Some watches are designed to measure time, whilst others use their mechanics to showcase artistic disciplines that rarely find a place on a dial. It is this second concept that underpins \u2018M\u00e9tiers d\u2019Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom\u2019, Vacheron Constantin\u2019s new project within its \u2018One of Not Many\u2019 craftsmanship programme. The collection brings together six concept watches and six crafts, many of which originate from fields outside traditional watchmaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The starting point is as simple as it is demanding: to invite six artisans to translate their respective specialities into the dimensions of a fully functional watch. Gold embroidery, feather art, wood marquetry, glass sculpture, paper sculpture and micro-origami make up a repertoire that is unusual in Haute Horlogerie. The animal kingdom acts as the link between the six creations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scale is, in fact, one of the defining elements of the project. The pieces are housed in 42-millimetre cases, and the artists have had to work with a margin of no more than four millimetres between the dial and the sapphire crystal. Techniques typically devised for larger surfaces and volumes have required years of research, prototyping, new tools and a re-evaluation of the very nature of the artisanal craft itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result lies somewhere between the sculptural and the almost imperceptible. A snake, for example, is made up of more than 200 tiny fragments taken from seven monal pheasant feathers. Creating it necessitated the development of a micro-scalpel from a needle and required around 250 hours of research and prototyping. The eye, crafted from 18-carat gold and enamel, deliberately introduces a horological element into a composition dominated by the texture and iridescence of the feathers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n