Patek Philippe Grand Exhibition NYC 2017 Rare Handcrafts

Another reason why Horological art an be so enduring is because it can actually be a medium to combine other arts into the same medium.  On one side, we have the horological art of a watch movement, some with complications that can convey more than just the time.  On the other side, we have a case and a dial that can be lavishly embellished not only with jewels, but by some artists who are truly treasures in their own respect. 

I need bread to eat, a practical necessity.  I love a well executed loaf of bread that's beautifully and tastefully made.  Put icing and a cherry on top of my bread and it becomes a cake.  It's hard not to like cake...  What kind of icing do you prefer? 

Miniature Enamel Painting



How is this dial achieved? It's not printed nor pressed, it's done by hand.




This is one of the very special miniature enamel painters.




A miniature enamel can be of nature.








The bench has miniature paint, the paint has pigments and other parts grounded in a mortar!




An almost finished dial.







Yosemite themed pocketwatch with miniature enamel painting and hand engraving. A total of 25 enamel paint colors. And at least 20 firings at around 800 degrees centigrade.




Native American themed pocket watch with miniature enamel painting. A total of 34 colors used. Inspired by a Martin Grelle painting.



Wine lovers rejoice. The people who want bottles from the top vineyards such as Screaming Eagle, Schrader Wines, Verite Vineyards, Maybach Vineyards, Shafer, and others can add Patek Philippe to their wine collection. Patek Philippe has a beautiful miniature enamel painting of California's Napa Valley.


Cloisonne Enamel and Flinique Enamel Technique




Gold Rush Clock with cloisonne cell enamel.




Mechanical movement with battery powered winding system.




Each panel will require about six firings at 800 to 850 degrees centigrade.




Brooklyn Bridge Enamel Clock.




The clock has a mechanical movement but a battery powered electric motor winds the movement. It's a hybrid!




American baseball enamel clock.




Mechanical clock movement, with a battery powered motor that winds the movement.






A Rousseau painting that has been converted into a miniature enamel painting by the famed enamel artist Anita Porchet.




Flinique enamel clocks in three colors. Exquisite. Mechanical movement, with a battery powered motor winding the movement.






The New York skyline is immortalized on this Patek Philippe pocketwatch. The dial is done in cloisonne enamel.




There are fifty shades of grey and beige in this illustration of horses done in cloisonne enamel. Truly exquisite the detail is in this piece. Among the finest.




Wood Marquetry






What is this? Looks like little bits of scrap wood. But don't sneeze, this tray represents hours of work!




Those little bits of wood are pieced together sliver and splinter into a beautiful wood marquetry piece.  It's a picture of a rabbit. 



The rabbit design is based off a Chinese historical design.






This American Indian's face is comprised of 400 plus pieces of wood!




This eagle is not painted, it's made of wood!




The wood splinters are harvested from natural pieces of wood, cut out with a tiny hacksaw!



Engraving






How does this design get into this watch? It's obviously too deep to be printed.  High relief stamping?  Casting? 




Some engraved pieces. Engraved pieces can also be covered in tinted lacquer.




The bezels and the case of a watch.




You don't think it's cast in a lost wax process?




No, it's engraved by hand!




Yes, she's engraving a metal plate using a metal burin.




Burin, chisel, and hammer.




The master engraver's work bench.




This dial will take about 60 hours to complete!




Here's the final design specification.




And now we know this is a finished product of extremely fine hand engraving!


Guilloche





Ever wondered how they get those beautiful patterns onto those dials? 



The machine can create different textures on the dial. 




The machine has circular wheels that can be programmed to change the burin position to create a special pattern.  It's incredible, this machine can create even square guilloche designs even though the machine spins in a continuous circle! 

Patek Philippe has brought over five artisans in multiple disciplines from miniature enamel painting, cloisonne enameling, wood marquetry, engraving, and guilloche.  This was an amazing exhibit of so many artistic disciplines and beautiful examples of their work.  Absolutely incredible.  Thank you Patek Philippe! 


There are so many artistic endeavors that can adorn your watch.  What kind of icing do you want to your bread to turn it into a cake? 
This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2017-07-17 06:21:45