The arrival of the new year indicates that the cold winter will gradually go away, and the vibrant spring will wake up everything. No matter whether the previous year was peaceful or twists and turns, let us reconcile with the past and look forward to the brand new life unfolding in front of us. The theme of this issue of watches will focus on craftsman skills and many design symbols that contain blessings in Chinese culture. In addition to the elements of the New Year of the Rabbit, Positive themes such as “success in no time” are also covered. Craftsmen use enamel, embossing and other craftsmanship to make exquisite timepieces, and they are also carving time.
Vacheron Constantin
Métiers d’Art Art Master Series Year of the Rabbit Watch
The works of The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac (The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac) in the Métiers d’Art series of Vacheron Constantin will make watch collectors eager to move every year, and the Year of the Rabbit watch launched this year is still a surprise. The art of paper-cutting in China has many similarities with the silhouette art (Scherenschnitt) in Swiss culture, and this craft is one of the highlights of this watch. Master sculptors and enamel masters work together to perfectly combine Chinese paper-cutting art with Swiss watchmaking craftsmanship. Through the image of the rabbit in the Chinese zodiac, the wearer is endowed with agility, wit and kindness, and the sound of ticking with the hour hand gives people Best wishes for a bright future.
The two works in platinum and pink gold are limited to 9 pieces each. The branches, leaves and flower patterns on the dial are derived from traditional Chinese flower patterns. They adopt a semi-embedded design. First, the relief patterns of different shades are combined to create a sense of hierarchy. Then they are covered with several layers of enamel glaze and fired with a complex Grand Feu enamel process. Highlight the tension of the dial color. The central Jade Rabbit is carefully carved by hand. The Vacheron Constantin 2460 G4 movement endows the dial with a pointer-free time display method, and also makes the central pattern a complete protagonist. The 4 windows on the dial display the time in turn. The display has a sliding type and a jumping font, which is the original technology of Vacheron Constantin. The brand’s aesthetic taste and research and development capabilities are fully demonstrated on this watch.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Rendez-Vous Sonatina Series “Quiet Nature” Kingfisher Ring Watch
Jaeger-LeCoultre pays tribute to all creatures in nature with the trilogy of the “Quiet Nature” watch series, each limited to ten pieces. attached to the watch. In order to make this Kingfisher watch, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rare Craft (Métiers Rares®) workshop used artistic techniques such as oil painting on canvas and Makie lacquer art, and spent nearly 40 hours depicting the emerald bird perched on the branch of the red quince tree. Birds, and finally fine gold leaf is carefully applied to the important elements of the drawing. Rich colors and delicate brushstrokes are pleasing to the eye. The size of the time scale adopts a gradual design, forming a crescent arc surrounding the painting, which complements the large and small rings composed of brilliant diamonds.
The kingfisher is a metaphor for beauty, fidelity and a happy marriage in many Asian cultures, and the quince tree is a symbol of longevity and renewal. The rose gold case is full of femininity, nobility and elegance, and the asymmetrical Arabic numerals add an unruly atmosphere to the watch. The watch is equipped with a Jaeger-LeCoultre 735 self-winding mechanical movement, equipped with an alarm complication and a day and night display specially developed for the Sonatina wonderful sound time watch. The oval day and night display window rotates once every 24 hours. The golden star logo inlaid on the edge of the dial is used to indicate the appointment time, which is adjusted by the second crown on the side of the case. When the appointment time comes, the watch plays a crisp and melodious bell, reminding the wearer to go to the appointment, which is very romantic.
Girard Perregaux
La Esmeralda Tourbillon Watch “Mysterious Horse” (A Secret)
In 1889, Girard-Perregaux launched the La Esmeralda tourbillon pocket watch at the world-renowned Paris World Expo. It won a gold medal at the conference for its three-golden bridge across the tourbillon structure design. Watchmakers leave intangible wealth. In 2021, the 230th anniversary of the birth of GP Girard-Perregaux, the special edition of the La Esmeralda tourbillon watch “A Secret” (A Secret) will be launched, and a new color scheme will be added to this model in the following year. The new version of the Mysterious Horse Tourbillon watch pays tribute to its predecessor, the La Esmeralda pocket watch launched in 1889, through a contemporary interpretation. Many details have the shadow of the design of the original pocket watch. The three gold bridges, originally hidden under the protective cover, span the tourbillon and become exposed, with the golden horse taking center stage. In addition to the iconic three gold bridges and the exquisitely carved case, the protective back cover of the hunter pocket watch is also retained. The wearer has a unique experience of uncovering secrets, which is where the ‘mystery’ in the name of the watch comes from.
This collectible watch uses the timeless beauty of the Grand Feu enamel process, which is different from the original La Esmeralda tourbillon pocket watch. In addition to the dial, this process is also applied to the outside of the watch case and the back of the watch. The most important element of this watch is the “horse”. There is a hand-carved galloping horse on the front, and a relief-style horse on the back. It is presented on the guilloché sun radiation pattern and the Grand Feu enamel process. It is vivid, precise and precise. The clever capture of light also brings to the watch the implication of “success soon” and the impetus to move forward.
hermes
Arceau Pocket Cheval Punk Tourbillon Minute Repeater Pocket Watch
When people take out their pocket watches from their breast pockets, in addition to seeing the precise time, they can also feel the most authentic warmth with their own body temperature. Hermès’ Arceau Pocket Cheval Punk tourbillon minute repeater pocket watch with a horse theme named after “punk” pays tribute to the Arceau watch designed by Henri d’Origny and launched in 1978. The original punk horse pattern is based on A men’s silk scarf designed by Daisuke Nomura for Hermès in 2021. The white gold case falls under the stirrup-shaped lugs, and the hollow 750 white gold cover has an engraved equestrian silhouette pattern decorated with micro-painted enamel technology. The case protects the champlevé enamel dial with orange saddle stitches.
This avant-garde pocket watch equipped with the Hermès H1924 tourbillon minute repeater movement not only has the minute repeater complication, but also the craftsmanship of the punk horse is also a highlight. The shape of the horse, the headgear, and the details of the saddlery took hundreds of hours of complicated carving and micro-painting enamel processes to take shape, and only the grid part used as the background has also undergone multiple glaze firings using enamel technology. All complex elements come together to create this unique Arceau Pocket Cheval Punk pocket watch, which is a beautiful combination of Hermès tradition, contemporary aesthetic art and advanced watchmaking.
