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Lot Essay
This endangered species strap is shown for display purposes only and is not for sale. The watch will be supplied with a calf leather strap.
This remarkable unique Vacheron Constantin platinum ‘Mercator’ with awesome hand-made cloisonné and painted enamel 'Ferrari Enzo' dial made by Vacheron’s world renowned ‘Metiers D’Art’ department was a special commission by the present owner to celebrate his 10-year anniversary at Ferrari. The Ferrari shown on the dial was his own car at the time. Not only is the dial unique but also the movement has been uniquely fitted with a special 21K gold rotor skeletonized and chased with the Ferrari prancing horse emblem, the border is engraved with the owner’s 10th anniversary dedication. The ‘Mercator’ model was an inspired choice for a bespoke enamel dial such as this because the watch design means that almost the full surface of the dial is available to receive unencumbered decoration.
Cloisonné enamel dials quite naturally take a prominent position in terms of beauty, craftsmanship and rarity. The dial of the present watch, made of 21 carat gold, features enamel painting in addition to cloisonné work, the outline of the Ferrari and its vents are created using the cloisonné technique and the car’s red bodywork is painted by hand. Made by the very finest craftsmen in Vacheron’s ‘Metiers D’Art’ workshops, the artist has created the outline of the Ferrari by arranging thin gold wires on a the dial plate. These partitions, called ‘cloisons’ in French, were filled with small quantities of enamel powder in the desired colour. The dial was then fired in an oven at high temperature causing the powder to melt, once the first firing was completed, the artist then painted in the details of the design and the dial would then be fired again. The process being repeated an incredible 55 times for the present dial. Finally it was hand-polished until a perfectly flat surface was obtained.
The Ferrari Enzo (Type F140)
Named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari. It was developed in 2002 using Formula One technology, such as a Carbon-fibre body, F1-style automated shift manual transmission, and carbon fibre-reinforced silicon carbide ceramic composite disc brakes, as well as technologies not permitted in F1, such as active aerodynamics. The Enzo's F140 B V12 engine was the first of a new generation for Ferrari. The Enzo was designed by Ken Okuyama, the then Pininfarina head of design, and initially announced at the 2002 Paris Motor Show with a limited production run of 399 units. All 399 cars were sold way before production began. In 2004, the 400th production car was built and donated to the Vatican for charity, it was later sold at auction for US$1.1 million.
Vacheron Constantin Mercator
A revelation when it was released in 1994, this highly distinctive model was originally made to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of the 16th century cartographer Gerardus Mercator. The traditional method of showing hours and minutes was abandoned and instead the time is shown via a double retrograde mechanism with hands in the form of a pair of cartographer’s dividers. When the hour hand reaches 12 and the minute hand reaches 60, the respective hand ‘flies’ back to its starting position.
This remarkable unique Vacheron Constantin platinum ‘Mercator’ with awesome hand-made cloisonné and painted enamel 'Ferrari Enzo' dial made by Vacheron’s world renowned ‘Metiers D’Art’ department was a special commission by the present owner to celebrate his 10-year anniversary at Ferrari. The Ferrari shown on the dial was his own car at the time. Not only is the dial unique but also the movement has been uniquely fitted with a special 21K gold rotor skeletonized and chased with the Ferrari prancing horse emblem, the border is engraved with the owner’s 10th anniversary dedication. The ‘Mercator’ model was an inspired choice for a bespoke enamel dial such as this because the watch design means that almost the full surface of the dial is available to receive unencumbered decoration.
Cloisonné enamel dials quite naturally take a prominent position in terms of beauty, craftsmanship and rarity. The dial of the present watch, made of 21 carat gold, features enamel painting in addition to cloisonné work, the outline of the Ferrari and its vents are created using the cloisonné technique and the car’s red bodywork is painted by hand. Made by the very finest craftsmen in Vacheron’s ‘Metiers D’Art’ workshops, the artist has created the outline of the Ferrari by arranging thin gold wires on a the dial plate. These partitions, called ‘cloisons’ in French, were filled with small quantities of enamel powder in the desired colour. The dial was then fired in an oven at high temperature causing the powder to melt, once the first firing was completed, the artist then painted in the details of the design and the dial would then be fired again. The process being repeated an incredible 55 times for the present dial. Finally it was hand-polished until a perfectly flat surface was obtained.
The Ferrari Enzo (Type F140)
Named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari. It was developed in 2002 using Formula One technology, such as a Carbon-fibre body, F1-style automated shift manual transmission, and carbon fibre-reinforced silicon carbide ceramic composite disc brakes, as well as technologies not permitted in F1, such as active aerodynamics. The Enzo's F140 B V12 engine was the first of a new generation for Ferrari. The Enzo was designed by Ken Okuyama, the then Pininfarina head of design, and initially announced at the 2002 Paris Motor Show with a limited production run of 399 units. All 399 cars were sold way before production began. In 2004, the 400th production car was built and donated to the Vatican for charity, it was later sold at auction for US$1.1 million.
Vacheron Constantin Mercator
A revelation when it was released in 1994, this highly distinctive model was originally made to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of the 16th century cartographer Gerardus Mercator. The traditional method of showing hours and minutes was abandoned and instead the time is shown via a double retrograde mechanism with hands in the form of a pair of cartographer’s dividers. When the hour hand reaches 12 and the minute hand reaches 60, the respective hand ‘flies’ back to its starting position.