Profile: Anita Porchet

Anita Porchet - Portrait from thenakedwatchmaker.com

What do you think of when the word ‘enamel’ is mentioned? 

I think of shiny smooth white dials, a kiln firing at 800 odd degrees Celsius and... that's about it really. Not much else comes to mind. Nevermind the fact that the art of enamelling is an art form that one may not master even after 20 or even 30 years of experience. There is nothing quite like a clean, crisp, white enamel dial, and Seiko’s use of it is a testament to the elegance in simplicity. But the art of enamelling, that’s a whole ‘nother thing. What? How hard can it be to do a white enamel dial? You've come to the right place. 

Many years ago when I was lucky enough to have visited Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, during a tour of their in-house enamel workshop, founded by Miklos Merczel, we were told that enamelling was a craft in danger of being lost to time – it wasn’t being taught in schools, and apprentices weren’t willing to invest decades into honing the craft. 

Things have changed dramatically since then. Due to the increased demand of enamelled timepieces over the past decade it is again being professionally taught, and new life given to a once dying craft. However, this may be a blessing and a curse. It is no longer as rare as it used to be, and although the price of admission isn’t exactly low, those with the means are able to acquire a piece of miniature art relatively easily. It almost became industrialised insomuch as a craft can be; a product, rather than art. There are views that the Swiss watch industry should keep some things ‘sacred’ and not mass produce everything because of demand. 

Hermes Cape Cod

So what exactly does it take to become a master enameller? Like watchmaking it is a highly skilled craft and takes years, if not decades, to be anywhere near good enough for your craft to be recognised and perhaps commissioned by brands (watch or otherwise) or an in-house artisan. 

Currently, one of the most respected and revered is the independent master enameller, Anita Porchet, although if you ask her, she would not call herself that. In fact, after two decades of producing amazing pieces for the likes of Patek Philippe (who were one of the first to recognise her talent), Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, Hermes, and other prestigious Maisons, she still feels that she has not mastered the art. And therein lies the problem of the industry. 

Piaget The Rose - Featuring Cloisonné technique

As with many crafts, increasing popularity entices more people to study it, with some not hesitating to label themselves “enameller” with mere months of experience. For sure there are some talented artists who may acquire the skills of miniaturising art, but enamel isn’t like painting. It requires time to be familiar with the raw materials, to know when the grain is fine enough, and to time each firing in the kiln to perfection, as a few seconds too long in the kiln can ruin months’ worth of work. Impurities in the glass can cause bubbles or discolouration. There are no shortcuts. 

Working on Piaget - The Rose

Anita Porchet was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds and learnt the basics of enamel work through her godfather, before studying fine arts. It would turn out to be portentous when she won a Patek Philippe prize shortly after graduating. Her significance is as such that in 2015 the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie presented her with the “Hommage au Talent” prize. It is important to note that as well as her own artistic work and her apprentices, she has also taught, including at the School of Applied Arts (EAA) in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Various enamel colours

She started out solo in the 1980s, establishing her home studio in the countryside somewhere between Geneva and Lausanne in 1993. She now has three apprentices. During her long career she has experienced the dramatic rise in demand of the craft last two decades; from almost no takers to brands spending millions creating enamel timepieces. Back in the mid-1990s, Patek Philippe requested from Anita Porchet her first enamel dials. Then other Maisons followed. She became more skilled and more proficient, and over the years created an unique signature, as well as mastering a wide range of disciplines:

Champlevé - which consists of cutting away troughs or cells in a metal plate and filling the depressions with enamel. The raised metal lines between the cutout areas form the design outline.

Paillonné (Spangling) - which involves applying microscopic specks of gold leaf to the enamel

Cloisonné - a technique that allows the motif to be outlined with a gold wire finer than a hair’s breadth

Grisaille - a technique by which an image is executed entirely in shades of grey and usually severely modelled to create the illusion of sculpture

Limoges - white painting - using enamel very finely ground with heavy vegetable oils, which gives a very thick white paste. 

Dawn on the lake by Anita Porchet for Patek Philippe's175th anniversary

A Patek Philippe dome clock with cloisonne and paillone enamel

Some of her more challenging work included creating the ceiling of the Opéra Garnier on the Métiers d’Art Chagall & l’Opéra de Paris “Tribute to Famous Composers” for Vacheron Constantin, the reproduction of Judith by Gustav Klimt on a Patek Philippe pocketwatch involved a combination of techniques.  

Opéra Garnier on the Métiers d’Art Chagall & l’Opéra de Paris “Tribute to Famous Composers” for Vacheron Constantin

Porchet has achieved her consistent level of quality only after years of experimentation, and it can take up to a year to finish a complex dial. Each firing in the kiln can last between 30 to 90 seconds. Even if the timing is perfect, it is no guarantee the step WILL be successful. “Cracks on enamel do not all happen for the same reasons,” Porchet explains to Robb Report. “The origin of the cracks can come from the quality of the colour, from the thickness, or from the metal. I try to find a solution for each case, but it’s not always possible.” It is this skill, accumulation of experience over time, that makes Anita Porchet a master enameller, a title which I’m sure she will refuse.

*I mentioned the significance of Patek Philippe to the career of Anita Porchet. One of the first things that those new to Patek (and who are not native French speakers) learn is that the ‘émail’ on some dials does not refer to electronic mail but that it is the French word for enamel. Thus, an enameller is an ‘émailler’.