Artisans reveal their rare skills
The 13 maisons appearing at Watches&Wonders may have individual characteristics, but they have one thing in common: recognition that Asian timepiece buyers appreciate the watchmaking process as much as the finished product.
"Watches&Wonders provides a rare opportunity to meet the creators and craftsmen behind fine timepieces, and a chance to experience firsthand the cultural heritage of one of Europe's most exquisite traditions," says Fabienne Lupo, chairwoman and managing director of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, organiser of the event, which allows guests to see the watchmaking process.
Fine watchmaking typically involves 40 different specialities, and these are showcased through the expertise demonstrated in a special area at the exhibition.
Highly specialised craftsmen from the exhibiting maisons will demonstrate their skills at benches to give visitors a glimpse of the expertise inside the world of fine watchmaking.
Three watchmakers, each from a renowned brand, are assembling three iconic movements. This job requires considerable dexterity because the components must fit precisely. The watchmaker from IWC Schaffhausen is working on a Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia movement, the maison's most complicated.
Panerai's watchmaker is assembling the latest of the famous Regatta movements, which counts down the last five minutes before a sailing regatta starts - an operation that requires a specific and complex gear train.
A régleur from Roger Dubuis is assembling and adjusting a Roger Dubuis Geneva Seal movement. The régleur is a specialised watchmaker who has been trained in the specific skills of assembling and adjusting a movement. For a watch to have a stable and regular rate, it must be free from constructional defects. Various functions of the watch and external influences affect the isochronism of the regulating organ comprising the balance wheel and spring, hence the need for precise adjustment of these parts.
There are also experts in finishing. From Van Cleef & Arpels comes a master enameller. Enamel is made from coloured transparent glass, which has been crushed into a powder and mixed with a liquid before being vitrified at high temperature.
Its appearance changes after each firing. The main four enamelling techniques are cloisonné, champlevé, paillonné and miniature painting. Piaget is famous for its jewelled watches, and a gemsetter for the maison is on hand. This is work for a patient, meticulous craftsman, setting the gems exactly in place to catch the maximum light. The smallest error can ruin the whole piece.
Not everyone is familiar with the chamferer's art. The chamferer from Vacheron Constantin shows the technique of chamfering, or hand-finishing the components to give them a flawless appearance.
Three-hour workshops entitled "Initiation to Watchmaking" show how these professionals take apart and reassemble a mechanical movement.
