A few weeks ago, we gave you a hands-on look at the Piaget 900P, the thinnest mechanical fake watch in the world. But this isn't the only new fake watch Piaget is showing at SIHH. The Altiplano Scrimshaw features a dial made from fossilized mammoth ivory that is then engraved with a map of the Eastern Hemisphere using traditional scrimshaw techniques. Each dial takes 65 hours to produce and these replica watches really are unique little works of art.
The Altiplano Scrimshaw starts simply enough ?a 38mm Altiplano case in either white or pink gold with an in-house 400P ultra-thin calibre. While these are admirable as-is, this fake watch is all about the special dial. A piece of preserved mammoth ivory (approximately 40,000 years old) is shaped into a dial that comes in around 1.7mm thick. From there, the dial is engraved with a map and a compass rose using traditional Scrimshaw techniques.
Scrimshaw is a special type of engraving that can be traced back to the Inuits and other tribes in the colder parts of North America. It involves very fine engraving on ivory that varies in depth and is then inked to result in various textures and colors. A deeper engraving with more ink will result in a darker color, while the shallower parts retain the ivory's natural hue. This is a very laborious type of engraving and a single mistake can render an entire piece of ivory useless. Using preserved mammoth ivory alleviates any ethical concerns while maintaining the integrity of the art form.
A finished scrimshaw dial next to the raw mammoth ivory blank
For the Altiplano Scrimshaw, Piaget enlisted master engraver Richard Maier, who started his career in traditional metal engraving in the 1980s and learned scrimshaw shortly thereafter. Maier started with the map design and had to figure out exactly how to create the pattern faithfully on the dial, maintaining proper shading and crisp lines at the edges. The hemisphere lines and continent outlines are done with traditional burin engraving techniques, while for the shading Maier makes tiny holes in the ivory with needles of various diameters (we're talking tolerances of microns here). From there, the dial is inked in various stages and the map takes form.
Engraving a scrimshaw dial
Each dial requires over 65 hours of handwork by Maier, and that's after all the planning that goes into figuring out the exact workflow in advance. No mistakes can be made, as once a hole is made in the dial, it cannot be filled in and ink will take when it is applied. A single square millimeter contains between 120 and 200 individual dots. We had the opportunity to sit down with Maier at SIHH and when asked what tool he finds most valuable for his craft, he replied "a great microscope" without thinking twice. No surprises there.
The fake watch wears extremely well on the wrist, exactly as you would expect from a 38mm Altiplano. And while the dial is definitely on the ornate side, the retrained color palate keeps it from being too loud or obtrusive. The rose gold version has slight brown tones in the dial, while the white gold version remains monochromatic throughout. Typically, a fake watch like this might be something we'd want to appreciate from a distance rather than on our own wrists, but the Altiplano Scrimshaw strikes a nice balance between artistry and wearability.
Due to limited quantities of mammoth ivory and the amount of time Maier must dedicate to each piece, the Altiplano Scrimshaw will be made in limited quantities. There will be approximately 40 pieces each, in white gold and pink gold. These quantities are not yet final though and could change before the limited edition is made official.
The Altiplano Scrimshaw is priced at approximately 50,000 CHF and you can visit Piaget for more.
Sihh-2014 Piaget Introducing The Patek Philippe ref 5374G 001 Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar 8808