It’s rabbit time, given that 2023 according to the Chinese horoscope is this animal linked to the zodiac. Tradition also wants it to be the luckiest animal in the Asian country’s special astrological zoo. Surely the collectors who will be able to get the new Ulysse Nardin watch can be lucky: the Classic Rabbit has a design that enhances the refined enamelling techniques, such as champlevé and cloisonné.
The Classico Rabbit 40 mm is produced in a limited series of 88 pieces. Inside is the automatic caliber UN-815 equipped with a 42-hour power reserve. The case back is in sapphire crystal and the black strap is in alligator leather, closed by a rose gold buckle. The case is in 5N rose gold, polished, waterproof up to 50 meters. The aspect that immediately strikes you, however, is immediately the glazing used. Ulysse Nardin is among the few Maisons that can master this delicate technique and stands out thanks to the expertise of Donzé Cadrans’ atelier, where the tradition of enamelling techniques has been perpetuated over time.
The process consists of applying a series of enamelling techniques to watches, including Grand Feu, Cloisonné, Champlevé and Flinqué. All the glazing processes, similar to each other but at the same time unique, are done by hand and require great skill and precision. The complexity and meticulous details of the scenes painted with great likelihood, combined with the effect that the enamelling allows to give to the whole, explain why the timepieces that use these techniques have been highly sought after by collectors for centuries.
The champlevé technique involves engraving the dial by creating individual alveoli, which are filled with enamel. The colors come from a mix of different metal oxides. The dial is fired until the enamel melts, then smoothed and polished when it cools. The final phase, the most delicate, involves enriching the motif by chiselling metal elements on the surface.
The cloisonné technique brings back to life a very ancient method that dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was widely used under the Byzantine Empire and in the West as early as the 4th century. This method consists in creating cells using a very thin gold wire to deposit the enamel with the utmost precision. For the bending of the gold wire alone, up to 15 hours of work are required for each dial.
