Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts: 4 Pocket Watches Inspired By Italy
Four unique pocket watches transform Italian landscapes, architecture, history and literature into intricate works of horological art for Watch Art™ Grand Exhibition – Milan 2026.
Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts Pocket Watches form a collection of four unique creations presented for Watch Art™ Grand Exhibition – Milan 2026, each inspired by a different aspect of Italian culture. Burano, Venice, historic Italian architecture and Dante Alighieri provide the subjects for four pieces where enamel, engraving, guilloché, marquetry and miniature painting are used to create highly detailed scenes and decorative compositions.
Although each watch follows a different artistic direction, the four creations share the same philosophy: traditional decorative techniques are treated as an integral part of the watch rather than simply as ornament. From hundreds of individually cut pieces of wood to metres of fine gold wire and multiple layers of enamel fired at temperatures approaching 800°C, the craftsmanship is as important to these pieces as the movements housed inside them.
992/193J-001 — Burano
Inspired by the Venetian island of Burano, known for its brightly coloured houses and canals, the first pocket watch combines cloisonné, flinqué and paillonné enamel with hand-engraving. The unique yellow-gold case measures 44.1mm in diameter and 8.87mm thick, with the case back becoming the main canvas for an elaborate interpretation of the island.
The case back begins with hand-executed wave-pattern guilloché, which remains visible beneath translucent enamel. Around 2.8 metres of gold wire, weighing approximately 1.75 grams, are used for the cloisonné work, while a palette of 70 transparent, opaque and semi-opaque enamel colours creates the vivid composition. Gold and silver leaf are then incorporated beneath the enamel using the paillonné technique to reproduce the sparkling reflections of the water. The decoration requires approximately 15 firings at 800°C.
Hand-executed line engraving around the case back, bezel and bow takes inspiration from an ancient lace motif, connecting the watch to another of Burano’s traditional crafts. A red spinel cabochon decorates the crown, while the dial continues the aquatic theme with wave-pattern guilloché beneath translucent blue flinqué enamel and applied yellow-gold Breguet numerals.
The watch is accompanied by an elaborate yellow-gold stand featuring 108 spinels and 102 sapphires, together with a blue quartz base decorated with rock-crystal glyptic work. A matching yellow-gold chain carries a medallion set with additional sapphires and spinels.
Inside, the pocket watch houses the manually wound 17”’ LEP PS calibre with small seconds, offering a minimum power reserve of 50 hours.
995/147G-001 — Venetian Cruise
Venice returns in the second creation, this time through a scene depicting a mahogany pleasure boat entering the Grand Canal at daybreak. The unique white-gold pocket watch measures 45mm in diameter and 9.72mm thick, combining wood marquetry with miniature painting on enamel.
The mahogany boat is constructed from 334 individual veneer pieces and 15 smaller inlays, using a palette of 37 different wood species selected for their colours, textures and grain. The resulting composition is designed to reproduce the boat with a high degree of visual realism before it is integrated into the enamelled setting.
Around ten colours of miniature painting on enamel are used to create the early-morning sky, the Venetian buildings and the ripples on the water. Several coats of transparent flux, following the Geneva method, protect the scene and intensify its colours. The enamelwork requires 19 firings between 800°C and 830°C.
The maritime theme continues on the dial, where matt black enamel recalls the instrument panels of a boat. Red-varnished hands and transfer-printed Arabic numerals reinforce the connection to the runabout depicted on the case back, while an onyx cabochon crowns the case.
A white-gold presentation stand combines cordage-inspired decoration with a mahogany marquetry base set with an onyx cabochon. The watch is also accompanied by a white-gold chain featuring an onyx bead and a mahogany marquetry medallion.
The same manually wound 17”’ LEP PS calibre powers the watch, with small seconds and a minimum 50-hour power reserve.
995/148G-001 — Italian Stuccoes
The third pocket watch turns from landscapes to architecture. Italian Stuccoes takes inspiration from the elaborate stucco decorations found on ceilings and interiors of Italian Renaissance and Baroque palaces.
The unique white-gold case measures 45mm in diameter and 9.72mm thick. Its case back is first decorated with hand-executed sunburst guilloché, designed to remain visible beneath translucent green flinqué enamel. A sculptural applied ornament is then added, reproducing the rounded forms and volumes of historic stucco scrolls and shells.
The enamelwork requires six firings at 765°C, while the bow is shaped and finished by hand to complement the decoration of the case back. The dial takes a deliberately contrasting approach, using opaque white enamel inspired by the colour of plaster traditionally used for stucco work. White-gold Breguet numerals and leaf-shaped hands complete the composition, while a tsavorite cabochon decorates the crown.
The accompanying white-gold stand continues the architectural theme with a large shell finished by hand-engraving and positioned above a white-marble base set with a tsavorite cabochon. The white-gold chain carries a medallion decorated with a hand-engraved conch.
As with the other three pieces, the movement is the manually wound 17”’ LEP PS calibre with small seconds, 157 components, 18 jewels and a minimum power reserve of 50 hours.
995/151G-001 — Dante
The final pocket watch brings Italian literature into the collection through a tribute to Dante Alighieri and his Divine Comedy. Inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s portrait of Dante painted around 1495, this unique white-gold creation combines cloisonné enamel, miniature painting, gold powder and hand-engraving.
Dante’s portrait is recreated using 14 transparent and opaque enamel colours alongside six miniature-painting colours. The poet is placed against a deep blue background decorated with stars made from gold powder, while architectural elements inspired by Botticelli’s drawings for the Divine Comedy frame the composition. More than 25 firings at 800°C are required, followed by several layers of transparent flux using the Geneva method.
The dial presents another enamel composition. Approximately 19 centimetres of gold wire are used to create the cloisonné structure, which is then filled with 15 colours of transparent and opaque enamel to reproduce the subtle tones of laurel leaves. Gold-powder stars and white-gold leaf-shaped hands complete the design, while a blue enamel cabochon decorates the crown.
Measuring 44.1mm in diameter and 9.15mm thick, the white-gold case is accompanied by a presentation stand incorporating segments of rutilated quartz on a lapis pyrite base. A white-gold chain with a blue enamel medallion completes the presentation.
The manually wound 17”’ LEP PS calibre once again provides the mechanical foundation, with small seconds, 157 components, 18 jewels and a minimum power reserve of 50 hours.
Four Unique Expressions Of Italian Culture
Together, the four pocket watches present four very different interpretations of Italy. Burano focuses on colour, water and lace traditions; Venetian Cruise captures the atmosphere of Venice through wood marquetry and enamel painting; Italian Stuccoes translates architectural ornament into miniature sculpture; and Dante turns one of Italy’s most important literary figures into a composition of enamel, gold and engraving.
Every piece is a unique creation, and each demonstrates how Rare Handcrafts can transform a traditional timepiece into a miniature cultural object. The movements remain deliberately discreet beneath these elaborate exteriors, allowing the decorative arts to take centre stage while preserving the mechanical identity of the watch.
Created for Watch Art™ Grand Exhibition – Milan 2026, these four pocket watches show another side of Patek Philippe’s approach to métiers d’art: not simply reproducing Italian subjects, but interpreting them through techniques that require patience, precision and an exceptional degree of manual craftsmanship.
For more information, please visit the official Patek Philippe website.
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