The Timeless Handcrafted Timepieces that defied the marks of Time

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The oldest among handcrafted timepieces is considered to be the one that was bought by Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov, the eighteenth century Czar of Vayatka. The locally made pocket watch became an object of craving for the Czar because of its unique wooden work. The watch, carved out completely of wood only had its springs and pivots as metallic ingredients. It was in 1837 when the self-made wooden horologist, Semyon Ivanovitch Bronnikov, sold the masterpiece at twice the price of a golden watch in the time. Passed on to generations from generations, the Bronnikovs carved out more than 500 wooden watch transforming the art as a Vyatka tradition. Some of these epoch old watches are still preserved in the State Museum of St. Petersburg. These persevered masterpieces inspired Valerii Danavych, who started crafting miniature wooden timepieces centuries after the Bronnikovs. He took the craft to the next level manufacturing even wooden pivots and pinions. Embellished with traditional crafts, these watches even had bamboo and ironwood within the framework. In modern times, manufacturing wooden watches is recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO. The art is now being continued by the Haute Horlogerie, nurturing and reviving the art till date. This delicate heritage is undergoing a renaissance under the hands of modern connoisseurs with the moniker of “métier de’ art.” Patek Philippe, the venture famous for fine watchmaking, has been nurturing generations of craftsmen. Watches produced by the company are outcomes of years of commitment to exquisite workmanship. Embellishing precious metals to handcrafted watches need high artistic talent. The new Grandmaster Chime is among the most respected creation by the company. The watch is ornamented with rose gold.

Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175 Grande Sonnerie 4 The Artistic trade of enameling is enlivened by patrons like Vacheron Constantin that has been the bread earner for many craftsmen. Watches by the brand are recognized for their enamel dials that features miniature paintings. Their collection is inspired by a mediaeval technology known as Manuscript Illumination. These dials are crafted using the ancient technique of champlevé. The craft requires delicate artworks of fussing gold on enamel. It needs generations of expertise to engrave the designs featured in the dial. Handcrafted watches has been a dear collectible for centuries. Handcrafted watches are being produced throughout time and spaces by a handful of patrons. Companies like Hermes and Mademoiselle Privé have been producing inspiring collections ingrained with traditional art forms from different part of the world. The eighteenth century Roman art form known as Micromosiac is also being used in designer watchmaking. In this art form, colored glass pieces are decorated in the dial as patterns or images. Luxury watchmaking has developed as an art intense industry since the early eighteenth century. The craft is alive still and is catering to creation of some of the finest masterpieces in the world of watches. Apart from adding a unique festoon to collector’s wrist, these watches has been a livelihood of the handful of expert traditional artists walking on earth.

Also Read : Two basic types of Pocket Watches you should know about