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PIAGET Mythical Journey Collection part 8: Cloisonné and Champlevé Enamel Watch Dials

PIAGET Mythical Journey Collection part 8: Cloisonné and Champlevé Enamel Watch Dials

From the launch of 'A Mythical Journey Collection'   of watches and jewellery by Piaget in November 2013, we take a closer look at a traditional technique: Cloisonné and Champlevé Enamel  for watch dials featuring Piaget Altiplano 38mm Cloisonné Enamel , Piaget Polo Tourbillon Relatif Champlevé Enamel , and Piaget Emperador Coussin XL Large Moon Enamel with Horse, Crane, Pagoda, Pine Tree, Elephant, Indian Palace, and Map motifs. Piaget has combined Champlevé and Miniature enamel painting on some watches in the Mythical Journey Collection to evoke the luxury and wealth of the cities on the Silk Road.

Among the creatures of the mythical East, Piaget was beguiled by the Ferghana horse with legendary speed and endurance. This creature is both graceful and ardent.

Piaget was also enticed by cranes, which traditionally symbolise longevity; the legend is they can live a thousand years. As the patriarch of winged creatures and the steed of immortals, the crane embodies wisdom.

The Moghul-style Lake Palace, a former residence of the Maharaja Jagat Singh II featuring white marble walls is located on the small island of Lake Pichola in Udaipur, India. This is the inspiration Piaget drew from to pair with the symbolic elephant for their Indian motifs.

My favourite watch of the Collection is below.....

The art of enamel at Piaget is described in previous reports on PuristSPro (see references below).
Enamelling is the process of fusing layers of ground glass onto metal using a kiln or torch. Firings can take from 30 seconds to several minutes, with the kiln heated between 650°C and 1000°C, depending on the techniques and materials used.

Colour

Colour in enamel is obtained by the addition of various minerals, often metal oxides of cobalt, iron, praseodymium, or neodymium. The last creates delicate shades ranging from warm grey through wine-red to pure violet. Enamel can be transparent, opaque or opalescent (translucent), which is a variety that gains a milky opacity the longer it is fired. Unlike paint, different enamel colours cannot be mixed to make a new colour. This produces tiny specks of both colours; although the eye can be tricked by grinding colours together to an extremely fine, flour-like, powder, the true skill is creating new homogenous colours. The process is more of an Art rather than a Science because pyrometer readings vary widely from kiln to kiln. No precise firing temperatures are “universal". Enamelling on silver is very different from enamelling on copper; what is high-firing on silver may be a low-firing for copper. Enamellers share information about specific effects or enamel behaviour as Hints rather than Standard Operating Procedures.

Cloisonné enamel

French for "cell", where thin wires are applied to form raised barriers, which contain different areas of enamel applied above the original metal form.
The enamel is contained within wire cells (cloisons). These wires are usually fired onto a base coat of flux (a clear transparent enamel), then filled with wet enamel. The wet enamel is often applied with quill in layers, a technique known as wet packing. The piece is fired after each layer has been applied.

Piaget Altiplano 38mm Cloisonné Enamel
18K pink gold case set with 78 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.7 ct), Mythical Journey logo engraved on the case back
18K Gold dial with cloisonné enamel Horse design
Manufacture Piaget 430P, ultra-thin hand-wound mechanical movement
Functions : H, Mn, 43-hour power reserve (approx.)
Case diameter : 38 mm
Bracelet : black alligator with pink gold ardillon buckle
G0A38571 (38 piece)

Piaget Altiplano 38mm cloisonné Enamel
18K white gold case set with 78 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.7 ct) with Mythical Journey logo engraved on the case back
18K gold dial with cloisonné enamel Horse design
Manufacture Piaget 430P, ultra-thin hand-wound mechanical movement
Functions : H, Mn, 43-hour power reserve (approx.)
Case diameter : 38 mm x 6.6 mm
Bracelet : black alligator with white gold ardillon buckle
G0A38572 (38 pieces)

Champlevé enamel

Recesses in the form of patterns or designs are carved or etched into the metal and the enamel is wet packed into these areas. Champlevé, French for "raised field", is where the surface is carved out to form pits in which enamel is fired, leaving the original metal exposed.

Detail of the hand-engraved and enameled dial of the Piaget Polo Tourbillon Relatif

Piaget employs champlevé enamelling by engraving a motif in a metal die mould before filling the cavities with enamel. Using a dry-point (graving tool), the engraver traces the desired motif on the watch case or dial. Being careful to avoid the contours, he hollows out the various fields, thereby achieving a relief engraving featuring grooves of various width and thickness according to the desired effects, with rims as clear-cut as possible. The enamels are then applied to the crevices before being melted at over 800°C.

Hand-engraving of the Piaget Polo Tourbillon Relatif case with a chisel

Such a creation calls for several firings, followed by a lapping (polish) process to smooth over the surfaces of the work and a glazing firing to give it its final appearance. Close cooperation and genuine creative complicity between the engraver and the enameller are required, since the final result will depend on both of their work, especially when using translucent enamels that enable one to view all the details of the engraving through their transparent coating.

Piaget Polo Tourbillon Relatif Champlevé Enamel
18K white gold case set with 34 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 2.3 ct)
Crown set with 1 cabochon onyx
Case : Black champlevé enamel, hand-engraving (cranes, pagoda, pine tree), Mythical Journey logo engraved on the case back
Dial : Black champlevé enamel, hand-engraving (cranes and dot indexes), longevity symbol on the hour disc
Manufacture Piaget 608P, hand-wound mechanical tourbillon relatif movement
Functions : H, Mn, Tourbillon, 80-hour power reserve (approx.)
Case diameter : 45 mm
Bracelet : black alligator with white gold folding clasp
G0A38562 (3 pieces)

Detail of the hand-engraved and enameled dial of the Piaget Polo Tourbillon Relatif

Piaget Polo Tourbillon Relatif Champlevé Enamel
18K white gold case set with 34 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 2.3 ct)
Crown set with 1 cabochon onyx
Case : Black champlevé enamel, hand-engraving (elephants, Indian palace ), Mythical Journey logo engraved on case back
Dial : Black champlevé enamel, hand-engraving (elephants )
Manufacture Piaget 608P, hand-wound mechanical tourbillon relatif movement
Functions : H, Mn, Tourbillon, S, 80-hour power reserve (approx.)
Case diameter : 45 mm
Bracelet : black alligator with white gold folding clasp
G0A38578 (3 pieces)

Hand-engraving of the Indian elephants on the Piaget Polo Tourbillon Relatif dial with a chisel

Combined Champlevé and Miniature enamel painting

This is not miniature enamelling but watercolour sketching of Yves Piaget Roses to illustrate how difficult it must be to paint in miniature on a small dial.

Piaget Emperador Coussin XL Large Moon Enamel
18K white gold case, Mythical Journey logo applied under the sapphire case-back.
Hand-engraved white gold dial with champlevé and miniature enamel representing the Mythical Journey road
Manufacture Piaget 860P, self-winding mechanical large moon phase indicator movement
Functions : H, Mn, Large moon phase indicator at 6’, 72-hour power reserve (approx.)
Case diameter : 46.5 mm
Bracelet : black alligator with white gold folding clasp
G0A38560 (8 pieces)

This is my favourite watch of the Mythical Journey Collection. 

Elegant Simplicity but secretly complexed with two enamel techniques for the dial and case, combined with the heat blistered gold technique of the moon surface.

Close to Perfection with the World on your Wrist.

Piaget Emperador Coussin XL Large Moon Enamel
18K white gold case set with 160 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.4 ct), Mythical Journey logo applied under the sapphire case-back
Crown set with 10 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.2 ct)
Hand-engraved white gold dial with champlevé and miniature enamel representing the Mythical Journey road
Manufacture Piaget 860P, self-winding mechanical large moon phase indicator movement
Functions : H, Mn, Large moon phase indicator at 6’,
72-hour power reserve (approx.)
Case diameter : 46.5 mm
Bracelet : black alligator with white gold folding clasp
G0A38561 (8 pieces)

PIAGET Enamel Watches – a Fusion of Art and Science: Part 1
piaget.watchprosite.com

PIAGET Enamel Watches – a Fusion of Art and Science: Part 2
piaget.watchprosite.com

"A Mythical Journey by PIAGET" Series (CLICK the following URL links)  

A Piaget Mythical Journey Begins (Overview)   
piaget.watchprosite.com

PIAGET Mythical Journey part 2: Bulino Engraving  
piaget.watchprosite.com
 
PIAGET Mythical Journey part 3: Plique-à-jour Enamel
piaget.watchprosite.com

PIAGET Mythical Journey part 4: Engraving Gold
piaget.watchprosite.com

PIAGET Mythical Journey part 5: Micro-mosaic
piaget.watchprosite.com

PIAGET Mythical Journey part 6: Precious Thread Embroidery
piaget.watchprosite.com

PIAGET Mythical Journey part 7: Miniature Enamel
piaget.watchprosite.com

PIAGET Mythical Journey part 8: Cloisonné and Champlevé Enamel

piaget.watchprosite.com

Dr M. Teillol-Foo (2014)

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