Sartory Billard × Revolution SB05 ˜UchÅ«™

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Our second collaboration with Sartory Billard is a tribute to classical handcrafts more specifically, the art of Maki-e, a traditional Japanese decorative technique of imprinting design motifs in translucent lacquer. For 'UchÅ«', the esteemed master artisan Tatsuya Todo, who goes by his artisan name Kosetsu, handcrafted each dial using using fragments of natural mother-of-pearl, hand cut or crushed, sorted out, and then individually applied onto a layer of urushi. This specific process is called raden, where 'ra' refers to shell and 'den', inlaid. After preparing the shell fragments, he begins to work on the dial plate, setting it with a charcoal mixture so that the first layer of urushi will adhere properly. Next, he picks up one tiny piece of shell and places it onto the lacquer, one after another, until he has formed a complete picture one made up of thousands of shimmering shell fragments, each dancing with the light while reflecting a dazzling purplish-blue brilliance. The Maki-e centre and seconds subdial is only one part of the picture. A circlet of sparkling blue aventurine chapter ring frames Kosetsu's artwork, creating a lovely depth of field and enriching the dial with an almost three-dimensional quality. Inside, the piece is powered by a hand-wound La Joux-Perret calibre packed with a staggering 90 hours of power reserve, making it one of the best-performing industrial movements on the market. The limited edition of 10 pieces truly encapsulates the beauty of traditional métiers d™art through a modern lens.