Replica watches: Whenever the Chinese New Year is approaching, the watch lovers around me will always talk about the “Zodiac watches” launched by major watch brands. Launching zodiac watches for the Chinese Lunar New Year seems to have become a tacit understanding between brands. Among them, Piaget has launched the Zodiac series for eleven consecutive years. In 2023, Piaget will present the last zodiac in the Zodiac series-the limited works of the Year of the Rabbit. Today, I will chat with you-Piaget Limited Edition Altiplano Ultra-thin Series Zodiac Watch.
The first time I saw Piaget’s Year of the Rabbit limited zodiac watch, I felt that this watch was very gentle. The watch is made of 18K white gold, with a case diameter of 38 mm and a thickness of only 6.63 mm. The two smart white rabbits on the enamel dial are obviously the protagonists, and with the diamond-encrusted bezel and slender lugs, does it have a feeling of “time is quiet”?
But don’t look at its calm appearance, the craftsmanship and technology used in the watch are very good. First of all, it is the large fire cloisonné enamel process used on the dial, which is described in four words and is delicate and complicated. The disk surface created can be described in four words, it is perfect and beautiful.
Enamel is a staple in fine watchmaking, but what is it anyway? Enamel is “a shell formed by fusing glass or ceramic powder on the surface of a substrate (such as metal, glass or ceramics”).” Translate: enamel cups, bathtubs, these common objects in daily life. However, when enamel is used in jewelry and Luxury Fake Watches, it becomes another finer and more complicated craft.
Let’s take Piaget’s Year of the Rabbit limited zodiac watch as an example. The Grand Feu cloisonné enamel dial actually uses two different types of enamel. First look at the cloisonné enamel, which is what we usually call “cloisonné”. Cloisonné enamel needs to outline the pattern with thin gold threads or silver. You can see that the outlines of the two rabbits on the dial are outlined by gold threads. This is the first step in cloisonné enamel.
Afterwards, the pattern is filled with enamel powder, and the work is fired in a kiln. The white and gray color of the rabbit body is the result of the melting of the enamel in the fire. And once there is a slight skew or bubbles during the firing process, all the previous work will be in vain, so this is also the place where the watchmaking skills are most tested.
The difficulty of Grand Feu enamel is also in “baking”. First of all, its coloring sequence is very particular, starting from light to dark, starting from warm tones. Fire at a high temperature of about 800°C to 1000°C, take it out and cool it naturally, and continue to paint after cooling, repeat this three times to make the color reach the perfect state.
But every firing is a “risk”, as long as there is a mistake in the whole process, it means failure, and you have to do it all over again. Therefore, an extremely experienced enamel craftsman is required to control the temperature, but even so, there is no guarantee that it can be formed at one time.
Speaking of it, just one enamel process consumes a lot of time and energy, and the Piaget Rabbit Limited Watch combines the two processes of cloisonné enamel and Grand Feu enamel, from the overall structure of the dial to the two enamel processes The intersection of the dial, as well as the independent parts, etc., must be considered. It is conceivable how difficult and precious the dial is to make.
Although the process of enamel craftsmanship is difficult, once it is successfully “out of the oven”, the advantages of enamel will be fully released. Not only does it have a jewel-like color, but it can also be preserved for a long time, and it will not fade easily after hundreds of years.
Another great thing about this watch is its ultra-thin technology. Ultra-thin is the DNA engraved in Piaget’s bones. Although many high-end watchmaking brands have begun to join the team of ultra-thin watches,
Piaget is the first brand to set foot in the ultra-thin field and currently has the most ultra-thin movements.
As we said earlier, the thickness of this watch is only 6.63 mm,
and the Piaget’s self-made ultra-thin 430P manual winding movement on the watch plays a big role.
The 430P movement is derived from the Piaget 9P movement. Here is a background. The 9P movement is an ultra-thin manual winding
movement launched by Piaget in 1957, with a thickness of only 2 mm. The birth of 9P laid a solid foundation for Piaget in the ultra-thin field. The thickness of the 430P movement is only 2.1 mm.
In terms of decoration, the 430P movement is decorated with Geneva ripples, the main splint is polished
and decorated with circular ripples, the watch bridge is chamfered, and has blue steel screws.
The 430P movement has hour and minute displays,
and a full winding can provide about 43 hours of power storage for the watch.
The arrival of the Year of the Rabbit limited zodiac watch also means that Piaget’s zodiac series is finally complete. Since 2012, Piaget has launched a limited edition Altiplano ultra-thin series Zodiac watch every year. The twelve zodiac animals, which represent Chinese folk culture,
are created by Piaget’s complex craftsmanship and turned into lifelike auspicious beasts on the dial,
meeting Chinese cousins as promised every year before the Lunar New Year.
All best replica watches are from the Altiplano Zodiac series, the precious metal case is 38 mm, and the dial is all enamelled.
Careful watch friends may also have discovered that there is an “AP” mark on the twelve dials,
which is the signature of Anita Porchet, a world-renowned enamel craftsman.
Anita Porchet is one of the few masters in the world who is proficient in all enamel techniques. In the Altiplano Ultra-Thin Series Zodiac Watch, we can see that she uses a lot of black, white and gray,
because “rich black and white tones can create delicate Gray animal fur textures and forms an understated backdrop.”
Of course, Anita Porchet’s ability is by no means limited to this, we will not introduce it due to the limited space,
friends who are interested can check it out to know her skill.
Finally, let’s go back to the brand-new Year of the Rabbit limited zodiac watch,
18K white gold material, Grand Feu cloisonné enamel dial, Piaget’s self-made 430P ultra-thin manual winding movement,
43-hour power reserve, and a limited edition of 38 pieces with independent numbers .
Insisting on presenting Zodiac watches in the same series and in the same style, not all watch brands can do this, but as a true creative master in the watch and jewelry industry, Piaget replica has the ability to complete the Zodiac series from beginning to end. presented. For collectors who want to collect a complete set of zodiac watches,
Piaget Altiplano’s ultra-thin series of zodiac watches is undoubtedly a good choice. More importantly, they carry the Piaget’s good expectations for the new year.
