Beijing Watch Factory 18k Yellow Gold Naval Battle Motif Cloisonne Enamel

Description

Features

• Cloisonne enamel dial
• 18K yellow gold case
• Manual winding movement, completely developed in-house
• Caliber SB-18
• Full size men’s dress watch at 38 mm without crown (40 mm with crown)
• Dark brown crocodile strap with 18k yellow gold buckle
• Ultra small production (less than three a year)
• Never discounted and never available in the secondary market

Materials

• 18k yellow gold
• Cloisonne enamel

Dial Description

• Stunning cloisonne enamel dial with “Naval Battle ” motif

Each enamel dial requires tens of hours of dedication to complete, not to mention over 80% failure rate during each successive firing step. Hence, an artist must create on average five to six dials in order to have a perfect one.

There are only two master artists in the company who could do this, and only a handful in Beijing who could perform enameling at this highest level. This is rapidly becoming a lost art.

Condition

• 100% brand-new

Included

• Box and papers

About Beijing Watch Factory and the Atelier Series:

About Beijing Watch Factory and the Atelier Series:

Beijing Watch Factory was founded in June 1958, and the current facility spans 100,000 square meters and employs over 600 people with the know-how and capability to design, develop, and produce its own in-house movements and watches. It became a main aspiration for the Chinese elite throughout the second half of last century.

In 2000, a small and separate “Atelier Series” was formed inside the company with the sole purpose of researching, developing, and producing high-end movements and watches. In 2004, the first high-end movement was developed (SB-18) and used in the Atelier series cloisonne enamel watches. Around the same year, the Atelier series produced its first in-house tourbillon. Subsequent technological breakthroughs took place in rapid succession – double tourbillon in 2007, skeleton double tourbillon in 2008, bi-axial tourbillon in 2009, and minute repeater tourbillon in 2010.

The Atelier models are distinctly different from the main stream production. Hundreds of hours of labor and passion were devoted to craft each piece, resulting in masterpieces that rival the best of the Swiss products. They have also performed well in international auctions such as Sothebys and Christies, with the record of a phoenix enamel tourbillon watch fetching over $500,000 in auction prices.

Because of these achievements, all primarily within the last decade, the Atelier has gained fame and respect among international connoisseur circles for combining high-end traditional watchmaking techniques and finishing with traditional Chinese art forms such as cloisonne enameling.