Six extraordinary timepieces transform rare decorative crafts into tiny scenes of the natural world, pushing centuries-old artisanal techniques to microscopic proportions.
Vacheron Constantin has turned its attention to the animal kingdom for its latest Métiers d’Art collection, where creatures from the skies, seas and wild landscapes are brought to life in extraordinary miniature.
Titled ‘Tribute to the Animal Kingdom’, the collection comprises six concept watches, each created in collaboration with a master artisan specialising in a different rare decorative craft. Falcons, manta rays, an octopus, a tiger, a crocodile and an imaginary serpent become the subjects of six intricate dials, each demonstrating just how far traditional craftsmanship can be pushed.
The project forms part of the maison’s ‘One of Not Many’ Crafts Programme, an initiative dedicated to preserving and developing rare horological skills by encouraging artisans to explore new techniques and applications.
Here, the challenge was particularly demanding. Each watch measures 42mm in diameter, while the space between the dial and the protective sapphire crystal is less than 4mm. Crafts that would ordinarily be performed on a much larger scale therefore had to be reimagined for an almost impossibly small canvas.
The collection takes flight with Woodenwings by Anna Le Corno, featuring a falcon soaring through layers of intricate wood marquetry. Crafted from 12 wood species, the falcon is hand-carved and sculpted to capture the intricate texture of its plumage. Three marquetry techniques bring depth and movement to the piece, including a bespoke ‘feather-by-feather’ method for its wing.
Glassoctopus by Simone Crestani depicts a transparent octopus drifting through a nocturnal underwater landscape. Rising just 3.5mm from the dial, the creature was sculpted from tiny glass rods using specially developed tungsten tools. More than a year of development went into perfecting the miniature sculpture.
In Oraygami by Anja Midori, miniature manta rays appear to float across a deep-blue dial. Measuring just 5-10mm, each ray was folded from hand-coloured Japanese paper using only fingers, fingernails and a toothpick. Some early pieces took up to six hours to complete.
Tigerbroidery by Laura Baverstock brings a tiger to life through gold and silk embroidery. Gold wires measuring less than 1mm form the animal, while 10 shades of silk create depth in its eyes. The intricate dial took approximately 210 hours to complete.
Papercroc by Marianne Guély transforms cotton paper into an all-white crocodile moving through a snowy landscape. Embossing, laser cutting and hand assembly create its sculptural depth, with bespoke tools used to reproduce the creature’s scales and surrounding foliage.
Feathersnake by Julien Vermeulen imagines a serpent coiling through a fantastical landscape, its form rising just 3mm above the dial. More than 200 tiny feather pieces, sourced from seven Lophophore feathers, were assembled over approximately 250 hours to create its dimensional form.