In addition to the mirror art of the table, the cultural accumulation of painting makes us less interested in the gold carved case, for example, our favorite is the enamel painting, the enamel miniature painting, some of which are painted with European style themes, and the nobles feel fresh.

There is also an enamel pocket watch in the Patek Philippe Museum of Qing Dynasty officials wearing official uniforms, which I forgot to photograph. The only important timepiece in the history of horology is depicted with European royalty? Not.

The miniature enamel is extremely fine, and even some of the more inexpensive pocket watches with silver cases have enamel. The pursuit of art and painting is incomparable, and this is due to the cultural heritage.

In addition, the Qing Dynasty people had a general preference for colored gemstones, and pearls were super loved. So the case is set with pearls all around. Looking at it again today, the pearl is white and warm, matched with the miniature enamel, luxurious but not eye-catching, much less advanced than inlaying a circle of square diamonds.

The enamel process is quite mysterious. Perhaps it's because it's so old, or maybe it's one of the most treasured secrets of watch craftsmanship. The life of the enamel process begins in the "melting pot", which may also add a bit of mystery to it. Next, we have to mash the enamel pieces. Finally, it will take shape in a purgatory-like furnace.

Dominique Baron, master enameller from L'Atelier's enamel workshop, is one of those who have such magic. Blonde-haired, young and charming, she greeted us with a smile and was happy to "cast her magic" for us. Before she became independent and founded the L'Atelier enamel workshop (with the support of the Richemont Group), she was self-taught and perfected her skills by working and studying in some of the most prestigious manufactories.

The Atelier employs 10 people and works for brands that pursue artistic alchemy (not exclusively for Richemont). Madame Baron was kind enough to show us the steps taken to make an enamel dial, the whole process is both magical and mysterious, a perfect combination of art, chemistry and magic.

Enamel is a kind of glass used on metal bodies, commonly known as glaze by Chinese. Use ceramic or glass as a support and heat it until the two become one. It is a mixture of silica and a sandy material that, according to ancient recipes, also contains a variety of other substances such as soda, potassium carbonate and borax.

The most basic tool for making enamel is a clay "melting pot", made by hand and dried at a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius for seven months. Once it is ready, it is placed in a kiln and slowly heated, then maintained at a high temperature of 1400 degrees Celsius (2552 degrees Fahrenheit) for 8 days of continuous firing.

The raw material of the enamel is heated in this "melting pot" until it becomes a colorless, transparent liquid like crystal. At this point, various metal oxides can be added to it to produce a variety of different colors: copper is green and sapphire green, cobalt is blue, magnesium is brown, platinum is gray, mixed copper oxide, cobalt and magnesium are black, and boron stannate is white.

Before it melts, it needs to be fired in the kiln for an average of 14 hours. The "melt" can then be scooped out with a ladle and placed on a cast iron table (for clear glazes) or into a cast iron mold (for opaque glazes) and cooled.

Once cooled, you get a hard sheet like glass, which you need to crush and grind into a primary. In general, enamellers purchase glaze powders of different colors. Of course, glaze flakes can also be bought, and even crystalline glazes the size of bath salts. However, the purity of the above various forms of glaze is still far from being applied to the dial.

Nowadays, one of the biggest problems for enamellers is the quality of the glaze. It's not that the supplier is doing the bad, it's just that 99% of the production is for industrial purposes, such as road signs, casseroles, bathtubs, which cannot be used in the enamel dial process. In addition to this, many colored glazes, such as black and some reds, generally contain heavy metals lead and arsenic. Therefore, for safety reasons, these formulas have been modified, which has greatly reduced the quality of many of today's enamels.

"We had to find another way to solve this problem – new technology – to solve this problem," explains Dominique Baron, "and we were already lucky because we had a large stock of glazes in over 250 colours. ”

The enameller has to continue his work, and the next step is a cleaning process, but the whole process requires great care. First, the glaze was crushed in the agate pestle mortar (the agate pestle mortar was chosen, firstly, because its hardness was higher than that of enamel; Second, it is an extremely rare material that does not mix its own particles into the enamel). Then, carefully wash with distilled water, pernitric acid, and again until impurities are completely removed. Nitric acid not only dissolves the non-assimilated metal particles in the mixture, but also disposes of the organic matter and hardens the enamel. Finally, the enamel is kept in a small jar and protected with three layers of distilled water, and now is the time when the enamel can really be applied to the dial.

There are two ways to classify the varieties of glaze available: by their appearance when heated or by their melting point.

The opalescent glaze completely covers the underlying metal dial. For example, it is often used to cover an all-white dial. Translucent or transparent glaze, like stained glass, makes the metal chassis underneath visible. The milky glaze is due to the fact that between the milky glaze and the translucent glaze, it can produce a cat's eye effect. In addition, there are transparent glazes and colored glazes.

Transparent glaze, also known as "gummies" (has nothing to do with what we often call chocolate desserts, but just wants to emphasize the flexibility of this glaze. ), as a protective layer on top of the dial, or before applying other glazes. It can be used to fix space for gold leaves, tin foils, and can also be used to fix and coat certain flake objects, which is the definition of this type of glaze.

The combination of glazes can produce a large number of different decorative effects, all of which are due to the reaction of metal oxides when heated during the firing process and change color. It is possible to mix different glaze powders, but the results obtained are not necessarily the same as those of conventional color mixing, for example, ruby red is reflected with white glaze powder.

Therefore, the results of mixing different colors of glaze will vary depending on the reaction of different metal oxides in the kiln. It is for this reason that people need to do a lot of experimentation.

People need to be very clear about the melting point of the glaze, which can be divided into: fusible, medium fusible, refractory and super refractory, all of which react differently to heat. Usually the master craftsmen will start the experiment with the super-refractory glaze, because they are more refractory, and then try down the order until the fusible glaze, often the glaze at this time is easier to melt when exposed to fire.

The composition of the metal base is usually gold, silver, copper, and there are also a large number of different types of alloys, and they react differently to the glaze. Before glazing, most metals are acidified to remove all oxides from the metal, and this does not include precious metals that do not oxidize.

Some metals react violently with colored glazes, for example, a light blue glaze on a silver base will turn a deep sea blue, a gold base will turn gray or green, and a copper base will get a dark gray or dark green. For some bases, these changes are calculated.

However, if they are not needed, the master craftsmen often apply a layer of transparent glaze to protect the metal base before applying the glaze.

This method is another fundamental step in the process of glazing the dial. Literally, it means applying a layer to the reverse side of the dial, but the actual operation is to apply a layer of glaze on both sides of the dial, which prevents the dial from deforming.

While maintaining the hardness of the dial, it also protects the integrity of its shape. If a round dial is glazed on only one side, inside the kiln, the dial arches and deforms. However, if both sides are painted, the metal will not be distorted. However, this method is not necessary for thick metal dials and the setting techniques that we will mention later.

It can be said that success or failure is all in the kiln. It is necessary to have a pair of eyes that read the "plate", because the experienced craftsman is able to see the right moment to put the dial in and out. In the past, the kiln was placed in a dark room so that the color changes in the kiln could be better seen. This is also the only clue that can help the craftsman guess the true temperature inside the kiln. Nowadays, furnaces are fitted with temperature and pressure gauges, but a well-trained eye and experience are still crucial.

The change of metal will vary with the increase and decrease of temperature. "At temperatures above 800 degrees Celsius, the metal heats up and the gold melts, so you have to be very careful to keep a limit," Baron told Eucalyptus. ”

One of the advantages of making a dial compared to making a cake is that a quick glance or a few glances will not damage the dial. In fact, I often advise craftsmen to take certain transparent enamel dials out of the kiln for inspection, which also increases the activity of the color.

There are two steps to glazing the dial: the first step is to apply the carefully prepared glaze powder to the base of the dial; The second step is to fuse the two together at a temperature of 840 degrees Celsius (1,544 degrees Fahrenheit). The use of such high temperatures is due to the high melting point of the glaze, which is why this glazing method is called the "high-temperature open flame method". In the glazing process, a very sophisticated brush or needle is used, and a microscope is also used. There are many different techniques that will bring different artistic effects.

Inlay glazing – It is the oldest glazing technique. Grooves and textures are sanded on a thick sheet of metal and then filled with glaze powder, usually opting for opalescent or translucent glaze. When all the space is filled, the pan is placed in the kiln and fired. After cooling, the surface is sanded with sandpaper (to make it matte) and then fired again in a kiln to re-glaze.

Cloisonné – pinching out the outline of the pattern with the upper layer of wire and fixing it to the dial. After that, the glaze is used to fill the different areas or spaces of the pattern, and finally the dial is placed in a kiln to fire.

Bas-relief glaze – the base is decorated with carvings or carvings and covered with a translucent or creamy glaze, so that the pattern below can be seen through the enamel. These carved patterns also ensure better adhesion of the glaze to the metal.

Hollow glaze – This technique is similar to cloisonné. Metal wires or wires are glued to thin sheets of copper, and then the different spaces are filled with translucent glaze. After firing, the copper sheet is dissolved in acid, and the result is a stained glass effect.

Embossed grey decorative glaze – this technique uses only two colours – black and white. This technique originated in the 16th century in the French city of Limoges. At first, people used it to decorate dishes. The enameller will first apply a layer of black glaze, followed by a layer of Limoges white glaze. After each firing, the white glaze melts into the black glaze, forming the gray glaze. The thinner the white glaze layer, the darker the gray glaze.

Tin foil – it is a small piece of gold leaf motif, like a flower, leaf or star, placed between two layers of glaze and used to decorate the dial.

Miniature portrait enamel painting – the base is covered with a monochrome glaze, usually white. Once the base is glazed, the glaze is mixed with an oil-based adhesive and then painted on the surface with the help of a microscope.

The enameller fires the dial after almost every color. Of course, start with the most heat-resistant color, because only it can withstand continuous fire. Finally, paint the most fusible colored glaze. To do all this perfectly, it takes extensive research, calculation, and practice. After the above steps are completed, the final step is to attach the paint to the dial by dressing it in a transparent glazed coat. This technique is known as the Geneva technique.

Geneva Technique – Originating from the Swiss city of Geneva, this technique involves applying transparent enamel to the enamel painting for protection, which also happens to be a perfect polish and adds depth to the painting. A maximum of three layers of transparent enamel are applied, and then fired several times in the kiln. If you don't do it properly, the brightness of the colors may disappear, the dial may blister, and the paint may be distorted.

With so many challenges involved in making an enamel dial alone, do you think that when you put the dial on your watch, it's all over?

But in reality, the hardest part of the job is behind the counter in a watch shop. That is, to explain why the same watch with an enamel dial is not three times more expensive, but at least twice as expensive. This is not an easy task.

Compared to those industrial dials that can be made in two minutes, when customers understand that it takes more than ten hours, or even hundreds of hours, to make any enamel dial; When he understands that any of the 30 firing processes in the kiln can cause burning, blistering or explosion (which often happens); When he understands that only a very small number of skilled craftsmen know how to make an enamel dial, it is only at this moment that he or she really begins to appreciate each piece of enamel.

"Even now, every time I put something in the kiln, I hold my breath and pray," says Baron. Another important detail, which we should also note, is that the enamel is surprisingly hard and its color never fades over time. That's why those enamel antiques still look so bright, as if they had just been made.

Pass on this art

Nowadays, it is hard to believe that the craftsmanship of enamel dials has been almost lost. But in the seventies of the 19th century, its popularity plummeted. However, the obscure quartz watch had a huge impact on the Swiss watchmaking industry, and the enamel dial was almost extinct. Thankfully, there are artists like Dominique Baron, along with others, who have succeeded in saving the craft, and of course, some watch brands have also contributed to it, such as Cartier, Corum Corum, Deleneau, Patek Philippe, Piaget, RogerDubis, Vacheron Constantin and Van Cleef & Arpels VanCleefamp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; Arpels, because they all know the importance of preserving this century-old craft.

They all made the right choice, because now enamel watches have become one of some of the most popular collectibles. At the same time, many new customers are beginning to discover the beauty of this miniature art. However, the real charm of the art of enamel lies in the fact that the process of making it is as fascinating as the end result.

Enamelled timepieces have always been a noble and mysterious existence, and they are also a stunning piece at auction, fascinated by collectors around the world.

Enamel has the warmth of jade, the brilliance of jewelry, the delicacy of porcelain, and most importantly, the material is timeless and will not oxidize and fade. Even after hundreds of years, the bright colors of the enamel do not dissipate, as if it had escaped the constraints of time.

In 2016, the O Automatic 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Chronograph was first introduced, with a white enamel dial. As a formal mechanical watch, it is reasonable that the positioning is higher than that of ordinary Seiko watches; But in terms of design, materials and quality, this watch is the best chronograph in its price range.

The AGE collection is once again available in four models with enamel plates. The scale on the dial is a reference to Seiko's first pocket watch, the "TimeKeeper", released in 1895, and the black Roman numerals are elegant.

The enamel process, on the other hand, originated in the West, and simply put, it is the fusion of glass or ceramic powder on the surface of a matrix (such as metal, glass, ceramic, etc.) to form an outer shell. Among them, there is a more superior technique called "Grand Feu enamel", such as Jaquet Droz, which is the best at using.

Feu enamel goes through a multi-layered process of coloring and firing, and the hour markers and graduations on the dial are also hand-painted by the enamel artisans, and finally it has to be fired by a furnace again.

The Seiko Presage series enamel watches are made by Japanese enamel master Mitsuru Yokosawa and his professional team. The scale on each surface plate is repeatedly traced more than ten times to enhance the texture of the micro-relief; In the hands of skilled craftsmen, the top of the hands is slightly curved to match the curved angle of the domed sapphire crystal.

Generally speaking, we only see the use of enamel dials in some Swiss or German fine watches, which is a rarity in Japanese watches. Coupled with such meticulous workmanship mentioned above, compared to their prices, it is really impeccable.