The Princess Elizabeth

The Princess Elizabeth is the first of two very unique pieces that Backes & Strauss has crafted in 2016 to celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The main feature of the Princess Elizabeth is its extraordinary dial, depicting Princess Elizabeth’s youthful profile. The gold dial has been hand-engraved by Backes & Strauss’ master engraver and enamelled using the Grand Feu technique with “XC” at twelve o’ clock. It is interesting to note that this process uses the English Blythe enamel, applied over various layers at 900 degrees Celsius. The temperature is rigorously controlled to achieve a royal purple hue, a skill for which the enameller requires decades of experience to perfect.