Baselworld 2016: Fabergé Unveils New Watches as Part of the Dalliance Collection

It’s always fascinating to see a joint project between companies that have reached the very top of their own fields. The House of Fabergé has joined forces with Agenhor, the creators of exclusive watch movements. The companies have combined their craftsmanship and experience to release a joint collection entitled Dalliance, which had its debut at the 2016 Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show.

Following Carl Fabergé’s example of only hiring the most highly skilled craftsmen in their field, Fabergé first approached Agenhor in 2015 for co – development of a collection of watches entitled Lady Compliquée Peacock. The watches in the collection beautifully illustrated the time with the aid of an unfurling peacock’s tail. The luxury timepieces created a furore at Basel last year and won a coveted Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève prize. The new Dalliance collection consists of three models, each of which deserves special attention.

Fabergé Lady Levity

The creation of the Fabergé Lady Levity was inspired by a silver gilt, enamel and rock crystal table clock made in St Petersburg by the Fabergé craftsman Heinrich Wigström circa 1910. With a rock crystal man-in-the-moon relief occupying the centre of the dial it was impossible to make use of traditional minute and hour hands which would usually be fastened to the centre. Wigström, therefore, decided to mount indicators around the edges. Fabergé has reincarnated this idea in wristwatch form with the assistance of master watchmaker, Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, founder of the Geneva-based Agenhor.

For this model Jean-Marc Wiederrecht and his team of horological experts developed the manual AGH6911 calibre. The 36mm watch makes use of stylised indicators to display the time: a crescent moon for hours and rising sun for minutes, tracking against a white mother-of-pearl ring dial. The Fabergé Lady Levity is presented in 18 karat rose gold with the addition of an alligator strap and 18 karat rose gold pin buckle.

Fabergé Lady Libertine I & II

These two unusual creations were inspired by the very landscape responsible for forming the precious gemstones that adorn them. After a resounding joint debut at Baselworld 2015 a team from Agenhor was invited to visit the Kagem emerald mine in Zambia by Fabergé’s parent company, Gemfields. The company is the world’s leading supplier of coloured gemstones, owning 20 percent of the world’s supply of emeralds. The natural beauty of the precious gemstones at the mine, even in their unpolished state, led to the idea of using emeralds in a way somewhat different to what we are used to. Since the development of the AGH 6911 calibre was already in full swing, Fabergé decided to use the unique structural features of the new watches to demonstrate the raw power of rough emeralds. The Fabergé Lady Libertine I consists of a 36mm 18 karat rose gold case decorated with 1.84 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds and emeralds. The precious gemstones fixed to the dial and central dome represent the Zambian terrain. The stylised relief is achieved using a mixture of rough, hand-carved emeralds together with a fine gold filigree.

The case of the second model is equal in size to the Fabergé Lady Libertine I, however it is made of 18 karat white gold. The dial’s central dome is adorned with 2.22 carats of satin-finished emerald as a base, upon which an 18 karat white gold and diamond motif with a cabochon emerald is set. Beneath the emerald decoration, the dial is set with 1.97 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds, while the bezel is set with a further 1.84 carats. As always, the jewellery and watch house has not disappointed with its new pieces. However, Fabergé’s designers have set the bar very high for next year. We’ll have to wait until 2017 to see how they attempt to reach it.