Ballon Bleu de Cartier Enamel granulation with panther motif

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Ballon Bleu de Cartier Enamel granulation with panther motif - Cartier
1 minute read
Cartier introduces a new artistic craft to its watch collection: enamel granulation.

The enamel granulation combines the arts of enamelling and Etruscan granulation, a goldsmith’s technique dating back to the first half of the third millennium B.C.
Cartiers's master enamellers have drawn inspiration from the principles of granulation, which consist of creating minuscule beads of gold and then mounting them on a plaque. Following the same process, the enamel was first worked in pieces or in powder form, then stretched out into delicate threads which are chiselled off into fine flakes and heated by blowpipe, until they are also formed into beads one by one.
They are then assembled together in accordance with the motif concerned.
This technique is all the more delicate to carry out because the craftsman needs to take into account the details of the fusion temperature for each colour of enamel used. A very large number of firings are therefore required, sometimes involving over thirty operations, and with a clearly-defined order for placing the beads and enamelling.

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The Ballon Bleu de Cartier Enamel granulation with panther motif watch - which required nearly a month of work to complete - features a panther’s head that is strikingly lifelike in appearance and expression. The 42mm 18-carat yellow gold case is set with 124 brilliant-cut diamonds while the fluted crown  is adorned with a sapphire cabochon.
The automatic winding movement, calibre 049, powers the sword-shaped hour and minute hands.
The watch, a limited series of 30 individually numbered pieces, is fitted with a dark blue alligator strap, secured by a double adjustable folding buckle, set with 43 brilliant-cut diamonds.

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