvism in its Arceau Toucan de Paradis. The dial, interpreting a 2020 silk scarf design by Katie Scott, is lavishly ornamented with miniature painting and silk thread to depict a fantastical exotic bird.
Animals populate Boucheron’s design books – think hedgehog, cat or chameleon rings. The transference of this bestiary to couture watches has been spectacular, as in the irresistible Laïka Le Husky, where a dog slip-slides on a rock crystal lake, viewing the dial embedded in its icy depths.
The peacock takes pride of place in a trio of Bulgari Diva’s Dream watches. One shows the bird hand-painted in champlevé enamel, another features an overlapping fan-shaped motif inspired by the mosaics of Rome’s Caracalla baths, while the third is decorated with real peacock-feather marquetry.
From sublimely decorative to dizzyingly industrious. Dior’s Grand Soir Reine des Abeilles series of unique pieces focuses on
the bees that buzzed among the flowers in Christian Dior’s beloved garden. The exuberant insects hovering over each pavé-diamond dial are constructed in fascinating detail from a panoply of bright gems, a few feathers added for texture, all evoking the garden’s riot of colour, light and life.
Bringing the birds to the bees is Les Ciels de Chaumet ‘Envol’ Secret watch, the lapis lazuli dial sheltering beneath diamond swallows, each carrying a pear-shaped gem in its beak. And Chopard, so associated with nighttime glamour, delivers a suitably nocturnal Red Carpet Owl timepiece, the twin ‘eye’ dials encircled in multi-coloured sapphires, keeping watch over this enchanting animal kingdom of time.