here is broad consensus as to what constitutes a métier d’art in watchmaking, the four main techniques being enamelling, engraving, guilloché and gem-setting. In a recent conversation, the Genevan watchmaker Vacheron Constantin declared that these four crafts are at the core of its expertise, and that the métiers d’art play “a leading role in the Maison’s identity.”

The emphasis placed on one or other technique often reflects the history and legacy of a brand. The grand jewellery houses such as Chopard or Cartier, for example, excel in gem-setting. For its timepieces, Cartier combines traditional jewellery settings, such as a grain setting or an inverted pavilion setting, with innovative techniques, not least its own “fur” setting.

A helping hand

Enamelling, guilloché and engraving owe much to a small number of brand executives whose determination to preserve these crafts has proved decisive. Foremost among them are the Stern family, owners of Patek Philippe. “We have always striven to preserve the métiers d’art, including when there was little to no demand,” confided Philippe Stern, honorary president of the brand. “We have always provided artisans with work so that they can continue to exercise their dexterity and perpetuate the tradition.”

Recipient of the 2015 Prix Gaïa, Anita Porchet confirms this. Interviewed in the 2/24 issue of Europa Star, she spoke of how she was “very much indebted to Philippe Stern. Thanks to his support, I was able to set up my studio and take on apprentices. Nor did he insist that I work exclusively for Patek Philippe.”

Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse Yellow-Crested Cockatoo 5738/50J-011 (2025) in cloisonné enamel enriched with miniature painting by the studio of master enamellist Anita Porchet

Henri Stern, who preceded his son, Philippe, as president of the firm and was himself an amateur artist, largely contributed to the preservation of enamelling in the latter half of the twentieth century, in particular through a collaboration with Suzanne Rohr.

Open borders

No-one disputes the vital need to safeguard the métiers d’art, the definition of which has extended to new areas of excellence.

Alongside the techniques traditionally employed on dials and cases, the hand-executed decorations and finishes applied to movement components, such as chamfering, rounding and black polishing, are recognised as endangered skills which demonstrate the same precision and dedication required by other métiers d’art (read “The Second Life of Hand-Finishing”, also in this issue).

Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse Ref. 5738/1R (2024) spotlights the art of chain-making with a bracelet composed of more than 300 hand-assembled links

Buoyed by growing interest among collectors, a handful of brands have pioneered techniques that had never previously been applied to watches.

An idea is born

Foremost among these techniques is marquetry. In the 1990s, Jaeger-LeCoultre, under Chief Executive Henri-John Belmont, worked with Philippe Monti’s studio in Sainte-Croix on a series of four marquetry cases for the Atmos clock: a role entrusted to Jérôme Boutteçon (elected Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1994 and profiled in issue 2/24 of Europa Star).

Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse Blue Leaves (2025) in cloisonné enamel and paillonné enamel, enriched with miniature painting

An initial collaboration for a marquetry presentation box so impressed Philippe Stern, the then president of Patek Philippe, that he set a new challenge for Jérôme Boutteçon and Philippe Monti: to create a wood marquetry decor on a watch dial. Their efforts culminated, in 2008, in the Black Crowned Cranes of Kenya pocket watch, which marked the beginning of a collaboration with Jérôme Boutteçon. Now employed by Patek Philippe, he is the author of the magnificent Portrait of a Samurai, the highlight of the Rare Handcrafts 2023 collection and a favourite piece of incumbent president, Thierry Stern: “Beyond its beauty and expressiveness, this miniature tableau, crafted on the reverse of the case, represents an unprecedented feat of technique. A composition of almost a thousand pieces of wood, measuring barely 38mm in diameter and just 0.6mm in height, it is the most accomplished demonstration of this technique anywhere in the world.”

Heritage

Philippe Monti’s company has been instrumental in the development of marquetry dials. Mentored by Jérôme Boutteçon at the Monti studio, Bastien Chevalier has contributed to projects for Michel Parmigiani, Vacheron Constantin and Louis Erard. In turn, he would encourage marquetry artist Rose Saneuil to offer her services to watch brands and in 2013 she landed her first contract with Piaget.

Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin Ode to Izanagi (2024) with flinqué enamel and engraved dial depicting the founding myth of Japan

Speaking from her studio in Montrouge near Paris, this graduate of Ecole Boulle describes the pleasure she derives from “combining diverse materials.” In addition to the many essences of wood that she employs, such as sycamore, lacewood, amaranth and walnut burl, Saneuil works with gold leaf, bone, straw, mother-of-pearl, leather, zinc, shagreen, parchment and brass, together with more unusual materials including beetle elytra, eggshell, slate, feathers, immortelle petals, even quartz. This variety of materials is very much Saneuil’s hallmark within the small circle of marquetry miniaturists and something she has masterfully demonstrated in projects for prestigious names from Piaget to Montblanc and Louis Vuitton.

In the words of Michel Navas, co-founder of La Fabrique du Temps, “Rose Saneuil’s skills are so specific, we’ve called on her for a number of projects.”

The best of two worlds

Enamellists Anita Porchet, Vanessa Licci and Inès Hamaguchi, metal engraver Jeanne Valentine Ulrich, marqueteurs Bastien Chevalier and Rose Saneuil, as well as the studios of Christophe Blandenier or Olivier Vaucher, will all confirm that financial independence and the continued existence of their specialisms depend on watchmakers’ willingness to involve them in projects.

Piaget Altiplano Undulata (GPHG 2023) with straw, parchment, sycamore, leather and elytra marquetry by Rose Saneuil

It’s a more complex question for the watchmakers themselves. Bvlgari, which recently introduced a space dedicated to “Artmanship” inside its dial and case workshops in Saignelégier, Switzerland, explains how it seeks to strike a balance between external and internal competencies: “We bring certain skills in-house to guarantee quality and confidentiality. At the same time, we continue to collaborate with independent artists and artisans so as to benefit from their expertise and flexibility.”

Bvlgari Diva’s Dream (2023) with a delicate marquetry of natural feathers in shades of blue and green

Vacheron Constantin appears to be taking a similarly pragmatic approach. The integration of the métiers d’art is seen as a “fundamental pillar” while collaborations with specialists outside the Manufacture’s walls “enrich collections with their creativeness.” A point worth noting, the brand believes these projects “are not limited to the creation of exceptional timepieces but help stimulate innovation across the board.”

Artistic verticalisation

The general trend is, however, towards verticalisation as the major names pursue a strategy to transfer these artistic skills in-house. Last year Cartier celebrated the tenth anniversary of its Maison des Métiers d’Art, which brings 50 artisans skilled in 15 techniques under the one roof of a restored seven-teenth century farmhouse.

“There is a unique spirit here, to preserve and share artistic crafts, many of which were forgotten or rarely employed, as part of a dynamic that encourages innovation,” insists Karim Drici, Manufacturing Director at Cartier.

Inside Cartier’s Maison des Métiers d’Art, a restored seventeenth-century farmhouse where some fifty artisans specialise in the métiers d’art

Ronde Louis Cartier Panthère Métiers d’Art (2025) whose white lacquer and mother-of-pearl dial portrays a black lacquered mother-of-pearl panther among sculpted “paillon” leaves

A further example of verticalisation, Patek Philippe has taken a stake in gem-setting specialists Salanitro, while engraver Dick Steenman has joined La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.

Brands and independent artisans continue to work side by side, nonetheless, creating original works of immense artistry. As Michel Navas says, “There will never be a time when we can do everything ourselves. We must carry on our conversation with freelance artisans. These small structures are hugely creative.”

Recruit and retain

A 2023 survey by L’Atelier des Chefs, a French company that trains in manual occupations, revealed that “37% of employees said they would be interested in retraining in a manual skill.” Partly accelerated by successive lockdowns, this unprecedented enthusiasm is seen across all generations and all socio-professional categories. Switzerland’s watch industry has been one to benefit, all the more so in view of a strong Swiss franc and higher salaries than in neighbouring countries.

Each brand has its strategy to recruit and retain talent. Bvlgari hosts school groups “several times a year”, while Vacheron Constantin provides “solid training” and encourages staff to “diversify their skills” by acquiring complementary competencies such as enamelling and engraving.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel “Shahnameh” Rustam Pursues Akvan (2025). On the front, Grand Feu flinqué enamel over a guilloché base. On the back, an enamel miniature painted reproduction of a Persian illustration, attributed to Muzaffar ‘Ali’, circa 1530-35

As for the Richemont group, it can draw on a large pool of apprentices trained at its own enamelling school, part of the Campus Richemont, and at the Institut Horlogerie Cartier.

At La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, Michel Navas notes that in order to “attract new talent” to the Daniel Roth, Gérald Genta and Louis Vuitton brands, “salary isn’t the only criterion. People must feel motivated by the projects themselves.”

A dialogue between techniques

The tendency over the past two to three decades has been to combine multiple métiers d’art in a single piece. Thierry Stern describes his “passion” for these crafts which “let us exercise our imagination and revive the tradition of combining rare handcrafts in ever more remarkable and exclusive decorations.” At the same time, novel materials are appearing in marquetry while the latest industrial technologies engage artisans and engineers in a permanent dialogue.

The flower-motif dial of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 Azzuro Blue combines traditional soleillage with femtosecond laser engraving

In a rare interview, David Riboli, a dial expert and head of watch prototypes at Rolex, discusses the use of natural stone and mother-of-pearl: organic materials which imply aesthetic sensibility as much as technical expertise.

He explains how Rolex draws on advanced facilities which enable teams to develop projects that would have been inconceivable just a few years ago, giving the example of a floral design that combines “traditional sunray decoration with femtosecond laser engraving.”

Towards double-signed dials?

The métiers d’art in twenty-first-century watchmaking draw on a surprising variety of techniques, materials and tools, while the ongoing dialogue between artisans, artists and engineers gives rise to powerfully original creations.

Louis Vuitton Escale Platinum Guilloché and Grand Feu Enamel (2025)

Working behind the scenes, these engravers, enamellers, marqueteurs and other talented artisans are rarely in the public eye, but this is changing. Piaget is one of the brands that openly credits the independents who have contributed to a project. Louis Vuitton is another. From her studio in Geneva, metal engraver Jeanne Valentine Ulrich dreams of “breaking the wall of silence so that each individual can find artistic fulfilment and be recognised.”

We too can dream of a day when a métier d’art dial will bear two signatures: that of the brand and that of the artisan (as is already true of dials by enamellist Anita Porchet). Watchmaking’s entire ecosystem would benefit.