A succession of meticulous operations

Engraver, guillocheur, enameller and gem-setter: four artisans have in turn devoted their endeavours to this dial. Achieving such a spectacular result called for a certain vision as well as intense imagination. A flurry of furthers, a daintily curved neck, a shining beak, a gleaming eye, shimmering wavelets, a pristine blue sky: each detail is so accurate that one can almost feel the soft breeze and hear the gentle lapping of the water. Two months of work have been lavished on crafting the dials. There is always a major element of the imponderable in this type of creation, which requires each of those involved to give their very best in striving towards an inevitably unpredictable outcome.

The composition begins with delicate hand engraving on an 18-carat white gold plate. Volumes, recessed and raised areas, texture and light effects: each millimetre is the object of a deliberate creative approach. To attain such a superlative degree of refinement, the engraver has developed his own tools, all the while imagining distinctive and appropriate techniques designed to guarantee the eagerly anticipated result. After drawing the outlines of the bird, the artisan fashions the feathers one by one. The sharp graving tool incises the material, forming a herringbone pattern on the men’s model and a more curved motif on the ladies’ version. The engraver’s dexterity gives each feather a distinctive satin-brushed and polished finish.

The swan spreads its wings above a stretch of water depicting a gentle ripple motif. Above it, a gentle ‘visual breeze’ ruffles the dial through the work of the guillocheur. The artisan has traced narrow geometrical grooves on the already-decorated dial, meaning he had to carefully adjust his rose- engine lathe so as not to damage the tiny gold filaments. Even though certain guilloché areas are extremely narrow, his graving tool has always found its way into microscopic nooks and crannies without straying out of the appointed zone. These are extremely accurate and skilled moves of the kind only an experienced hand can perform.

The guilloché motifs are coated with a translucent Grand Feu enamel, sky blue for the ladies’ version and night blue for the men’s model. As always, this famous enamelling technique remains the exclusive preserve of a very few artisans who are authentic alchemists. Hand applying the coloured enamels, melting and fusing them at a temperature of between 800° and 900°C, followed by vitrification (also known as glazing) to create a translucent brilliance: each of these production stages necessarily involves unexpected factors. Here too, the result is never secure until the final phase, and no flaws can be tolerated, since they would mean starting the entire creation over from scratch. Finally, a “Limoges white” enamelling is applied to the upper part of the engraved feathers so as to accentuate their luminosity.

Last comes an equally delicate phase: gem-setting. 76 baguette-cut diamonds adorning the bezel and lugs frame this naturalist scene. The gently rounded curves of the swan’s body are paved with snow- set round-cut diamonds. This extremely special technique gives considerable expressive freedom, enabling the artisan to create distinctive effects by playing in an apparently random manner with the varyingly sized precious stones. Finally, the base of the swan’s wings is diamond-paved, with each feather delineated by a fine gold line. This fascinating light-based craftsmanship endows the bird with an inimitable aura of natural majesty.