COVETABLE

The white gold ref. 5531G World Time Minute Repeater with a new cloisonné enamel decoration depicting a steamboat cruising on Lake Geneva is a demonstration of Patek Philippe's new Golden Age 

- JONATHAN HO 

ENAMELLING, a centuries-old artistic technique, has undeniably enriched the art world with its breathtaking beauty and the mesmerising fusion of colours and textures. Imagine a world where artists transform simple metal surfaces into vibrant canvases, melding molten glass with metal to create masterpieces that capture the essence of both fire and earth. Enamelling is a true testament to the marriage of craftsmanship and creativity, where mastering the paints involved is undeniably more art than science.

Over time, this delicate skill has become an endangered one – but not at Patek Philippe. As heir to the grand Geneva tradition, the beloved manufacture is dedicated to not just preserving but also nurturing all the Rare Handcrafts used to create breathtakingly lovely pieces (taking anything from several hours to several weeks – or even several months for miniature painting). What better way could there be to safeguard these ancestral skills for the future than by practising them regularly?

When one delves into the world of enamelling, they step into a realm where metal transcends its rigid form, becoming a fluid conduit for artistic expression. Though it’s not certain, the origins of the art point to Mycenaean metalwork of the 13th to 11th centuries BC when six gold rings excavated from a Mycenaean tomb of the 13th century BC in Cyprus, were found decorated with a cloisonné technique that proposed an intermediary stage between inlay and true enamelling.