For TimeForArt, one of the world’s greatest enameller artist, Anita Porchet, and master watchmaker Romain Gauthier have reunited their expertise to create an exceptional, unique timepiece: a C by Romain Gauthier Platinum Edition, featuring an 18k white gold movement and sublimated by a miniature painting Grand Feu enamel dial signed by Anita Porchet.
The piece captures the unfettered creativity of its two makers, demonstrating their inclination to honour heritage and tradition, while engaging new modes of artistic engagement.
Given full carte-blanche for the very first time, Anita Porchet drew inspiration from Century botanical illustrations and the spiritual reverence found in Chinese ink wash paintings. Maxwell Hearn, head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s renowned Department of Asian Art, writes that the aim of Chinese painters is “to capture not only the outer appearance of a subject but its inner essence as well—its energy, life force, spirit.” This ambition is channeled and realized with astounding beauty by Anita Porchet.
Rendered in soft black strokes, the subject is rendered in the style of Qu Ding, a Song dynasty master painter. Raw, spontaneous, rich with contrasting light and dark tones contrasted with the bright red lines of the small-seconds dial, the piece is a reflection on the powerful relationship between nature and humanity.
Together, this gem-like masterwork captures the divine transcendence that can only be accessed in the natural world. The background, a rare fusion of two enamels, imbues this once-in-a-lifetime piece with a flawless balance and sublime beauty.
This extraordinary artistic dial perpetuates the watchmaker’s high caliber work that Anita wished to highlight by writing Romain Gauthier’s name on her artwork herself. A harmonious blend of the brand’s legacy and future, a modern and casual approach contrasted by precious materials and refined craftsmanship. It is an exceptionally unique piece of C by Romain Gauthier Platinum Edition that perfectly reflects Gauthier’s vision: The Evolution of Tradition.
