Ulysse Nardin has unveiled an 88-piece limited edition to mark the Year of the Tiger.
In doing so, it has deployed the two centuries-old method of champlevé and paillonné enamelling to bring the artist’s sketch to life.
CHAMPLEVÉ ENAMELING
Ulysse Nardin describe the process as “a decorative technique forgotten and mastered only by a handful of craftsmen; enamel is only used on exceptional watches.”
The champlevé technique involves carving directly onto the dial, creating individual “cells” that are then filled with enamel. The colors come from a careful blending of different metallic oxides while the dial is fired until the enamel melts before being smoothed and polished.
The final step – which is also the most delicate – involves enriching the motif by chiseling metal elements onto the surface.
PAILLONNÉ ENAMELING
What sets this Classio Tiger watch apart is the art of “paillonné enameling”, an age-old decorative technique.
Motifs cut from a thin gold or silver leaf, the paillons (or strips), are placed by hand one by one at the right place. Once the design is done, the figures are also covered with another layer of enamel and fired in the same oven. This translucent coat will protect the paillonné motif for centuries to come, as if freezing it in place for all eternity. Here, the moon is made with silver strips and the stars are made of 3 distinctive gold strips. The tridimensional effect on the watch is breathtaking.
Powered by the UN-815 movement the 40 mm Classico “Tiger” has a self-winding movement with 42 hours power reserve, a black alligator strap with a rose-gold buckle and an open sapphire case-back.
Water-resistant to 50m, the rose-gold polished case sets off the gold Tiger motif to perfection.