In 2016, Swiss Manufacture DeWitt is celebrating women, with a collection of jewellery watches that will be unveiled throughout the year.
The first two models exclusively devoted to women pay tribute to Japanese artistic crafts. These exceptional dials were produced in partnership with a Japanese artist, trained since the age of five in the ancient art of calligraphy, painting and the history of Japanese art by the great masters. Her utterly unique technique involves combining precious pigments with Indian ink to produce decoration. Powdered diamond, platinum, gold, pearl, agate or other gemstones give her creations a particular sheen and subtle, textured effects.
No paint is used and the dials are formed using only dots of powder fixed by hand, requiring extreme meticulousness and very fine tools. Around 30,000 to 50,000 dots are necessary to create the delicate decoration on each dial. The sound of Baroque and contemporary music – a source of inspiration for the artist – enhances every stroke of her designs.
With these first creations, the artist wanted to pay a noble and elegant tribute to the spirit of majesty and freedom of the Emperor Napoleon, a direct ancestor of Jérôme de Witt, the founder of Dewitt. The first two dials in the series, imbued with nature and poetry, embellish the DeWitt Golden Afternoon and Classic gem-set models.
The Golden Afternoon jewellery watch, well-known for its floral dial in mother-of-pearl marquetry, features a delicate design of butterflies and flowers, formed of powdered diamond, pearl, platinum, gold, lapis lazuli, agate and other gemstones.
The blue and violet tinted dial adorns a white-gold case set with round diamonds and enhanced with a shiny blue alligator wristband. The hour and minute hands, shaped like finely sculpted angel wings, and the seconds hand, adorned with a small flame, are in perfect harmony with the lightness of the decoration.
The Classic jewellery model, with its 18-carat rose gold case set with a row of diamonds, is dressed in springtime shades tinged with yellow, orange and green.
The floral motif shines with the pigments of powdered diamond, pearl, platinum, gold, tiger’s eye, malachite, quartz and other gemstones. The watch is fitted with a matching shiny green alligator wristband. A fusion of great Swiss watchmaking tradition and the ancient art of Japanese calligraphy, the new collection of DeWitt women’s jewellery watches is the result of a pure search for harmony and poetry.
Classic Jewellery, Japanese Spring
CLA.HMS/102.004
Limited Edition: 10 PIECES
Movement
Calibre Reference DWHMS
Mechanical self-winding movement
Power reserve: 42 hours
Rotor: DeWitt design with “Côtes de Genève” pattern
Vibrations: 28,800 vph
Balance: 3-armed, made in Glucydur
Diameter: 25.60 mm
Jewelling: 21 jewels
Functions
Hours, minutes, central seconds
Case
Round case with DeWitt imperial columns on the sides
Material: 18-carat rose gold set with 60 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.8 cts)
Diameter: 40 mm
Total thickness: 9.6 mm
Crown: 18-carat rose gold, polished and brushed, “W” signature
Case back: Sapphire crystal
Distance between lugs: 20 mm
Water-resistance: 30 metres
Dial
Flower design hand-crafted using powdered diamond, pearl, platinum, gold, tiger’s eye, malachite, quartz and other gemstones
Hands
Hours and Minutes: 18-carat rose gold, open-worked hands in the form of double-edged swords
Central second: 18-carat rose gold, thin and elegant
Wristband
Shiny green alligator leather strap, 18-carat rose gold pin buckle, polished, engraved “W” signature
Golden Afternoon, Japanese Spring
Reference: GA.AU.007
Limited Edition: 10 Pieces
Movement
Calibre Reference DWT8AU
Mechanical self-winding movement
Power reserve: 42 hours
Vibrations: 28,800 vph
Balance: 3-armed, made in Glucydur
Escapement: 51° angle of lift
Jewelling: 21 jewels
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds
Case
Round case with DeWitt imperial columns on the sides
Material: 18-carat white gold set with 146 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.41 cts)
Diameter: 39 mm
Total thickness: 9.28 mm
Crown: 18-carat white gold, polished, adorned with a ruby cabochon
Case back: Engraved, safety screws
Water-resistance: 30 metres
Dial
Butterfly and flower design hand-crafted using powdered diamond, pearl, platinum, gold, lapis lazuli, agate and other gemstones.
Hands
Hours and Minutes: refined little sculptures in the shape of angel wings
Seconds: thin and elegant, topped with a small flame
Wristband
Shiny blue alligator leather strap, 18-carat white gold pin buckle, polished, engraved “W” signature
