Gold carvings are derived from traditional carvings, while carvings originate from the beginning of human civilization. In ancient times, carving was a way of recording, preserving human wisdom and civilization at the time. In the Renaissance, carving became a unique form of art and flourished. In the art hall, there has never been such a three-dimensional, complete and layered expression of a thing, even if the painting tries to be three-dimensional and abstract because of the appearance of perspective.

Hand-carved pocket watch

      With the engraving of different categories, there have been many styles. Hand-made micro-carving is one of the complicated engraving methods, and the engraving of mechanical clocks is, to a large extent, the use of hand-made micro-carving. There is no strict affiliation between micro-carving and golden eagle, but two classification methods. The intersection of these two classifications is the golden carving technique in the watch we are going to say today.

Golden carving in the clock system

      The gold carving is very rich in the use of watches and clocks, not only can be carved on the surface of the clock, but also can be carved on the movement of the clock. In most cases, what we see is the engraving of the surface of the watch. This kind of engraving also has some distinctions, such as directly engraving on the exterior parts of the watch (including the dial), and also engraving on the metal plate first, then use it after engraving. The inlay process embeds the finished gold sculpture into the watch.

      For example, the new generation of "King of the King" 5175, which was launched at the 175th anniversary of Patek Philippe, is directly engraved by Patek Philippe Gold Carving Craftsman. In recent years, the very lively zodiac watch, some of which are carved, are first carved and then attached to the dial. These two kinds of things are not so good or bad, just made according to different designs, in order to achieve different artistic effects.

      In today's extremely rich watch engraving system, we often see a lot of very interesting and profound words, such as shell carving, relief, carving, carving, etc. Each one has its own unique charm, and the beauty of its display is irreplaceable. However, the difference is that with modern electronic equipment, a considerable part of the engraving process can be completed by mechanical equipment. Laser engraving is one of them, mainly used to engrave the marking information such as numbers and characters. The artistry of the watch still needs to be carved by hand, which is also an important value of the art watch.

      Traditionally, the steps to make a gold sculpture on a watch are not complicated. The first step is to draw a sketch, determine the pattern to be engraved, and then pattern the outline on the part, then use a tool such as a carving knife or a file, and then use other tools. Retouching. So why are there so few good golden sculptures, so hard? The reason is that people, not everyone can easily master this craft, this is not a clever problem, but a spirit, perseverance and patience.

The shape and the god of the golden eagle

      Compared to the gold sculpture on the outer structure of the watch, it is obviously more cautious to move the knife on the core of the watch, the movement. No matter how important and strong the artistry of this watch is, it is first a watch that can accurately display time, and then it is the carrier of art culture, otherwise it is necessary to carefully engrave on the watch. Although the gold carving process is so mature today, engraving can become a difficult thing in the face of the already formed movement splint. This is very similar to the jade jade. First of all, we must observe and consider the characteristics of the material itself, and fully follow the structure of the material itself before conceiving and carving.

      In the field of fine watchmaking, Blancpain is the leader of art watchmaking. Blancpain's five extraordinary crafts (golden carvings, enamel, Damascus gold, gem setting, red copper) have greatly expanded the mechanical watchmaking in the art space. On the horizon. To this end, Blancpain created its own art workshop, where the masters of art do not specialize in mechanical watchmaking, but instead integrate the world's pure and glamorous craftsmanship to create the legend of Blancpain. At the watchmaking farm in Le Brassus, Blancpain's Golden Eagle team brings infinite vitality to the brand. In 2011, Ms. Mary, who won the “French Craftsmanship Award”, has superb sculptural skills and will be extremely subtle natural scenery and grand. The natural scene is concentrated in a watch like a Blancpain.

5 cities 5 styles

       In 2011, Blancpain launched the Villeret gold-carved private custom-made watch in Basel. On the surface, it is no different from other Villeret watches in the brand. It has a very simple two-needle design and a refined panel. It doesn't reveal its mystery. However, when you turn over the watch, the Calibre 15B movement, made by the Blancpain Golden Eagle team, will surprise you. Through meticulous carving, Blancpain has fully restored the urban landscape of Switzerland, France, Japan, China and Hong Kong.

      Compared to other forms of engraving, the engraving used in this movement is obviously more complicated. First of all, the styles of the cities are completely different. Then, in the composition, the original structure of the movement splint needs to be modified and finalized. This is just the beginning. When entering the golden carving process, we must use the different carving tools of the Golden Carving Craftsman to engrave, chisel and modify the detail pattern. At the same time, we must grasp the size problem of the splint and only present it as much as possible in a very small thickness. Stereo effect.

Blancpain

      In addition to this complete set of gold-carved watches, there are many masterpieces of Blancpain's golden carvings. The Ganesha watch, which has won the GPHG “Priority Craft Watch” award, is even more exciting.

Jacques de Roy engraving time

      From the very beginning, Jacques de Rodriguez's artistic nature has followed. The connection with the royal family not only brings rich wealth to Jacques de Roc, but also lays the foundation for Jacques Dero to create miracles in the palace of art and culture. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the integration of watchmaking and world art became the basic requirement of the royal masterpieces. Throughout the major museums, the royal clocks of the time were never pure mechanical objects. They must be exquisite and even extravagant. Decoration and art processing. Many of Jacques de's masterpieces are on display.

Jacques de Roque bird golden vulture

      Today, Jacques de Rodriguez's artistic accomplishment is once again appreciated by the world in the craft of the golden eagle. On the small dial, the golden engraver of the Jacques de la Artisan is always able to express the natural things. Jacques de Roque's Golden Birds and Timepieces are the outstanding achievements of Jacques de Roque's Golden Carvings. In the early works of the Jacques de Roy brand, the tits from the Jura district of Jacques de Rodriguez, Because of its ethereal sound, Jacques de Roy himself showed his works through exquisite craftsmanship. Since then, the bird has become an important part of Jacques de Rodriguez's art and culture. The theme of Jacques de Rodriguez's immortal masterpiece "The Bird of Time" also comes from birds.

Jacques de Roque, the golden bird, the small needle plate – the four seasons watch

      Incorporating the traditional craftsmanship of Jacques de Roque, the PetiteHeure Minute Relief Seasons watch is on the white mother-of-pearl dial, in a completely three-dimensional form, vividly showing the nature of the birds. Rhyme. The mother-of-pearl dial, hand-carved by the craft master, paves the natural scene of the Swiss Jura Valley, from far to far. In different seasons, the emotions between the two birds are depicted in different colors. At the same time, the birds' fully open wings are more vital under the subtle carvings of the golden eagle.

      In order to express the theme of this theme, Jacques de Rocce first carved a complete bird shape with traditional gold carving techniques, and then placed on the dial to form a strong and distinct three-dimensional sense. Depending on the theme, the bird's surface and background are specially treated to show the different rhythms of the seasons.

Extremely luxurious, unparalleled beauty of carving

      Carving is a complicated way of gold carving, and its complexity can make people pay tribute. Carved flowers can be used for movements, or can be made on the case or dial. The main carvings are more regular textures, such as dragon scales and flowers. The reason for the complexity is that it requires more details of the engraving and requires a very fine detail. It is also because of its complexity, after careful carving, it will show the beauty of luxury.

Vacheron Constantin hand-carved tourbillon movement

      Vacheron Constantin, the ancient watch manufacturer that has never been produced continuously for 260 years, has a rich historical and cultural heritage. For this reason, after the superb artistic performance of Vacheron Constantin, its charm has attracted countless art lovers. In Vacheron Constantin, the masters of art have become a series of their own, each of which has its own set of different styles. The distinctive foreign culture is quietly integrated, and one of the most important forms of expression is carved. To celebrate the 260th anniversary of Vacheron Constantin, in 2015 Vacheron Constantin launched a movement-carved master tourbillon watch, the main part of the movement splint, carved with arabesque, curly leaves, clear meridians.

Lange balance splint engraving process

      Although there are many brands that can ask independent engravers to make a few carved watches, and some brands have the strength to make their own, but so far, I know only a few brands, the carving process, as a tradition , continue to inherit, and the benchmark brand is Lange. From the revival of Lange to today, the balance wheel carved splint has become part of the brand's unique craftsmanship. Whenever you talk about Lange, or appreciate the Lange movement, this is a must-have detail, because these carvings are all made by Lange. Craftsmen hand-carved and each one is different. It is these graceful patterns that bring the romantic atmosphere of the Lange watch to the intoxicating.

Summary: Only after the blessing of art, mechanical timepieces can be placed on the higher halls of luxury goods. This law has never changed since the beginning. Art is not practical, so its value is difficult to measure, so when we sigh the high price of art watches, we should appreciate its intrinsic value, do not let the price, and control your right to appreciate art. (Watch House Wu Yibing)