Hummingbird

Description

Hummingbird is a 38mm Swiss automatic timepiece featuring a cloisonné enamel dial created entirely by hand by award-winning enamel artist Merry-Lee Rae. The composition captures a hummingbird suspended in mid-air with outstretched wings, its iridescent blue-green body and vibrant red throat rendered through successive layers of vitreous enamel.

The dial is built on a fine silver base and defined by intricate 24K gold wirework, with each wire individually shaped and placed by hand to form the bird and surrounding details. Multiple enamel colors are applied within these delicate cells and fired repeatedly in a kiln. The completed dial requires approximately twenty firings, with each stage demanding careful control of temperature, color development, and surface finish. A single black diamond set at 12 o'clock serves as the dial's only time marker, providing orientation while preserving the integrity of the artistic composition.

A distinctive feature of this work is the exceptional thickness of the enamel dial. At approximately 2.0mm thick, the dial allows for a level of color gradation and shading rarely found in traditional cloisonné enamel watch dials. This additional depth enables subtle transitions between tones, creating a greater sense of volume, movement, and realism within the bird's plumage.

The watch represents a collaboration between two independent American artisans. Merry-Lee Rae creates the cloisonné enamel artwork, while Celeste Watch Company transforms the finished enamel dial into a complete mechanical timepiece. By combining traditional cloisonné enamel techniques with contemporary independent watchmaking, Hummingbird celebrates both artistic mastery and the preservation of a rare decorative art.

Supplied by the brand to the GPHG for its entry.