Through our creations, independent artisans pass on their stories and legacy. Family, mentors, traditions, significant encounters, and so much more – all contribute to a heritage from diverse origins. With a passion for watchmaking the catalyst, Monday opens the first chapter of a sharing of their visions and dreams. To do them honor and justice requires perfect mastery of age-old skills: the decorative ornaments must be as majestic as the mechanical heart they shelter.
This commitment to a collaboration between time-honored crafts, is one facet of the ethos that Renaud Tixier brings to light - as a guardian of a legacy of savoir-faire that transcends generations, through ongoing sharing and dialogue between artisans and collectors.
Monday, Renaud Tixier's first opus, is the result of a wondrous synergy of crafts: the watchmaking artistry of Dominique Renaud and Julien Tixier meets the hand engraving of Coralie Mercier and the grand feu enameling of Maëlle Constant.
Coralie Mercier is recognized as a virtuoso in the delicate art of watch engraving. Each of gesture of her craft demands perfection and brings life to the surfaces she carves. Her work, characterized by its precision and beauty, already adorns numerous timepieces, each one exceptional.
Monday is the repository of all of Coralie's hand engraving savoir-faire, handed down through the generations over several millennia, and finally through her, onto your wrist. The case middle, lugs, and barrel ratchet are all entirely engraved. This meticulous work sets the stage for Maëlle Constant's enameling prowess.
The enameling process is one of striking contrasts. It begins with Maëlle grinding and preparing the glazes with the greatest care before applying them equal precision using a brush. Then comes an even more delicate stage - because each color is a mineral with its own melting point. Firing is a rare skill, a bend of expertise and intuition, honed over many hours at the kiln, and reserved only to a handful of craftspeople: to know for how long and how hot. Indeed, the margin of error for each firing time is a matter of seconds. Here, true mastery of the material is what ensures that exactly the desired rendering is achieved. A craftswoman's instinct, shaped by learning and the transmission of a rare savoir-faire from generation to generation.
The practice of enameling dates back to Mycenean civilization, around 3500 years ago. Related to glass, enamel is a vitrified, unalterable mineral material characterized by exceptional durability.
Passion, experience, and perseverance are essential to grasp the profound complexity of this ancient artistic craft. The secrets of watch face enameling are well-guarded: it is a savoir-faire that is handed down from artisan to artisan, giving it a distinctly human dimension.
Coralie Mercier, Maëlle Constant, and Julien Tixier regularly gather in their adjacent workshops nestled in the Vallée de Joux. Their formidable expertise is a given, but the true key to the success of their collaboration lies in its effortlessness. Forged over the course of their watchmaking projects, it is more than that; it is a shared journey of discovery in the realm of watchmaking.
In nurturing this fluid exchange between independent artisan-craftspeople, Renaud Tixier establishes a paradigm not typically associated with watchmaking. Where Monday comes to life, time flows differently - at the heart of the equation is the passing on and down of savoir-faire.
For the texture, several techniques exist, such as charcoal texturing, tremblage, or hammering. We chose a never-before-seen finish, which requires a special tool that only Coralie can master. This gives Monday its unique engraving and rare character.
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The case middle is in intricately engraved along the flanks and between the lugs – a process more complex than it appears. Here, Coralie first engraves a separate plate, which is subsequently affixed to the case.
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The barrel ratchet is embellished with motifs that subtly shine and stand out in relief. The engraving, crafted with a flat-pointed chisel and polished, yields a sense of depth with a richly textured appearance.
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The engravings are carefully hand-executed one at a time, aim to achieve a consistent effect of texture and relief. A time-intensive process that requires not only skill and precision but also great care and patience with rose and white gold.
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For the enameling, Maëlle begins by grinding the enamels into a fine powder using a marble mortar. Sight, touch and sound – her senses are carefully attuned to achieve the optimal grain, which crucial to preventing bubbles from forming during firing.
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The powdered enamels are then thoroughly washed to eliminate any impurities that could cause imperfections.
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The enamel is applied with precision, taking care not to compromise the engraving. This process involves five layers of enamel, each requiring a separate firing at temperatures ranging from 600 to 800°C.
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Each color requires its own specific firing duration. Overfiring will alter the color; if the temperature is not high enough, however, the result will be imperfect vitrification and diminished brilliance.
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After each firing, the surface is painstakingly checked for any imperfections to ensure the final rendering meets the color and depth determined at the outset.
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After applying the five coats, Maëlle meticulously removes any excess enamel and smooths the surface through a careful stoning process. A final, sixth firing is then conducted to perfect the glaze and achieve the radiance that is particular to grand feu enameling. It can take up to five hours to complete an enameled component.
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