{"id":26315,"date":"2017-12-01T14:00:55","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T12:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gmtmag.com?p=26315"},"modified":"2017-12-01T14:48:50","modified_gmt":"2017-12-01T12:48:50","slug":"naturally-precious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gmtmag.com\/en\/art-n-en\/12e_art-2\/naturally-precious.html","title":{"rendered":"Naturally precious"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is often regarded as the face of a watch. An infinitely small area providing infinite scope for expression and a stage on which to express the incredible creativity of watchmakers turned artists, dials shine even more brightly when setting the scene for the treasures of Nature. Diamonds, fine or precious stones, mother-of-pearl, hard stones, aventurine, natural pigments. These mesmerizing forms of beauty, tamed by the deftness of the artisan, establish refinement as second nature within feminine watchmaking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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CARTIER, onyx and heliodor cuff watch<\/p><\/div>\n

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GIRARD-PERREGAUX, Cat\u2019s Eye Sparkle La Fenice<\/p><\/div>\n

It sends us rain and sunshine, tracing and erasing landscapes, producing marvels and rare phenomena, entran- cing and inspiring human beings in sometimes incredible ways. Bountiful nature, which since the dawn of time has unstintingly shared the best the Earth has to offer. Exceptional stones and indescribable colors, sparkling as they clothe time in supremely precious style.
\nAmong the inescapable treasures provided by nature are the countless diamonds loved as much by watchmakers as the women whose wrists they embrace. These perfectly brilliant or baguette-cut gems pave dials in light. Girard-Perregaux has set them like a theatre curtain raised to reveal mother-of-pearl marquetry adorning the dial of the Cat\u2019s Eeye Sparkle La Fenice ; while Cartier use them to shape the outlines of a stylized panther on a gold and onyx cuff watch featuring a dial topped by an over 27-carat heliodor (also known as golden beryl).<\/p>\n

SHEER UNADULTERATED BEAUTY<\/h2>\n
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CHANEL, Mademoiselle Priv\u00e9 D\u00e9cor Coromandel<\/p><\/div>\n

Nonetheless, watchmaking for women does not of course confine itself to the undeniable charm of diamonds. The brilliance of the latter is often a lure to draw the eye towards other equally fascinating natural gems. Whether sculpted, engraved or guilloch\u00e9d, mother-of-pearl embellishes many feminine dials. Chanel\u2019s one-of-a-kind Mademoiselle Priv\u00e9 D\u00e9cor Coromandel models inspired by Coco Chanel\u2019s famous lacquered screens are adorned with coral, turquoise, cornelian, mother-of-pearl or lapis lazuli, sculpted using the antique glyptic technique. A subtle and rare form of expertise requiring as much delicacy and precision as the art of enameling that is far better known and more widely used.<\/p>\n

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VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, Charms Extraordinaire F\u00e9e Sakura watch<\/p><\/div>\n

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JAQUET DROZ, Petite Heure Minute Black Enamel<\/p><\/div>\n

Applied to dials in much the same way as paintings, pigments are also some of these marvels produced by nature. Well accustomed to the complexities of enameling, Van Cleef & Arpels introduces a veritable manifesto of style and poetry with its Charms Extraordinaire F\u00e9e Sakura watch featuring an enchanting pink lacquered dial mingling mother-of-pearl, enamel and diamonds. And what amazing depth in the black Grand Feu enamel dial adorned with a miniature pink flamingo adorning the Petite Heure Minute Black Enamel created in the Jaquet Droz Ateliers d\u2019Art !<\/p>\n

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PARMIGIANI, M\u00e9tropolitaine S\u00e9l\u00e8ne Galaxy<\/p><\/div>\n

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PIAGET, Altiplano 60th Anniversary<\/p><\/div>\n

Tamed by the human hand, materials and colors along with precious, hard or fine gemstones represent infinite riches that exalt feminine watchmaking, even in their simplest possible expression. One has only to think of the beauty radiating from the turquoise or opal adorning two Piaget Altiplano models celebrating the collection\u2019s 60th anniversary. Or the luminous charm of the blue adventurine dial gracing the Tonda M\u00e9tropolitaine S\u00e9l\u00e8ne Galaxy unveiled by Parmigiani Fleurier. An earthly treasure so fascinating that one might almost believe it is heaven-sent.<\/p>\n

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PAUL\u2019S POSITION<\/h2>\n

\"cadran-paul\"<\/a>Marie\u2019s title highlights a big difference between the design of men\u2019s and ladies\u2019 watch dials. It\u2019s interesting to note that all the wonderful dial designs listed in this article are created using wholly natural elements. It\u2019s something that is certainly not true for gents\u2019 watches and just goes to show that true beauty is something natural, something that cannot be reproduced by humans, no matter how cutting-edge the technology. Furthermore, the fact that these dials are usually even smaller for ladies\u2019 watches has never been a barrier to creativity or the quantity of precious stones that can be crammed on to them. Head over to WorldTempus and browse through our Watchfinder to see just how much detail can be packed into these dials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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