Baselworld 2015: Fabergé Lady Compliquée, of eggs and peacocks

The oval is one of the primordial forms say some. The egg, too, would be in this geometrical class. Indeed, the ovoid form is perfect, both fragile and yet resistant to pressure. It matches perfectly the mind of many women, who are sensitive and yet tenacious in all situations. The egg, which embodies the notion of procreation, has all the qualifications to act as a universal form for life itself. And speaking of eggs, the most famous ones are undoubtedly those created by the jeweler Fabergé.

Fabergé Lady Compliquée Peacock

A peacock born from an egg

What was obviously required to create the Lady Compliquée collection by Fabergé was a perfect equation, namely to make use of the oval of the egg, for the softness it emanates, and then integrate a complication that would recall the magic that the master jeweler has always managed to conjure. To find that perfect equilibrium, the company turned to Jean-Marc Wiederrecht for this new creation, one combining abundant sensuality with a highly imaginative way of displaying time. This horological genius, the founder of the Agenhor manufacture, has collaborated in a wide variety of projects in the industry and has become a veritable wizard of the mechanical watch world. Over the years, he has created a particular design style that makes for horological developments that are not only very complex, but also always feature a high level of poetry. Living up to his reputation, this highly gifted watch designer implemented the Fabergé specifications to produce a platinum watch with a manually-wound caliber built by his own team (Cal. 6901). This serves as the foundation of a highly creative way to show the time of day.

Fabergé Lady Compliquée Winter

Fan of time

What was required was a link between the present watch and the famous eggs of Fabergé. The company chose an egg dating to 1908 made of rock crystal and containing an automaton showing a peacock fanning out its tail feathers. The otherwise colorful animal was sculpted in monochrome manner out of white gold. This symbol of fidelity is reinterpreted with great skill on a bed of (snow-set)diamonds and colored stones (Paraiba tourmalines, tsavorites). This delightful bird is enclosed in a dome of sapphire crystal that recalls the curve of an egg. It spreads out its tail feathers along the minute track, with numerals engraved in a mother-of –pearl base, while the hours turn along the periphery on a ring of solid mother-of-pearl.

Fabergé Lady Compliquée backcase

On this 38-millimeter dial, the time is read at 3 o'clock that is in the extension of the crown. This magnificently poetic expression of time has the minutes indicated at the tip of the peacock's tail feathers, while the hours glide in the opposite direction, a unique way to show the time, as are all creations from this maison. By the way: Jean-Marc Wiederrecht also created another timepiece using the same 14 1/2-line (30.69-millimeter) mechanism. The time is shown in an identical way, but it's with a fan that opens on a stylized background inspired by a frozen egg (the Winter Egg of 1913), signed Fabergé.