The wine merchant

995/121J-001 “Azulejos”/pocket watch with miniature painting on enamel and hand engraving

To create this unique trompe-l’oeil on the case back, which even reproduces the relief of the tiles, the enameller painted his image in one colour and built it up in small, skilful steps using eleven basic colours and 13 mixtures. The foliage was hand-engraved before enamelling. Several final layers of flux, a transparent enamel, protect the decoration and enhance its lustre using the Geneva method. During the enamelling process, the case back was fired thirty times at a temperature of 830 °C. Four basic colours and three mixtures were required for the dial decoration, which was enamelled with great finesse in the old style. A blue sapphire cabochon (0.38 ct) adorns the crown. This pocket watch is accompanied by a handcrafted yellow gold stand decorated with grapes and vine leaves and resting on a base set with a blue sapphire cabochon (0.44 ct), which stands on an oval base of blue quartz. It houses the calibre 17″‘ LEP PS with manual winding and small seconds.

Patek Philippe presents its new “Rare Handcrafts 2022” collection at the Geneva Salons.

From 6 to 23 April 2022, at its historic headquarters on Rue du Rhône,4 the Manufacture will present nearly 60 Rare Handcrafts creations that pay homage to an eclectic range of artisanal skills. In addition to these unique pieces and limited editions, which combine technical expertise and rich inspiration, the public can also observe the craftsmen demonstrating their artisanal skills. In the richly decorated “Antique Collection” of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, visitors can admire the development of mechanical timepieces since the early 16th century. They can also follow the rise of decorative art that has adorned timepieces for almost 500 years. Before clocks established themselves as reliable and precise timepieces, they were above all elaborately decorated works of art. Many different decorative techniques were used in Geneva, particularly in the famous “Fabrique”, where all the crafts associated with the art of watchmaking were practised.