Brands love to think of their watches as blank canvases ready to be transformed into spectacular works of art by artisans who infuse each piece with their mastery and vision. For proof, look no further than the following timepieces from A. Lange & Söhne, Roger Dubuis, and Ming that promise to leave you in awe.
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A. Lange & Söhne
The iconic Datograph is given the Handwerkskunst treatment, a collection of limited-edition watches adorned with elaborate decorations created by hand. The Datograph Handwerkskunst features ornate tremblage engraving on a black-rhodiumed dial. Tremblage requires the engraver to use a special lining burin to create a fine-grained surface. The luxurious frosted finish beautifully complements the gold hands and markers.
The caseback reveals the elaborately decorated L951.8 calibre with black-polished chronograph levers. The levers appear jet black on the surface but mirror-polished from all other angles, showcasing the unique result of the complex and time-consuming craft of black polishing. The balance cock is decorated with a special vine pattern achieved through relief engraving. Limited to 25 pieces, it comes in a 41mm yellow gold case.
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Handwerkskunst
Roger Dubuis
The spectacular 3D dials of the Knights of the Round Table series have been captivating us since 2013. This year, it takes its inspiration from Merlin’s journey to the ancient Giant’s Causeway with its towering columns. The artisans at Roger Dubuis replicate the scenery on an 18-karat pink gold that is precisely machined to create holes and hexagonal sections, which are treated with black PVD.
Fifty-six towering hexagonal blocks, crafted from authentic basal, pink gold, black glass in Murano style, and transparent glass, are then mounted by hand. They are arranged in varying heights, creating volume and depth. Twelve knights, engraved in pink gold and poised in battle-ready stances, infuse the dial with a palpable energy.
Roger Dubuis Knights of the Round Table, the Omniscient Merlin in 45mm pink gold
Roger Dubuis Knights of the Round Table, the Omniscient Merlin reveals a dial composed of towering hexagonal blocks and knights in gold
Ming
Here comes a pretty cool version of the “skeleton” dial: the Ming 20.01 Series 3 that features a fused borosilicate dial. Acting like a veil that teases the movement components underneath, 600 cutouts were created on a cake of borosilicate. They are in a radially symmetric circular pattern that changes size horizontally and vertically. In the dark, they emit an intense glow, thanks to SuperLuminova X1 that has been individually hand-filled using syringes. Ming 20.01 Series 3 comes in 41.5mm 18-karat 5N rose gold and grade 5 titanium case housing an AgenGraphe by Agenhor chronograph movement. Only 20 pieces will be produced.
The borosilicate dial of Ming 20.01 Series 3 glow in the dark
Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin celebrates the four sacred animals in Asian culture—namely the azure dragon, white tiger, vermillion bird and black tortoise—in the new Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin collection. Each dial features wood marquetry, a meticulous process requiring several weeks. Ten to 12 types of wood, from sycamore and tulip tree to eucalyptus and maple, were selected for this project. Precisely crafted to the last millimeter, the result is truly a remarkable piece of wrist art endowed with the state-of-the-art ultra-thin Calibre 2160 with a tourbillon.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin Azure Dragon
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin Vermillion Bird
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