Amazing Dials
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Making these extraordinary dials involves hours and hours of artistry. Manufactures have revived for gotten crafts like floral marquetry, French lacework, enamel work and others into the portal of horology bringing art on your wrists, writes Hiren Kumar Bose
What’s in a face? A lot one might say. Here we are referring to the face of the watch, its dial. That’s what you see first. Dials do capture your heart. It’s only later that you become aware of the complications it boasts of. Watch Manufactures do their best to make you love the watch by its first look. We bring you watches with exemplary dials—aesthetically pleasing and attractive too. Wearers of these watches are likely to become conversation beginners.
ULYSSE NARDIN CLASSICO HORSE
Graceful with power, self-determined with emotion, and untamed with control, the horses on the watch’s dial appear to gallop with liberty. Expansive plains and majestic mountains in the background meet their arrival.
For the Classico Horse, Ulysse Nardin employs the intricate champlevé method where cells are carved with a chisel directly on the dial and filled with enamel. Its earth-tone palette of black, white, tan, gray and green is created from different metallic oxides, perfectly depicting the natural landscape and its small band of beautiful creatures. The piece is then fired until the enamel melts and is polished when the surface cools. The result: an exceptional creation produced by the hands of master artisans. Manufactured in a limited edition of 88 pieces in 18ct rose gold, the Classico Horse is also available in a diamonds set bezel version. The timepiece features the self-winding UN-815 movement, visible through its sapphire crystal exhibition window located on the case back which has a power reserve of approximately 42 hours and COSC-certified chronometer.
II GIARDINO MARINO DI BVLGARI
Bulgari continues to explore the wonders of nature’s gardens, this time by taking elegant individuals on a journey of horological complications through the rare universe of marine beauty. Just as the pearl is preserved by its shell, the refined precious mechanism of Il Giardino Marino di Bvlgari is enhanced by a Côtes de Genève decoration and fine circulargraining. These subtle touches are housed within a 37mm diameter case made of 18ct pink gold. The bezel is either adorned with the name ‘Bvlgari’, or set with 36 faceted diamonds.
VACHERON CONSTANTIN MÉTIERS D’ARTS FABULEUX ORNEMENTS
Ten different master artisans have taken turns in providing talented reinterpretations of Ottoman architecture, Chinese embroidery, Indian manuscripts and French lacework. These exquisitely feminine creations are equipped with an ethereal hand-engraved calibre echoing the precious dial ornamentation and enshrining a subtle blend of inner and outer beauty. A masterful demonstration of Vacheron Constantin’s expertise in the field of decoration, the openworking of the ultra-slim Calibre 1003 in 18ct gold – a mere 1.64mm thin – transforms it into an incredible lacework of engraved wheel trains. Crafted in pink gold according to the cloisonné technique, the dial is carpeted with flowers in rubies, cuprites and garnets.
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS ZODIAC
The collection depicts the signs of the Zodiac and is inspired by the jewellery range created by the brand back in the 1950’s. At that time, Van Cleef & Arpels released a full range of golden medallions, featuring the signs of the Western Zodiac, which were intended to be worn as talismans.
RICHARD MILLE NATALIE PORTMAN
Oscar winning actress Natalie Portman has designed this watch which features a diamond-and-white-gold spider trapped inside a watch case. The Tourbillon RM 19-01 is a manual winding tourbillon. Besides, the traced outline of the sparkly spider and its eight legs are set in diamonds. The abdomen of the spider supports the bridges of the tourbillon, while its legs support the two winding barrels. The gem-encrusted body surrounds the tourbillon. On the open-case back, is the depiction of a web in black sapphires.
BALLON BLEU DE CARTIER
Cartier has taken up a new craft in watchmaking: floral marquetry, which adorns and enlivens the dial of the Ballon Bleu de Cartier 42 mm watch. A watch at the crossroads of two kinds of craftsmanship: the one, never before seen in watchmaking, immortalises flowers and their vulnerable beauty; the other, that of the jeweller, enhances the dial’s precious nature. The 42mm case is made in rhodium-plated 18ct white gold set with 124 round diamonds.
