Cartier

SJX
[Purist]
8540

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Cartier's solemn tiger executed in enamel grisaille

One of my favourite watches from Cartier last year was the incredibly striking Tortue with jaguar motif in enamel. It was so arresting you can barely see the time.

This year Cartier has continued on the same theme with the Rotonde de Cartier with tiger motif. Big cats are one of the key creatures in Cartier's menagerie, with the most well known mascot being the panther.

Executed in enamel grisaille, an enamel technique that originated in Limoges, the tiger is comprised of black and white, and all the greys in between. This is the chromatic opposite of the jaguar Tortue but equally striking. As with black and white photos, the details of the tiger are fleshed out and made even more vivid by the lack of colour. Pictures absolutely do not do it justice.

Enamel grisaille is unusual in watchmaking, I have yet to encounter it elsewhere, and uses only two colours – black and white. The dial begins first with a black enamel dial. Once that is fired, the artisan then paints the motif with a fine brush using blanc de Limoges, a white enamel. Pure white is painted in thick layers, while various shades of grey are achieved with thinner layers that show some of the black enamel underneath. The thicker white enamel also serves to create the impression of depth, since it stands out in relief.

The tiger slowly takes form over six to eight firings in the oven, in addition to the original black enamel dial. Finishing the tiger takes over 40 hours.

But it is not just painting, a tiny pick is also used to scratch the surface of the enamel, which reveals some of the dark enamel beneath, to create the texture of fur. The fineness of the fur-like enamel surface is impossible to capture on camera.

Last year's jaguar was dramatic and loud, but it lacked character. That didn’t matter since the enamelled jaguar face was so mesmerising.

The tiger is different. Enamel grisaille lends itself to creating expression thought shadows and shading. Consequently the tiger is quiet and subtle, and expressive; it seems wistful, as if contemplating something. The tiger almost seems to have soul in its eyes.

- SJX

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