Fabergé is delighted to introduce two new additions to its Compliquée Peacock collection: The Compliquée Peacock Platinum and Rose Gold Hand-Painted Limited Edition Watches.
Following on from the great success at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2015, in which the Compliquée Peacock won the High-Mechanical award, Fabergé has now introduced a new variation on the theme, made in partnership with Workmaster, Jean-Marc Wiederrecht from Agenhor and master craftsman, André Martinez (a specialist in miniaturist artistic painting on watch dials).
Limited to ten numbered pieces of each design, each watch dial is totally unique and features an intricate scene hand-painted by André Martinez, depicting a peahen alongside the iconic peacock. These miniature masterpieces pop with colour, with vibrant blues, greens and orange.
Fabergé’s Timepieces Director, Aurélie Picaud, says: “Our new Compliquée Peacock watches are inspired by the Imperial Peacock Egg of 1908. The movement within the watches allows a unique way of displaying hours and minutes, and takes its inspiration from early Fabergé automata creations, and their ingenuity. These two new models epitomise ‘The Art of Colour’, craftsmanship and creativity. Our craftspeople are part of the story and the passion they have for their special craft is translated into each of these designs.”
The paintings are carried out with lacquers of exceptional quality. Whilst remaining true to traditional miniature painting techniques, these lacquers also meet high manufacturing standards, including resistance to UV rays; and they are environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and non-toxic.
Master craftsman, André Martinez says: “These new additions to the Fabergé Compliquée collection fuse high-end horological complication with the ancient technique of miniature artistic painting, which is delicately carried out with lacquers of exceptional quality, using traditional techniques. I allowed my imagination to run freely when developing the design with Aurélie Picaud, celebrating Fabergé’s sense of wonder and colour. Each motif is drawn and hand-painted entirely by brush through the aid of binoculars to capture the most minute details. I paint the exquisite mother-of-pearl dial, the gold peacock and each of its individual feathers in-turn, which requires between 50 to 60 hours of work per dial.”
These new creations are available in two styles, with the choice of an 18k rose gold case with forest green crocodile leather strap, or a platinum case with a teal crocodile leather strap. Each case features a diamond set bezel, which adds a delicate radiance to the stunning design.
The Compliquée Peacock watch features a unique movement developed exclusively for Fabergé by Agenhor. Hours are read at the winding crown at three o’clock, as a numbered mother-of-pearl ring rotates counter-clockwise. The minutes are read by the position of the peacock's tail feathers as they unfurl each hour, only returning to zero when the lead feather reaches 60. These watches perpetuate the ingenious and free-thinking spirit of Peter Carl Fabergé himself, who imagined and made many of his creations to be both emotive and fascinating. Innovative and surprising, the Compliquée Peacock pays homage to the renowned Imperial Class ‘Peacock Egg’ of l908, while the hand-painted decoration is reminiscent of a silver gilt, enamel and sapphire set gold cigar box from the Fabergé archive.
These mobile works of art display an evolving scene, as time unwinds on the wearer’s wrist. In this manually wound movement, four pivoting feather ‘blades’ fan out simultaneously indicating the minutes. Each of these blades is moving independently, but at a different speed to the others. As the cycle is repeated each hour, time takes on a new role, going beyond merely charting the passing of the minutes to creating scenes of ephemeral beauty.
The system driving the blades is the movement's most fascinating organ. Each of the four mobile blades advances at a different speed so that the ensemble unfurls in perfect harmony.
The synchronisation of the blades is made possible by an innovative mechanical organ known as the AgenFAN. Based on a differential model, it is made up of two series of toothed wheels of increasing diameters on one and decreasing diameters on the other, which are superimposed on the same axis. They mesh along the entire length and are placed side-by-side. The first is driven by the spindle of the hours cam and in-turn drives the second, which individually powers each of the other blades. This construction also enables the first blade to move forward by 15° each hour, the second by 30°, the third by a 45° and the last by 60°.
To guarantee the stability and synchronisation of the ensemble, half of the wheels on the differential are equipped with split teeth. Invented by Fabergé Workmaster Jean Marc Wiederrecht, they ensure the direct and constant meshing of the gears without the slightest gap between them.
The Compliquée Peacock calibre can lay claim to more accurate time measurement, thanks to another unique system invented by Agenhor. Known as AgenPIT, it enables the accuracy of the movement to be adjusted in a simple yet revolutionary way, while protecting the balance spring – the most delicate component – against any distortion. In fact, the escapement is usually adjusted by modifying the length of the balance spring by rotating a regulator or by calibrating the balance using micro-screws placed along its periphery. The former solution remains the most common, but necessitates the cutting of the balance spring to the right length before it is glued to a tiny attachment support known as a balance spring stud. While this operation is well-known and practiced regularly, it has the disadvantage of requiring manual alterations to the spring. However tiny the adjustment, it upsets its physical balance and alters its operation, which must always be executed in the most horizontal and regular fashion.
The AgenPIT system eliminates the balance spring stud and the regulator, while keeping the balance spring intact. To this end, the last coil is guided into a groove by a setting screw, then fixed by a gripping clip that holds it in place against one of the walls. The lower part of the setting screw is encased in a polymer film to enable the balance spring to move forwards or backwards easily without being damaged. The gripping clip replaces the balance-spring stud and maintains the adjustments by leaning firmly on the balance spring.
The AgenPIT system means that the advantages of ring-shaped balances can be enjoyed without the need of a regulator. Precise adjustments can therefore be made in a simple manner without affecting the balance spring. This ensures optimal accuracy – the very essence of any time-measuring instrument.
The watch's mechanical inventiveness matches its aesthetic beauty. The Compliquée Peacock calibre can be clearly distinguished by its generous proportions, which make room for larger, and therefore more visible, finishes. So, the angles that mark the perimeter of the components are 0.25 mm thick – far higher than the average.
The Compliquée Peacock Platinum Hand-Painted Limited Edition Watch is available for £52,700/$69,500 and the Compliquée Peacock Rose Gold Hand-Painted Limited Edition Watch is available for £47,400/$62,500 and both can be purchased at Faberge.com and selected Fabergé boutiques from 1st September 2021. For more information, please contact sales@faberge.com.
Comments