Watch the clock
With over 75 clocks and watches in the exhibition catalogue, the models on display at Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021 are sure to be vying for attention. Each has earned its spot there on its own merit, promising a couple of hours of intense browsing. These two highlights from the exhibition offer a taste of the experience awaiting visitors in Geneva.
Ref 20105M ‘Jazz’
Think of jazz, and rhythm, spontaneity and exuberance come to mind. This dome table clock pulses with those characteristics, enlivened by painstakingly worked grand feu cloisonné enamel. Some 18m of flat 24-carat yellow-gold wire was cut out, shaped by hand and affixed to the base plate to create the stylised silhouettes of musicians in full swing and the word “jazz”. Most striking is the vivid palette of colours that adorn the clock, 48 transparent enamel hues applied to produce superlative gradients and layered effects. It is laborious work; each enamel element undergoes nine firings at approximately 840°C to set and hold. Continuing the theme is the hour circle, designed as a stylised keyboard, with black-lacquered hour markers skimming the cloisonné enamel. The mechanical Caliber 17 PEND steadily keeps time, proving that loveliness and performance can mutually exist.
Ref 995/122J ’Panda’
The cuddly giant panda is the protagonist of this pocket watch, portrayed in wood marquetry munching on bamboo shoots. This iconic inhabitant of China’s forests was created using 194 veneer parts and 190 inlays made from 26 species of wood for well-articulated details. Bamboo shoots on the dial are hand-guilloched and hand-engraved beneath translucent green enamel, or flinqué enamel, while bamboo motifs are hand-engraved onto the bezel and caseback border. Yellow-gold applied Breguet numerals and leaf-shaped hands indicate the time, with the manually wound Calibre 17’’’ LEP PS also powering the subsidiary seconds. A green tourmaline cabochon marks the crown while a matching gemstone adorns the yellow-gold handcrafted stand from which the pocket watch hangs. The bamboo-inspired design is set on a green marble base, recalling the verdant forests that are its home.