Founded in 1874, Piaget encourages the practice and perpetuation of artistic disciplines (enamelling, engraving, marquetry and other decorative arts) to enhance some of its most exceptional watch and jewellery creations.

In its latest collection, Solstice by Piaget, the luxurious Joyful Sharing watch (36 mm in diameter) is one of them. Made of 18-carat white gold and set with 540 diamonds, it stands out for its complex dial evoking the content of a cocktail glass. Slices of lime and leaves of mint have been engraved using glyptics (the art of engraving fine stones) on a bed of mother-of-pearl, while ice-cubes have been created from a palette of translucent enamels.

Meticulous artistry accomplished by two long-established partners: the famous Swiss master-enameller Anita Porchet and Dutch master-engraver Dick Steenman. High-flying expertise in craftsmanship and watchmaking, worthy of a real work of art.

To complete its trilogy of watches paying homage to the famous Japanese artist Hokusai, known worldwide for The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveils this amazing reproduction of the woodblock print The Amida Falls in the Province of Kiso (1833-1834) on the case-back of its iconic Reverso.

To faithfully reproduce each detail of the work on a surface of only 3 square centimetres, three types of artistic craftsmanship have been brought into play: guillochage, miniature painting and Grand Feu enamelling – distinguished from classic enamelling by firings at very high temperatures.

To create the illusion of the woodblock printing technique, Jaeger-LeCoultre's enamellers also developed a special technique reproducing the characteristic bokashi effect, subtly revealing the nuances of graduated colours. A process comprised of many stages, representing 70 hours of work and including over a dozen separate firings.  

Chopard celebrates its love of life in three exceptional watches honouring three species of animals threatened by extinction. Made of ethical 18-carat white gold, the Polar Bear edition gives precedence to marquetry, generally consisting of the superposition of elements made of different materials.

In fact, its mineral dial crafted in blue and green opal, representing the ice floe on which the polar bear lives, offers several dimensions. One of them, made of textured mother-of-pearl and triangle-cut diamonds, portrays the ice forming its natural habitat, both graphically and in relief.

Mobile and entirely set with diamonds, cabochon-cut onyx and sapphires, the key player stands out, holding in its paws a sublime pear-shaped diamond. To further enliven this poetic environment, Chopard developed a liquid of perfect viscosity giving the dancing diamonds an entirely new tempo. Quiet simply magical.