After Ganesh, a unique piece of exotic beauty which won first place for the Artistic Crafts category in last year’s Geneva Grand Prix, Blancpain reveals the Great Wave: a highly evocative Métiers d’Art which combines the Japanese rokusho technique with Mexican obsidian – a semi-precious stone of volcanic origin, used for the first time in one of their creations. The great wave decorating the dial was inspired by The Great Wave off Kanagawa, a famous woodcut (moku-hanga) crafted in 1830 by Japanese artist Hokusai. The semi-transparent obsidian with its silver glints is used a base, on which the relief of the great wave has been applied, made of white gold and patinated according to the rokusho technique, that provides for its temporary merger with the Shakudo gold-copper alloy. Following the patina’s application, the Shakudo is removed, while parts of the applique are polished in order to enhance the impression of the huge wave. Within the watch beats the Caliber 13R3A, a slightly modified version of the hand-wound hand Caliber 13R0, which features three barrels, offering an impressive power reserve of 8 days with the respective indication on its rear side. The full name of the watch is Métiers d’Art Villeret “The Great Wave” and is, of course, a unique piece.
