Midnight Extraordinary Dial Maki-E

Midnight Maki-E

The most beautiful Japanese scenery inspires a limited edition of timepieces for men. In the expert hands of Hakose San, acting as master dial maker for Van Cleef & Arpels, several exceptional timepieces bring together the discretion and purity of the Midnight case with the exquisite and delicate precision of lacquer work. Five traditional landscapes, classic sources of inspiration for the masters of lacquer craftsmanship, are presented in a limited edition number of 8 pieces.

Inspiration
The running waters are inspired from very old designs from the midEdo era. It is obtained by light-colored lacquer. This lacquer was painted on top of the gold powder to get this impression of lightness. Twenty different types of gold powder which have different brilliancy are used, thus expressing the delicacy of the leaves.

The Ancient Japanese Art of Lacquering
This unique Japanese art uses various layers of resin to reproduce a drawing in relief entirely realized by hand. The ancestral art passed on generation by generation requires more than hundred different gestures, an extreme patience and a meticulous expertise.