iW Magazine Fall 2019 | Page 54

Ladies BY GARY GIRDVAINIS WRIST KANDY ASED ON HIS EXISTING KANDY MODELS, Alexander Shorokhoff has designed two beautiful variations with hand-painted dials called Kandy Bouquet and Kandy Daffodils. These elaborately hand-painted and hand- enameled mother-of-pearl dials are a first for the brand already well known for playing with color and shape on so many of its offerings. Each hand-painted dial takes an average of forty hours of intense focus, with the artist working through a microscope as she brings the miniature mural to life on the dial-cum-canvas. Working with ten to twenty brushes made from the hair of a marten, the artist carefully applies the chosen color pallet over the mother-of-pearl substrate. The small piece of art has to pass through the kiln several times to dry each layer of the paint. When the artwork is complete, the dial is heated in a kiln for five full hours to prepare it for the final step of adding a transparent lacquer, after which it is brought to the kiln for a final 24-hour baking. Both models are limited to thirteen pieces per dial type. Being hand-made, each dial is somewhat unique. Under the fine art and surrounded by stainless steel lies a hand-engraved Swiss automatic ETA Caliber 2892-A2. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a watch with more inherent value for the $5,400 retail price. See Shorokhoff watches in person at our Leading Watch Retailer partners: Grenon’s of Newport, Newport, RI Little Treasury Jewelers, Gambrills, MD B 54 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | FALL 2019