Passions: Timepieces that are pieces of art or horological marvels

Patek Philippe Yellow-Crested Cockatoo Inspired by a painting on silk by Japanese artist Itô Jakuchô (1716-1800), Patek Philippe made just 10 pieces of this perfectly proportioned timepiece as part of their Rare Handcrafts collection. Merging Japanese art with Swiss precision, it features a Grand Feu cloisonné enamel dial showing a yellow-crested cockatoo perched on a pine branch. The technique is intricate: a delicate gold wire is meticulously bent to create an intricate design and affixed to a base plate coated with a layer of enamel. After the firing process is over, each dial is hand-painted. Yellow gold cheveu-style hands display the hours and minutes, while the timepiece is powered by a calibre 240 ultra-thin self-winding movement. Price: On request Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5555 A part of its 250th anniversary celebrations, this Breguet timepiece features a dial on two superimposed levels, guilloché and sapphire. It offers a nocturnal vision of the Earth, where city lights remind us that the Earth never sleeps. The 43.9-mm case is made of Breguet gold and houses a 77F1 calibre with pre-programmable instant jump dual time zone, date, day/night indicator and synchronised city. Limited to 50 pieces, each collector will be able to personalise the cities assigned to the 24 time zones. A gold base dial is decorated with a gradation from sky blue to navy blue — the merging of the “sky and sea”. The back features the double edging of the special 250th anniversary guilloché, known as Quai de l’Horloge. The sapphire crystal caseback reveals the intimate workings of the calibre 77F1, whose oscillating weight is also made of Breguet gold for the first time. Price: On request Richard Mille RM 88 The Richard Mille RM 88 Automatic Winding Tourbillon Smiley pays tribute to the Smiley, drawn by Franklin Loufrani in 1971. Around the Smiley’s radiant face are an array of miniature sculptures. From a rainbow motif to a cocktail glass to a gold flower, a pink flamingo, a pineapple, a cactus, and a sun — the dial features intricate details, and all finishing operations are carried out by hand. The case, with an exhibition caseback, is made of ATZ white ceramic and red gold. Powered by an in-house calibre CRMT7 (a skeletonised automatic winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes and function indicator), only 50 pieces were made. Price: On request Jacob & Co. Astronomia Solar Constellations The Astronomia Solar Constellations case is designed like an astronomer’s observatory. A sun sits at the top of the movement, while a rotating satellite holds three more planets. All four stellar bodies are made from Jacob-cut, 288-facet gems of intense colour. The zodiac constellations are engraved on the blued titanium base underneath it all, along with seven planets made of a selection of hard stone cabochons. At its heart is the manually wound calibre JCAM19, a 447-component movement that powers a triple-axis tourbillon, a rotating lacquered globe, and gemstone “planets” orbiting the sun. This limited edition features 101 pieces. Price: On request Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion As technical as it is theatrical, the timepiece is a striking evolution of Urwerk’s wandering satellite-hour architecture, reimagined through a dramatic 240° retrograde minute display. Three hour satellites glide beneath this sweeping minute hand, which snaps back with lightning precision at the top of each hour as the hours jump in perfect synchronicity. Driving this kinetic choreography is the automatic UR-50.01 calibre, equipped with a twin-turbine self-winding system and delivering a 43-hour power reserve at 4 Hz. Bold, futuristic, and unapologetically unconventional, the UR-150 Scorpion pushes Urwerk’s boundary-breaking approach to time display even further. Price: On request Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Cosmica Duo – Grand Complication There are timepieces and then there’s this one-off piece in honour of the maison’s 270th anniversary. This double-sided, reversible watch comes with 24 complications, highlighting astronomical functions, and is powered by the new calibre 2756-B1 with 1,003 components. While one dial transports observers to the stars, the other immerses them in the kinetic artistry of the calibre. It also incorporates a minute repeater and a tourbillon. Depending on the wearer’s preference, the watch displays either mean civil time or true solar time with the ability to switch from one to the other in an instant by turning the watch over. The precision moon phase requires only one correction every 1,000 years. Price: On request Jacob & Co. Caviar Tourbillon The watch is entirely covered in gems, with the baguette cut, to recreate the smooth surface of caviar packed tightly into tins, using the invisible setting technique, where no prongs or metal appear that could break the continuous array of gems. The White Diamonds version case features 224 white baguette-cut white diamonds, the dial has 130 of them, while the clasp has 18 of them. The self-winding calibre JCAA43 is made up of 216 components and, when looked through its sapphire caseback, exposes an extensive setting of 338 brilliant-cut diamonds. Limited to 18 pieces, the 47-mm case is made of 18-carat white gold. Price: On request

Passions: Timepieces that are pieces of art or horological marvels

Patek Philippe Yellow-Crested Cockatoo

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