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Lot Essay
Offered in exceptional condition and complete with the original Certificate of Origin and all related literature, the present ‘Pendulette Dome’ is a superb and ravishingly beautiful example of Patek Philippe’s iconic unique enamelled dome clocks. Exhibited at the 2010 Basel Fair before being purchased for the ‘Champion Collection’ the same year, the breathtaking cloisonné enamel case is attributed to the master enamellers France Tille and Jérémie Basset. Decorated with different and colourful varieties of butterflies which are amazingly rendered using the ancient technique of cloisonné enamel, each different glass compound contained within wire cells or ‘cloisons’.
Patek Philippe’s dome clocks are not only highly collectable but are appreciated as entirely unique hand-decorated works of art by some of the finest contemporary artists working in enamel. Now becoming much harder to obtain and rarely offered on the open market, these stunning and functional timepieces perfectly represent Patek Philippe’s mastery of both advanced technology and rare handicrafts.
An expert in Grand Feu enameling, the highly skilled artist France Tille founded the Emaillor workshop in 2002. France Tille’s reputation grew and she was quickly taken up by the leading Geneva houses who instantly recognized the excellence of her work.
France Tille’s motto is "Aim for perfection". The exceptionally high standards required by her world-famous customers spurred her to ever-greater achievements whilst committed to unwavering attention to detail and quality that are the essential ingredients in the success of any art object. In 2006, France Tille’s son, Jérémie Basset joined Emaillor. Having trained as a jeweller and then working in the luxury watchmaking sector, he entered the rarefied world of Grand Feu enameling, a passion inherited from his mother. These two exceptional artists working together are now a formidable presence in the world of high-end luxury watchmaking.
Patek Philippe Dome Clocks
Patek Philippe launched the solar-powered dome clock in the mid-20th century. They boast lavish and uniquely decorated cases featuring engravings of varying pattern or cloisonné enamel scenes. Still in production today, most likely due to their continued popularity, they were made in three series.
First series: Produced in the 1950s and 1960s with a mechanical 17’’’250 E pocket watch movement powered through the solar panel in the dome, the number ‘17’ derived from the diameter measurement of the movement which comes from an old industrial measurement tradition whereby measurement was carried out using candle wicks in ‘lines’ or ‘lignes’, ‘250’ for the thickness, and ‘E’ for electric. The large solar panel supplies power to the cylindrical storage device which then transmits energy to wind the movement. The beauty of this patented mechanism allowing the clock to be functional in the dark. At the time, this patented technique was seen as revolutionary, Patek Philippe were seen as being able to “master the energy of light.”
Second series: Beginning in 1970, dome clocks were produced with Quartz movement with a smaller solar panel that seemed to have a higher position on the dome, becoming even smaller in the 1990s.
Third series: The only dome series with cell battery movement. This has a smaller solar panel or no solar panel seen from 2007 onwards.
Towards the end of the 1940's, the Swiss watchmaking industry revived the technique of cloisonné enamel which had been used since the Byzantine period. This technique uses fine bands (filaments) of gold to outline the design subject, which are then soldered to the surface of a plate. The empty spaces are then filled with ground enamel and fired multiple times at varying temperatures between 700 and 900 degrees centigrade to achieve different colors. Patek Philippe's enamellers can take up to one year to complete such a dome clock and less than a handful can be complete each year at their workshops. The artistry had been perfected over the decades and the artists could eventually miniaturize it to be made on wristwatches seen only from 1949 at Basel.
Patek Philippe’s dome clocks are not only highly collectable but are appreciated as entirely unique hand-decorated works of art by some of the finest contemporary artists working in enamel. Now becoming much harder to obtain and rarely offered on the open market, these stunning and functional timepieces perfectly represent Patek Philippe’s mastery of both advanced technology and rare handicrafts.
An expert in Grand Feu enameling, the highly skilled artist France Tille founded the Emaillor workshop in 2002. France Tille’s reputation grew and she was quickly taken up by the leading Geneva houses who instantly recognized the excellence of her work.
France Tille’s motto is "Aim for perfection". The exceptionally high standards required by her world-famous customers spurred her to ever-greater achievements whilst committed to unwavering attention to detail and quality that are the essential ingredients in the success of any art object. In 2006, France Tille’s son, Jérémie Basset joined Emaillor. Having trained as a jeweller and then working in the luxury watchmaking sector, he entered the rarefied world of Grand Feu enameling, a passion inherited from his mother. These two exceptional artists working together are now a formidable presence in the world of high-end luxury watchmaking.
Patek Philippe Dome Clocks
Patek Philippe launched the solar-powered dome clock in the mid-20th century. They boast lavish and uniquely decorated cases featuring engravings of varying pattern or cloisonné enamel scenes. Still in production today, most likely due to their continued popularity, they were made in three series.
First series: Produced in the 1950s and 1960s with a mechanical 17’’’250 E pocket watch movement powered through the solar panel in the dome, the number ‘17’ derived from the diameter measurement of the movement which comes from an old industrial measurement tradition whereby measurement was carried out using candle wicks in ‘lines’ or ‘lignes’, ‘250’ for the thickness, and ‘E’ for electric. The large solar panel supplies power to the cylindrical storage device which then transmits energy to wind the movement. The beauty of this patented mechanism allowing the clock to be functional in the dark. At the time, this patented technique was seen as revolutionary, Patek Philippe were seen as being able to “master the energy of light.”
Second series: Beginning in 1970, dome clocks were produced with Quartz movement with a smaller solar panel that seemed to have a higher position on the dome, becoming even smaller in the 1990s.
Third series: The only dome series with cell battery movement. This has a smaller solar panel or no solar panel seen from 2007 onwards.
Towards the end of the 1940's, the Swiss watchmaking industry revived the technique of cloisonné enamel which had been used since the Byzantine period. This technique uses fine bands (filaments) of gold to outline the design subject, which are then soldered to the surface of a plate. The empty spaces are then filled with ground enamel and fired multiple times at varying temperatures between 700 and 900 degrees centigrade to achieve different colors. Patek Philippe's enamellers can take up to one year to complete such a dome clock and less than a handful can be complete each year at their workshops. The artistry had been perfected over the decades and the artists could eventually miniaturize it to be made on wristwatches seen only from 1949 at Basel.