Perhaps you are aware that in the Chinese Calendar, 2012 is the year of the dragon and if you have even an inkling of an interest in horology you cannot fail to have noticed that there have been more than a few “Dragon” themed timepieces released recently – and why not? With exports of Swiss watches to China still on a reassuring upward curve, a watch thematic of a zodiac symbol should be just the thing to gain a little bit of publicity and perhaps even an extra foothold on this very lucrative marketplace.
Among those who have presented timepieces of the Dragon variety are Richard Mille, with a super piece dedicated to Jackie Chan, Piaget who have created a collection of 20 watches under the title “Dragon and Pheonix” and Jaquet Droz who released the exquisite Petite Heure Dragon – all have one thing in common, beautiful and realistic portrayals of a dragon in various postures. With Antoine Preziuso, expect the unexpected – he captures the very essence and spirit of the dragon in a most unusual way, with a stunning timepiece whose movement is entirely and fastidiously decorated with the highly textured scales of the mythical creature. And as you’d imagine it is simply stunning.
The movement is, in fact the watch dial allowing an uninterrupted view of the meticulous hand-embellishment. Such striking craftsmanship should take centre stage, and it would – except for the one-minute tourbillon which has a cage so finely crafted and intricate that it draws the eye to the bottom of the dial. The remarkable scaly-ness continues around the back so enabling the wearer to admire the pattern in its entirety. The Calibre is the APG/28T manual winding movement with a generous power reserve of 110 hours.
The tonneau case measures 42mm across and it constructed from titanium – light, durable and also with an icy appearance, the perfect complement to the elaborateness of the dial. This is a piece which represents the character of the imperial dragon in a dramatic and imaginative manner in every possible way.
The Antoine Preziuso Dragon Scale Art of Tourbillon watch will be a limited edition of just 10 pieces and comes presented on an alligator leather strap with contrasting lining.
