It was just a few months ago that Patek Philippe unveiled a wide range of Rare Handcrafts at its Geneva salon, but that hasn’t stopped the brand from releasing another full slate of Dome Clocks, pocket watches, and wristwatches at its Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Milan.

The brand’s capacity for artistic craft is vast, as is the selection of motifs, which is not limited to Milan. Subject matter ranges from miniature views of the Amalfi coast to Byzantine mosaics, with Italian architecture, landscapes and decorative arts supplying the common thread.

The Table Clock ref. 25028M-001 “City of Milan” is a natural place to start since it puts the host city at the centre of the collection. Its map spreads across the dial and curved side panels, with the Duomo picked out in gold using paillonné enamel. Keeping the streets aligned as they pass between the three surfaces is one of the more demanding aspects of Patek Philippe Table Clocks, which are a staple of the brand’s Watch Art exhibitions.

About 11 m of gold wire outlines the districts, filled with blues, greens and turquoises over barleycorn guilloche. The translucent flinqué enamel allows the underlying texture to remain visible, while opaque white distinguishes the principal roads. Four lozenge-shaped markers on the bezel serve both as quarter-hour indications and compass points. The “City of Milan” is a limited edition of three pieces.

The Dome Clock ref. 20180M-001 “Ravenna” takes the intricate outlines considerably further. Inspired by the fifth-century mosaics of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the unique piece requires an extraordinary 33.4 m of gold wire, weighing about 84 g, to reproduce the tiny tesserae.

The effect depends on breaking up the surface into small individual elements, rather than simply painting a mosaic pattern. Twenty enamel colours fill the partitions, with miniature painting refining the details. Interestingly, the golden sheen comes from silver leaf beneath translucent enamel. The technique also illuminates the star-studded dial centre, continuing the decoration of the mausoleum.

The Dome Clock ref. 20179M-001 “Sicilian Oranges” — like the very similar ref. 20185M-001 “Sicilian Lemons” — uses contrasting techniques to establish distance. The orange trees occupy the foreground in cloisonné enamel, while Palermo appears beyond them in miniature painting.

A rich palette of 49 enamel colours gives the fruit and foliage their intensity. Just four or five additional pastel colours soften the distant city, with shading and blurred details helping separate the two planes. The dial takes its cue from a Sicilian church clock, complete with Roman numerals and a cut-out sun at its centre. Like its lemon-themed counterpart, it is unique.

The Dome Clock ref. 20183M-001 “Italian Stamps” approaches architecture through philately. Old postage stamps depicting monumental fountains provide the subject matter, with the fountains and city names engraved beneath translucent brown enamel.

Gold leaf brightens the frames of the fountain vignettes, while three gold stars locate their cities on the map covering the dome. A compass rose adds a reference to Italy’s explorers. The dial has a marble hour ring and a blue flinqué enamel centre, surrounded by tritons and scrolls recalling fountain sculptures.

All the Dome Clocks use the cal. 17’’’ PEND, a mechanical movement periodically rewound by an electric motor. The electric winding provides the convenience expected of a clock without losing the romance (and future-proof repairability) of a mechanical movement.

The Golden Ellipse ref. 5738/50R-017 “Sunset in Tuscany” captures a village beneath a reddening evening sky. Its most remarkable statistic is the variety of wood involved: 57 species, assembled into 203 veneer parts and 75 smaller inlays.

That range supplies the subtle shifts in colour and grain needed to distinguish the buildings, fields and sky. Wood seems particularly well suited to the subject, its natural warmth complementing the rural scene. Despite the highly artisanal nature of the marquetry dial, 10 pieces will be produced.

A pair of Golden Ellipse models takes the architectural theme indoors. The Golden Ellipse ref. 5738/50R-027 “The Great Gallery” looks down the 80 m Galleria Grande at Venaria Palace near Turin.

The elongated Golden Ellipse dial is a useful frame for the receding floor, columns and sculpture niches. About 1.2 m of gold wire establishes the perspective, while miniature painting adds the veining of the dark marble pavement. Each of the five dials being produced require a dozen firings, performed under the supervision of Anita Porchet, hence the coveted “A.P.” signature.

The Golden Ellipse ref. 5738/50G-050 “Baroque Decoration” shifts the view upwards to the palace’s painted ceilings, arches and oculus. The emphasis is on the ornament overhead, giving it a different composition despite the shared source material. At first glance I thought I recognised St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, but it is in fact a similar church near Turin.

Cloisonné enamel establishes the architecture, with miniature painting filling in the smaller decorative details. A mauve alligator strap introduces an unusual colour choice alongside the white-gold case. Curiously, while these two Golden Ellipse references represent something of a pair, they are produced in different numbers; the “Baroque Decoration” is a limited edition of six pieces.

The Calatrava ref. 5177G-011 “Amalfi Escapade” begins a four-watch road trip around Italy. A small Italian car negotiates the coastal road, with the sea and cliffs providing the scenery.

The lavish palette is the standout detail: 35 enamel colours establish the composition, with a further 32 used for miniature painting. Those additional shades give the clouds their volume and the sea its changing greens.

The Calatrava refs. 5077/100J-010 “Bay of Naples”, 5077/100R-072 “Capri Beach”, and 5077/100G-082 “The Pink Bay” return to the Amalfi coast with hand-guilloché waves beneath translucent flinqué enamel to give the water a natural-looking texture that changes with the light.

Cloisonné enamel establishes the trees and landscapes, while miniature enamel painting supplies details like parasols and beachgoers. All three watches in the “Amalfi Coast” group are limited to six pieces each, with 112 diamonds decorating their bezels and lugs.

The Golden Ellipse and Calatrava models share the familiar automatic cal. 240, which avoids crowding the dials with unnecessary seconds hand and keeps the cases quite slim.

The Pocket Watch ref. 992/193J-001 “Burano” journeys north to the Venetian island, focusing on its brightly coloured canal-side houses. Legend has is that families would paint their houses in these vibrant colours to help the head of the household, typically a fisherman, find his way home at the end of a trip.

The vibrant case back uses 70 enamel colours, with gold and silver leaf beneath the enamel bringing sparkle to the reflections on the water. On the dial, the same trick is used to create shimmering reflections for the Breguet numerals.

Burano’s other speciality appears in the hand engraving around the case back, bezel and bow, which borrows from an old lace pattern.

The Pocket Watch ref. 995/147G-001 “Venetian Cruise” depicts a wooden runabout entering the Grand Canal early in the morning. Wood marquetry is an apt choice for the boat, with glossy varnish recreating its polished mahogany surfaces.

The vessel consists of 334 veneer parts and 15 smaller inlays drawn from 37 wood species. It is set into an enamel background, where miniature painting supplies the buildings, sky and ripples. The contrast between the actual wood and the painted surroundings gives the construction an additional point of interest.

On the front, a matte black enamel dial with red hands borrows from a boat’s instrument panel. It’s an unusually utilitarian look for the Rare Handcrafts series, but the no-expense-spared approach to its construction allows it to fit right in. The stark contrast between the front and the back — together with the high level of execution — make it one of my favourite releases in the series.

Finally, the Pocket Watch ref. 995/151G-001 “Dante” is inspired by Botticelli’s depiction of the famous poet. Dante stands against deep blue enamel scattered with powdered gold stars, framed by architectural elements and drawings inspired by the Divine Comedy.

The portrait combines cloisonné enamel and miniature painting, with more than 25 firings required for the decoration. The dial continues the literary tribute through laurel leaves, while powdered gold stars serve as hour markers.

The laurel motif does a good job uniting the theme across both sides of the watch, and Dante’s portrait is gorgeously rendered. One of the great things about enamel painting is that the colours are indelible; they do not fade. In this case, the vibrant red hue should stand the test of time.

All three pocket watches use the manually wound cal. 17’’’ LEP PS with small seconds. The traditional pocket watch format leaves the case backs free for the ever-ambitious decoration, while matching stands allow both sides to be appreciated, especially if installed on a revolving platform.

The Grand Exhibition takes places October 2-18, 2026, at CityOval in Milan. Entry is free but complimentary tickets are required and available via online registration at Watchart2026.patek.com.

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