The latest Christie's auction in Geneva featured a rare 18kt rose gold Patek Philippe timepiece with cloisonné enamel dial. In the 1940s and 50s, the Geneva watchmaker made a very small number of "time only" wristwatches
where detailed and artistic cloisonné enamel dials
were fitted.
Enamel is a soft glass comprising of silica, red lead and soda. Elements
added to the mix bring about a change in color – chromium creates
green, iron turns it grey, the presence of iodine turns it red. When
fired in an oven at 800-1200°C, enamel liquefies and bonds to the metal
base and cools to become a hard-wearing material that retains its shines
and color over centuries. The cloisonné technique requires the artisan to create compartments or housings by hand-folding a 0.07 mm wide gold wire (no thicker than human hair) - pliers are used to tease out various shapes on
the base plate. These compartments are filled in with enamel and fired in a kiln.
The present dial was crafted
to special order in 1950, and was, most likely, originally delivered to France,
to be housed in a French-manufactured case. After World War II, this was quite
common practice in alignment with the post-war economic effort. Importing
foreign jewellery was prohibited in France, so many Swiss makers had their
cases made in France, often after their own Swiss model. Patek Philippe worked closely with French firms such as
Guillermin, providing dials and movements under the agreement that Patek Philippe
standards would be upheld.
Price realized: $ 252,000
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