Schwarz Etienne Celebrates Flower Power with Ode to the Seventies

Schwarz Etienne has always been a poetic maison, creating highly original timepieces such as Ode to the Week and, more recently, Ode to Spring. Now, the Swiss manufacture, once again, embraces artisanal craftsmanship with Ode to the 70’s.

This new watch celebrates the era of Flower Power, freedom of expression and, most notably, peace and love. The Ode to the 70’s is endowed with a flying tourbillon, micro-rotor and high-end movement finishing. However, beyond its technical virtuosity, this watch is enriched with a cornucopia of métiers d’art. The dial is enlivened with cloisonné fired enamel, an ancient technique for embellishing metal. The dial design pays reverence to the psychedelic art of the 1970s, inviting wearers to reminisce to a time when idealism and love were omnipresent.

Schwarz Etienne continues to perpetuate creative thought and uphold artisanal craftsmanship by releasing its latest timepiece, Ode to the 70’s. This watch is the latest chapter in the company’s poetic series of watches, Ode to the Week, a set of seven tourbillons, one for each day of the week and, more recently, Ode to Spring. Each of these timepieces pairs the manufacture’s mechanical prowess with the emotional wonder of métiers d’art.

The Ode to the 70’s is inspired by an era when ‘peace and love’ was the mantra of the young and freedom of expression set aside the opinions of the political elite. This was a period when creativity was prized and convention was ignored. It is these latter traits which resonate with Schwarz Etienne, a company which has always conceived watches, free of inhibition, enriched with a character all of their own.

The luminescent hour and minute hands sit above an artistic canvas enhanced with cloisonné fired enamel. Swirling patterns are formed with white gold wire affixed to a white gold dial. The wire forms small compartments. Each of these compartments is filled with a paste of enamel powder and then fired in an oven (circa 800°C). The enameller has to exercise great care to ensure the surface does not bubble or crack. Part of the enameller’s skill is knowing the best temperature for a specific shade and when to remove the dial from the kiln as its color will continue to evolve once removed from the heat source. Once the disc has cooled, another compartment is filled with paste and the process is repeated. This method is laborious and requires much expertise.

Three, centrally located circlets grace the dial. One is an aperture for the flying tourbillon, the second reveals the partially exposed ratchet wheel and the third is the upper surface of the micro-rotor. The micro-rotor features the ‘peace and love’ logo, is varnished in four colors and includes period-specific engravings.

At the heart of the Ode to the 70’s is the ‘Irreversible’ TSE 121.00. Unusually, this manufacture movement presents the micro-rotor on the dial-side of the movement. The teeth of the ratchet wheel are partially shown and the flying tourbillon is fully disclosed. The balance wheel incorporates the Schwarz Etienne logo and features the company’s in-house hairspring, a further illustration of its impressive technical capability.

Housed in an 18-karat white gold case, measuring 44mm in diameter, the Ode to the 70’s is supplied on a distinctive blue jeans strap. This strap is adorned with hand-painted splashes, applied by a specialist in miniature painting. The blue jeans strap features a red alligator lining and is paired with an 18-karat white gold folding buckle incorporating the Schwarz Etienne logo.

This limited edition of 23 pieces confers a notable degree of exclusivity. In addition, as each dial is crafted by hand, prospective clients can augment the rarity of their timepiece by specifying the colors depicted on the face of the watch.

Schwarz Etienne invites would-be wearers to don their flared jeans, celebrate freedom of expression and embrace the optimism of the 70s.

Peace and love!

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