A Swiss watch, in our opinion, is already a piece of art.
Picasso and Warhol themselves seem to agree; they’re said to have owned some incredible timepieces. Lately, brands are taking even heavier cues from art, collaborating with world-renowned artists to create stunning limited-edition watches.
Meet some of the pieces that fuse impeccable watchmaking with collectable designs.
Why art and watchmaking are a perfect match
The merge of art and watchmaking is no great shock. Just take the first-ever wristwatch. It’s said to have been created for the Queen of Naples by Breguet in 1810. Before this time, watches solely hung from the pockets of men. This piece, however, was an artistic piece of jewellery first; a practical time-teller second.
Although Swiss watchmaking is rooted in tradition, the industry’s best minds refuse to be trapped in a box. From sport to space to the sea, watchmakers are always looking to other arenas for inspiration. So, by joining forces with artists from around the world, the possibilities become limitless. And collaborations - particularly the unexpected ones - are where the most novel designs are brought to life.
Of course, it helps that these are usually limited edition watches that carry a pretty price tag.
01
Métiers d'Art by Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin has taken the concept of art pieces and run far with it. They’ve created an entire collection, Métiers d’Art, inspired by art, history, culture, and exploration.
Vacheron applies decorative techniques through hand engraving, enamelling, diamond setting, and even sculpted gold appliques.
Everything is hand-crafted by the Maison's master craftsmen, who have passed on their extraordinary skills from generation to generation. “They have a talent that no machine could ever replace,” says the brand.
Detailed designs that wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery depict tales of history, from the Persian Empire of Darius I, Egypt in the time of the pharaohs, the Hellenistic Greece of the successors of Alexander the Great, and imperial Rome. The brand worked closely with the Louvre Museum throughout the process.
More themes that thread through the Métiers d’Art collection include the legend of the Chinese zodiac, tributes to traditional symbols, and homages to great explorers.
02
Richard Mille RM 68-01 Tourbillon Cyril Kongo
Richard Mille collaborated with French-Vietnamese street artist, Cyril Kongo, to create something that’s at once a stunning example of haute horlogerie and an explosion of colour.
Kongo is one of the most recognisable names in the world’s graffiti scene, describing graffiti as being his “voice”. As of 2016, his vibrant style has been splashed across a tourbillon calibre by Mille. Only 30 of them, mind you.
But why the merge? Richard Mille says they wanted to introduce contemporary art within the luxury timepiece space in “an unprecedented manner”. The artist and the watchmaker worked together to essentially translate large-scale urban murals onto a wristwatch.
It took over a year to develop Kongo’s unique painting technique, and a special airbrush had to be developed to enable a more delicate version of spray painting. The paint had to weigh a specific amount, and the art had to be applied one droplet at a time. You can’t rush art, apparently.
03
Grand Seiko ‘Genbi Valley’ Hi-Beat Limited Edition
As preferences shift in the luxury watch world, we see watchmakers taking bigger risks. Part of that involves creating pieces that blur the lines between watchmaking, art, and jewellery.
In June last year, Grand Seiko handed over the design reigns to Japanese artists, who created the limited edition ‘Genbi Valley’ Hi-Beat watch.
It was inspired by the colours of the Genbi Valley landscape, a natural monument on the Iwai River, Japan. A light-green, shimmery dial is reminiscent of the river, and changing angles cast light off it in new ways - as if water droplets are flowing and dancing.
This Grand Seiko is powered by three movements typical of the watchmaker: 9S Mechanical (a lesson in high-precision micro-engineering), 9R Spring Drive (unique movement technology that brings extraordinary precision to mainspring-generated power), and 9F Quartz (where unique technologies combine to raise the performance of quartz).
04
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon GMT
Jansen is a Dutch artist, engineer and inventor who created Strandbeests (beach animals) in collaboration with Audemars Piguet. These structures are made of PVC tubes, plastic bottles, and recycled materials. Development of the animals, designed to store wind power and respond to environmental changes, spanned three decades.
Their contemporary, abstract nature, as well as their formation, make them relevant to the AP brand. Board member Olivier Audemars told Revolution Watch that the concepts used to create Strandbeests and high-value Swiss watches are very similar: It’s about starting with minimal materials.
Some believe the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon was inspired by Theo Jansen and his Strandbeests. Although we can’t find confirmation of that from AP itself, its contemporary lines and creative structure do seem to mirror the creation somewhat.
05
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai ‘Amida Falls’
Jaeger-LeCoultre plays homage to Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai in its ‘Amida Falls’ Reverso piece.
The caseback is decorated with a hand-enamelled miniature version of The Amida Falls in the Far Reaches of the Kisokaidō Road, which is part of a series of woodblock prints created in 1833. It’s a stunning vision of a cascading waterfall.
Of course, recreating the art was no simple task. Jaeger-LeCoultre had to capture the details on a surface around 1/10 of the size of the original art piece. In order to honour the woodblocking technique, the enameller had to create a whole new method, which demanded 70 hours of work spread across multiple weeks, and 12-15 separate firings. It’s no wonder only 10 of these pieces were made.
A rich green dial complements the mini work of art on the caseback. Like with all Reversos, the wearer can flip the case to tell whichever story they feel like.
06
Hublot MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire Rainbow
The eye-catching MP-15 Takashi Murakami is as eye-catching and sparkling as they come. Developed in collaboration with Hublot and Japanese contemporary artist, Takashi Murakami, it’s a fresh take on the artist’s iconic “smiling flower”.
Only twenty pieces were made in what’s a classic case of quality over quantity. Each timepiece is set with 444 gemstones in a floral shape, where each petal sparkles with its own shade, transforming it into wearable art.
The smiley face motif was laser engraved onto the domed sapphire crystal dial, and a skeletised manual winding tourbillion sits just under the dial, so the movement almost looks as though it’s floating in mid-air.
The creation is a mechanical blossoming of the artist’s own “Superflat” style and is powered by Hublot’s in-house movement.
07
Vacheron Constantin Armillary Tourbillon-Tribute to Art Deco Style
In an ode to art deco style, Vacheron Constantin unveiled its Armillary Tourbillon. It’s part of VC’s Les Cabinotiers collection that showcases artistic crafts like guilloching, enamelling, engraving and gem-setting.
This model celebrates the bold, geometric shapes of art deco, taking NYC as its muse. Two layers of champlevé wood micro-marquetry work in tandem to create a design reminiscent of the Chrysler Building, with the dial reportedly taking a month to make and consisting of 110 tiny pieces of wood.
The Maison’s master engravers took charge of the timepiece, reworking the bridges and plate of Calibre 1990, and adorning the case middle with a frieze (a decorative band) extending over the lugs.
It’s a masterpiece in the coming together of engraving, guilloching and, of course, exceptional craftsmanship.
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