With the Sunny Side of Life High Jewellery and Fine Watchmaking collection, Piaget is writing a new chapter in the philosophy of the Maison, whose cornerstone is radiance. A chapter highlighting a unique glow, contagious joy and creative vivacity inspired by a sunny disposition.
There could be no more appropriate way of describing a technique especially cherished by Piaget, based on a tradition cultivated since the 17th century by the artisans of Geneva. Four Haute Horlogerie models (G0A41236, G0A41237, G0A41235 et G0A41238) in the Sunny Side of Life collection feature gold dials adorned using this process, which lends a colourful touch to the precious metal and creates fascinating visual effects.
The gold is first hand-guilloché using “basketweave” motifs of which the depth effects are accentuated by a coating of translucent enamel. The coloured powder is then meticulously applied to the dial thus prepared. An initial firing at 800°C progressively intensifies the pigments, followed by successive firing and cooling phases required to achieve a shiny glazed effect featuring the transparency of the most refined enamels. The dial is then carefully lapped and then fired one last time. The final “glazing” fire reveals the full beauty of the guilloché motif.
Grand Feu enamelling involves a delicate alchemy. The enamellers’ skill consists in estimating the precise quantity of enamel powder used. They must also successfully estimate the appropriate intensity and firing time needed to achieve the desired colour which thus becomes stable and fade-resistant. A few seconds too long, and the enamel could crack. It is all a matter of degrees and seconds, testifying to a skill fully mastered over time.
