With the fourth annual WatchTime New York event at Gotham Hall fast approaching (October 26-27, tickets available here), Ateliers deMonaco will be showcasing their new Jet d’eau de Genève limited editions as part of their luxury Poinçon de Genève collection. The two watches, limited to 18 examples each, are hand-decorated, time-only pieces commissioned to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the haute horlogerie brand.
Available in either an 18k white or rose gold case, the 40-mm watch uses a ridged and signed crown and multi-layered sapphire crystals to protect the dial and exhibition caseback. Each of the pieces come with a hand-stitched alligator leather strap with a matching 18k gold pin buckle.
On the dial, where the artistry of the watch really shines, is a multi-layered enamel dial depicting Geneva’s Jet d’Eau, or the famous water jet, which has become one of the Swiss city’s most iconic symbols. In creating the dial, the brand has used three different enamel layering techniques including cloisonné, which connects the white gold base plate to the first layer via creating small compartments in the gold and then filling them with the enamel. Next, a champlevé technique is used where small holes are bored in the first layer of enamel to add additional layers and colors, and finally, grand feu to finish the dial and give it different color gradients. The grand-feu technique is the same used on many vintage watches— and some modern pieces like those produced by the American and fellow WatchTime New York attending brand RGM— though due to its difficulty of production is frequently eschewed for more modern techniques like lacquering. In total, each of these dials requires at least fifty hours of expert labor to produce, and due to the complexity of production, each timepiece is unique in their various blue, green, and white enameling.
Passing over the dial are two dauphine hands for hours and minutes, with a simple seconds pointer to accompany them. Then inside the watch is the manually-wound dMc-708 caliber capable of a 38-hour power reserve, which is hand decorated with circular graining, mirror polishing, and Geneva stripes — all visible through the sapphire exhibition caseback. Each of the watches features the Geneva seal, frequently known as the “Geneva Hallmark,” which is a quality seal awarded by the independent Geneva Laboratory of Horology and Micro-Engineering as a seal of quality for Geneva-produced movements. Each of the two Jet d’Eau de Genève models will be limited to 18 pieces at 66,500 CHF or approximately $67,100 USD.
Since its founding in 2008 by the watchmaker (and now CEO) Pim Koeslag and the CEO of Frederique Constant Peter Stas, the brand has been known as an expert in complicated tourbillon movements. Since its Citizen Watch Co acquisition in 2016, with Koeslag now at the helm, the brand has been delving into even more art-focused ventures, notably with last year’s Tourbillon Casino de Monte-Carlo, and now marked by these two newest models.
Interested in trying on the Ateliers deMonaco Jet d’eau de Genève limited editions? You can go hands-on with it and hundreds of other timepieces from the other 30 brands at WatchTime New York 2018. Tickets are going fast; order yours now!