The bamboo-chomping giant panda is not a creature that’s spotted very often in the wild. But the symbolic animal has been used by China for diplomatic purposes since the 1950s and shows what can be achieved if a nation puts its mind to preserving one of the most vulnerable creatures on earth. This is why Patek Philippe has chosen to embellish a one-of-a-kind timepiece with the animal.
The company, the last family-owned watchmaking business in Geneva, is dedicated to protecting many métiers d’art – specialist artistic techniques – from extinction. These are skills that were brought to Geneva in the 17th century, when the city provided a Protestant safe haven for persecuted French Huguenot artisans who introduced their decorative skills to the watchmaking profession that was starting to flourish in the Swiss city. In the intervening years, such high-level crafts have declined. Over the past 50 years, Patek Philippe has maintained skills and knowledge by bringing master specialists into the company’s workshops and explored what can be achieved artistically by setting increasingly complex challenges – all while ensuring that the craft is passed to the next generation.
This Panda pocket watch is part of that tradition and a key piece in the Rare Handcrafts collection, which showcases a range of artisanal techniques. Four craftspeople carried out the wooden marquetry, the hand engraving and the guilloché (patterning). The creation of the marquetry alone involved layering 194 tiny and delicate veneer parts, and 190 inlays fashioned from 26 types of wood.
On the other side of the timepiece, the dial has been hand-guillochéd and hand-engraved with bamboo motifs beneath transparent green flinqué enamel. Yellow gold numerals and leaf-shaped hands indicate the time, while hand-engraved bamboo motifs embellish the bezel and the border of the case back. To top it off, a green tourmaline cabochon gem has been set in the crown.
This is not an everyday watch – it is a piece of social history and a timepiece showcasing long-won techniques, which are being maintained for the next generation. The image of the panda here is relevant and emblematic of the will and dedication required to ensure that the things we love live on.
POA, patek.com
