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PATEK PHILIPPE DISPLAYS RARE HANDCRAFTS
ATEK PHILIPPE DISPLAYED FIFTY OF ITS RARE HANDCRAFTS
PIECES at the Patek Philippe Salon in Geneva in April. Inside the
Geneva boutique the watchmaker exhibited one-of-a-kind dome
table clocks, pocket watches and wristwatches with dials and
cases that spotlight a broad selection of decorative handcrafts. These pieces
display work of fine enameling (including cloisonné, paillonné, grisaille and
relief), miniature painting, guilloche work, wood marquetry and gem setting.
The exhibit was one of the few opportunities for the public to see these
unique handcrafted items. Each year the Geneva watchmaker creates about
fifty of the artisanal timepieces, all of which are typically sold almost imme-
diately. While visitors to the Patek Philippe stand at Baselworld see the
collection, the individual items are rarely displayed elsewhere, save for the
occasional special event (such as last summer’s monumental Grand Exhibi-
tion in New York) or during a special display at a retailer partner.
Visitors saw many of the fifty-four 2018 Rare Handcrafts debuts, plus
several newer pieces. For the 2018 Rare Handcrafts lineup, Patek Philippe
commissioned several particularly rare enamel arts such as enamel reliefs
(also referred to as Fauré enamel) and stunning Longwy enamels on
ceramics, each on display at the exhibit. Also shown were pieces from Patek
Philippe’s 2018 wristwatch collection, including the limited edition Golden
Ellipse (left) commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Ellipse, and the
new Ref. 5531 World Time Minute Repeater. You may recall that the latter
piece focuses the eye to the center of its dial, which is adorned with a cloi-
sonné enamel depiction of the Lavaux wine-growing region overlooking the
shores of Lake Geneva. We’ll show you more of these unique artisanal time-
pieces in the next issue of International Watch .
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16 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2018
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