VISUAL ENCHANTMENT
MB&F gives free rein to the virtuosity of an engraver to imagine genuine works of art. The incredible refined craftsmanship center stages writer Jules Verne’s adventure novels.
We all know that the line between art and craftsmanship can be as thin as a sheet of paper. Discovering Eddy Jaquet’s work on the eight one-off pieces created for MB&F and inspired by Jules Verne’s Voyages extraordinaires proves it yet again. This engraver, with his reputed dexterity, set to work with his tools to create original illustrations for the eight Legacy Machine Split Escapement x Eddy Jaquet pieces. None of the illustrations comes from an existing work of art. Eddy Jaquet imagined them himself after having read the novels and viewed the movies and other creations related to the writer’s work.
And, the result? Each engraving on the dials of the Legacy Machine Split Escapement is a masterpiece conjuring up scenes and highlights from the tales, synthesized by the author’s imagination. The compositions draw from the fanciful realm of, amongst others Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, From the Earth to the Moon as well as Around the World in 80 Days and Five Weeks in a Balloon. The scenes took over 300 hours of work each to finalize!
Although on the mechanical side, the watch keeps its distinctive caliber, a few changes were called for to meet the craftsman’s prerequisites. The rose gold case has grown by 0.5 mm and now features a 44.5 mm diameter. The date and power reserve sub-dials are openworked to emphasize the engraved art even more. The crystal and bezel have also been modified to move it down to the decorated baseplate and, as such, to let the light bathe totally over the engraved décor. The completed result is akin to the gildings which adorn the covers of novels published in the 19th-century: extremely-delicate!
Price on request mb&f.com
By Dan Diaconu