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Chanel also started adding stitched thread to its dials in 2013.
New designs of watches are exploring the decorative potential of embroidered watch dials. They are inspired by extravagant lacework that have become the hallmarks of handcrafted limited-edition trimmings writes FUNKE OSAE-BROWN.
Omolola loves to stand out of the crowd hence she always go for unique timepieces. For her, the kind of watch that adorns her wrist impact great on how she is perceived by business associates. And so, the last time she visited Harrods in London, she shopped for rare timepieces with embroidered bracelets.
“I love to be a show stopper in a subtle way,” she tells me. “Hence I go for unique wristwatches that make a difference to my appearance. I don’t want to appear too loud when I go for business meetings hence I prefer watches with embroidered bracelets. They are conservative yet exceptional.”
From dials in bloom to faces with swelling waves of colour, the originality and craftsmanship of watch enamellers and painters are usually astonishing to view. For centuries, paint, enamel and jewelled embellishment are traditional horological enhancements. However, a single decorative element that has not appeared on the dial until recent times, is the embroidery.
Just two years ago, foremost watchmaker, Piaget changed the aesthetic possibilities of embroidery by signing up award winning and well skilled French embroiderer, Sylvie Deschamps.
Piaget’s Altiplano watch comes in limited editions of just two designs. The very precious watch is meticulously handcrafted personally by Deschamps who used painting embroidery technique that involved the use of many tiny stitches on a silk canvas. It took her about 40 hours to complete.
Other interesting bespoke piece is the Hublot’s embroidered watch that pays homage to the renowned needlework of Swiss grandmothers.
The Altiplano’s intricate version comes in limited edition of three, all sold out at N8, 622, 696.89 (£28,500) each.
The watch comes with an emblem by the brand, the rose. Coming in various attractive shades of pink, each petal is designed with contours highlighted with silver filet thread that give grander depth. The rose blooms placed over seven-eighths of the black dial, are encircled with small diamonds.
“For every piece that I create I want to bring something new to it,” Deschamps told www. horologium.com.au, in an interview, “but using existing techniques. So with Piaget, new for watches, new for dials, but the technique is already known. The technique depends on the pattern of course. Piaget can come up with an idea and I will advise as to whether it will work.”
According to a report by FT’s How To Spend It, the other, less flamboyant design features a small decorative laurel branch lying on one side of the dial. This time Deschamps uses a different technique, first drawing the motif on a tracing sheet, then piercing it to outline the contours of the branch, followed by sprinkling powder to make the design appear on the silk – only then does the embroidery work begin. The version with a white face, gold thread and encirclement of diamonds is N7, 169, 416.14 (£23,700), while the one with a black face and silver thread is N7, 412, 347.62 (£24,500) 18 pieces were made of each, both still available. So charmed is Piaget by the results that more new watches with embroidered dials are planned.
Deschamps said further in the online interview that she never thought that one day her embroidery would be on a watch. Ironically, she doesn’t normally wear a watch yet she worked on the Piaget pieces using pointilism because she takes a lot of inspiration from art. “I wanted to test that approach. The challenge was to have a final result that was visually appealing. Technically what is difficult is to be able to get small knots that are regular and as perfectly similar one to another as possible. When Piaget starts working on a project they first come up with an idea.
“The first piece in any collaboration is a bit more challenging, but after some time both sides get more experience working with each other and about how to achieve something together. The design comes from Piaget and I bring my input and expertise into the idea. I saw some Piaget roses made of cloisonné, liked them, thought it might be interesting to have a silvered/ gold outline and then saw how this could translate to embroidery. Some technical points turned out to be impossible, so we made had to make changes, she said further in the interview with horologium.com.au.
Piaget’s Altiplano watch comes in limited editions of just two designs.
Other interesting bespoke piece is the Hublot’s embroidered watch that pays homage to the renowned needlework of Swiss grandmothers. Hublot took the iconic Big Bang sports watch while Bischoff, a Swiss lingerie and lace maker, came up with exquisite pieces. While working with Bischoff, Hublot created a skull pattern, which he modified and embellished on tulle, before it was layered and encased in carbon fibre to become part of the dial and bezel.
The watch comes in three versions. The first is inspired by a black thread and black diamonds N4, 294, 526.28 (£14,200), silver thread and white diamonds N4, 053, 154.17 (£13,400) and gold thread and white diamonds N8, 135, 378.66 (£26,900). Launched in January 2015, each comes in limited edition of 200. These exquisite pieces will be nice gifts to give this Christmas or you can just acquire one as a special gift for yourself this season.
In addition to Piaget and Hublot, Chanel also started adding stitched thread to its dials in 2013, with its most iconic motif, the camellia using the skills of renowned embroidery house Maison Lesage. Chanel used coloured silk threads to make a flower that appears to blossom from the centre of the dial of the Mademoiselle Privé Lesage watch which was sold at N16, 029, 919.85 (£53,000) in a limited edition of 18, from which one is still accessible). Later, Chanel introduced came another two charming made to order designs (prices from N7, 185, 131.97 (£23,750)) with diverse distinctions on the camellia theme using silk thread covered with gold, and yellow and white 18ct gold sequins.
An expert in watches in Nigeria says other luxury brands are introducing embroidery into watchmaking to introduce a new form artistry.
“This is to make watches more exclusive and desirable to collectors, art, horology and watchmaking generally. All of them work hand in hand. Usually piece like these may take a year or more to develop,” he says.
Even as the bug of embroidered watches is catching lovers of exclusive timepieces, the taste of consumers of luxury watches is yet to move in that direction in Nigeria he adds further. “Embroidered watches are catching up gradually in Nigeria” he observes. “Consumers of luxury timepieces in Nigeria are not yet adventurous in that regard.” Why not give yourself a great treat this Christmas with a special embroidered watch?