Jewellery & Watch News
Symbolising wealth, opulence and beauty, Fabergé watches are famed for their intricate designs created using traditional techniques such as gem setting, enamel and guilloche. These breathtaking timepieces are more like works of art than timekeepers with some of the most elaborate dial designs we have ever seen. Yet, the luxury jewellery and watch brand refuses to neglect perfection at the core and have enlisted the help of some of the world’s most celebrated movement makers to create in-house automatic calibres to power their Fabergé watches.
Fabergé is much more than just an ordinary watch manufacturer, with a magical history that spans over the last two centuries. Peter Carl Fabergé , the original genius behind the Fabergé name, was known for being an expert in the art form of enamelling. Before he took over his father’s jewellery business, as a teenager he embarked upon a Grand Tour of Europe where he received tuition from respected goldsmiths in Germany, France and England and soon after became involved with cataloguing, repairing and restoring masterpieces in the Hermitage museum in Russia. Quickly after that, he founded the Fabergé name in 1882 and began to create the famous Fabergé eggs.
In 1885, Peter Carl Fabergé was commissioned to create elaborate Fabergé eggs for the Russian Tsars. Tsar Alexander III was the first to request an Easter Egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna. Thanks to the breathtaking creation that was presented to the royals, the tradition of the Tsar giving his Empress an Easter Egg continued for many years. In total, the House of Fabergé created 50 Imperial eggs for Alexander III to present to his Empress and for Nicholas II to present to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and his wife the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Following this, the House of Fabergé was bestowed with the coveted title "Goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown".
Today, the same breathtaking techniques that are used to create Fabergé eggs are used to engineer their collections of Fabergé watches. Let’s look at all their latest models in more detail…
Fabergé Compliquee Watches
With the lavish design of a peacock on the dial, the Fabergé Compliquee watch collection is instantly recognisable and upholds Peter Carl Fabergé’s tradition of surprise and meticulous execution. This stunning range of luxury watches for women showcases a new time display which was exclusively designed for Fabergé by Agenhor Manufacture. The hand winding movement won the prestigious 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève award, one of the Swiss watchmaking industry’s highest honours for its unique display which uses the peacocks tail to display the minutes while the hour is demonstrated in sophisticated Arabic numerals on the outer bezel.
There are a huge range of Fabergé Compliquee watches to choose from, each crafted from their own mesmerising array of luxurious materials. With cases crafted from 18 carat white gold, 18 carat rose gold and platinum and dials embellished with diamonds and white mother of pearl, these Fabergé watches for women are not to be hidden under the sleeve. Each model also comes fitted with high quality sapphire crystal glass and an exhibition case back where you can see the beautifully detailed Côtes de Genève decorated upper bridge and many other components of the hand-wound 6901 calibre.
Fabergé Visionnaire Watches
For the men, the Fabergé Visionnaire watch collection expresses masculinity and its finest. The bold and multifaceted structures represent the grandeur of Faberge’s legacy while the technology hidden within showcases their newly developed and powerful innovations in watchmaking. There are two key models within the collection: the Fabergé Visionnaire DTZ and the Fabergé Visionnaire Chronograph. The Visionnaire DTZ adopts a highly advanced method of displaying two time zones at once to provide dream functionality for world travellers, with the classic analog display shown around the edge and the second time zone displayed boldly in the centre.
The Fabergé Visionnaire Chronograph on the other hand marks a new standard in charting time and was released to mark 100 years after the start of the Russian Revolution. The chronograph also pays homage to the unfinished Constellation Egg of 1917, the last Imperial egg to be created by Peter Carl Fabergé. Its stunning display includes the hour and minutes at the periphery of the dial while the chronograph function takes centre stage. We particularly love the Fabergé Visionnaire Chronograph Ceramic watch which boasts a stunning opaline dial and a 43mm black ceramic and titanium case.
Fabergé Altruist Watches
Sophistication at its finest, the Fabergé Altruist watch collection is designed especially for self-assured men who know exactly what they want in a luxury timepiece, and thanks to the intricate detailing and elegant aesthetic, choosing the Fabergé Altruist is easy. We are so thankful that they have kept the face clean and effortless with a classic three-hand dial that works perfectly for every occasion. The textured finish of the dial also looks absolutely breathtaking up-close and is available in black, silver or blue.
The watches within the Fabergé Altruist collection showcase the self-winding 3000 calibre, a movement with a power reserve of 50 hours, 28 jewels and 28,8000 vibrations per hour. The movement can be wound and adjusted by the crown at 3 o clock which has been designed with a pivoting finger-grip to give the feel of winding up old clockwork. This distinctive addition offers a playful and kinetic element to the design that is hard to find in modern -day timepieces and is something that fans of traditional watchmaking will love.
Fabergé Dalliance Watches
If there was ever a collection of luxury watches that proved the creativity and attention to detail of Fabergé, it is the Fabergé Dalliance watches. These unbelievable timepieces illustrate the brand’s ability to instantly capture attention with architecture filled with precious gemstones including emeralds, diamonds, sapphires and rubies. These materials are employed using both traditional and contemporary techniques including gemstone carving and micro-saturation of platinum on sapphire and mother-of-pearl.
The beauty of the Fabergé Dalliance Lady Levity watch comes from its ability to be made completely bespoke to its wearer. Unlike any other watch manufacturer, Fabergé gives you the unique ability to choose the central decoration of the watch which then becomes a secret feature completely personal to you. The design is printed in platinum over domed sapphire crystal and finished with white mother of pearl to create a subtle effect that is only visible to the wearer under certain light. Many of the Fabergé Dalliance watches are also available with their own central decorations like the Fabergé Lady Levity Pig watch which showcases a pig decoration at its centre for Chinese New Year 2019, inspired by a silver gilt, enamel and rock crystal desk clock created by Peter Carl Fabergé.
Fabergé Flirt Watches
Last but certainly not least is the Fabergé Flirt watch collection. This bold and exciting range of luxury watches stand out against its brothers and sisters with colourful dial designs and bold straps that are designed especially for those that dare to be different. Measuring to 36mm in size, these Fabergé watches are suitable for both men and women and are available in a huge range of designs including 18 carat white gold and rose gold cases, dials in orange, blue, burgundy and yellow and alligator leather straps to match.
Fabergé Flirt watches are inspired by the original shapes created by Peter Carl Fabergé himself with an unusual element at its centre: a ring contained at the heart of the case. Many of the dials follow suit with two superimposed elements that instantly captivate from the wrist. We particularly love the Fabergé Flirt watches with 51 brilliant-cut diamonds (1.53 ct) on the bezel for a completely luxurious finish. From within, we are promised complete precision thanks to the self-winding 3000 calibre.
If any of these incredible collections of Fabergé watches have taken your fancy or you would just love to learn more, please feel free to head over to our website or contact our talented team of watch specialists at sales@cwsellors.com or on 01335 453453.
