Voutilainen 28LQU Unique Piece

Created and developed especially for a collector inspired by his dream and desire to reach the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, the Voutilainen 28LQU Unique Piece embodies the symbiosis of Tatsuo Kitamura’s extraordinary Japanese lacquer artistry with Kari Voutilainen’s philosophy of longevity, precision and classical watchmaking tradition. This one-of-a-kind piece is a complete work of mechanical and visual art, seamlessly blending Eastern and Western influences in perfect harmony.

Kitamura Studio and Urushi Lacquer Tradition

Kitamura Studio, one of the world’s foremost Urushi lacquer studios, is located in Wajima, Japan. Under the guidance of Mr. Tatsuo Kitamura, it produces Urushi lacquer art that represents the pinnacle of Japanese tradition, carrying a craft that has endured for centuries into the modern era. Each piece embodies a profound respect for preserving the soul, spirit, and cultural identity of traditional Japan, as it was expressed during the Edo period (1615-1868). Among the various Urushi lacquering techniques, such as ‘Maki-e’ and ‘Raden’ in true classical tradition, Kitamura particularly excels in his own original one, ‘Saiei Maki-e’, which imparts a contemporary feel. This outstanding unique know-how uses various kinds and colors of special shells and fine gold inlay to recreate ‘Somada’ technique – an extremely detailed, burnished maki-e art established in the 17th century but lost by the 19th century. Besides making his artworks, in recent years, the studio has also devoted energy to restoring traditional items once used by Edo-period feudal lords. Crafted hundreds of years ago, they retain their pristine beauty today, thanks to their durability and the ability to be restored, even when handled directly. This superlative artistry engages the viewer on a physical level, inspiring awe for the dedication, patience, and mastery essential to their creation.

The Voutilainen 28LQU Unique Piece

The one-of-a-kind timepiece highlights a distinctive dial made using Urushi lacquering technique along with a movement whose bridges and ratchet wheel are crafted with the same meticulous art, requiring over a thousand hours of work. The raw materials used in this artwork include ‘Urushi’ (tree sap), ‘Kinpun’ (various gold powder), ‘Kirigane’ (cut-gold) and ‘Kirigai’ (cut-shells from great green turban and New Zealand abalone).

According to the collector’s wish, the dial depicts the sunset over Everest with golden light cascading gradually from the summit. The landscape’s background features a striking starry night. The sea of clouds with flowing and drifting clouds rolled through the valley below the mountain is accentuated in shades of changeable shell colors (blue, green, or pink by interplays of light and shade) and gold, while two and a half “lucky clouds” at 3, 4 and 8 o’clock complete the overall design. To achieve this intricate dial, the original technique ‘Saiei Maki-e’ was employed on the top of surface, which manifests colors of profound richness, depending on the angle of light, and dark and light contrasts impart a three-dimensional visual effect. The materials are Urushi red lacquer, gold-powder, cut-gold and cut-shells.

On the caseback, the beauty of the movement can be admired featuring a main plate crafted from German-silver and titanium bridges, all enhanced by hand-applied Urushi lacquer decoration using the Saiei Maki-e technique. In alignment with the collector's vision and Mr. Kitamura's guidance, the ratchet showcases a depiction of the lotus flower inspiration as it opens its delicate petals at dawn, set against a red stunning starry night sky. Cut-gold, cut-shells, Urushi deep-blue lacquer, and gold-powder particle are put together to create such a work of art.

The Voutilainen 28LQU is equipped with an in-house caliber that incorporates a very large balance wheel crafted internally, allowing a perfect regulation of the watch within strict tolerances. Additionally, a rare and unique balance-spring system has been used : the exterior of the spring has a typical Phillips overcoil, while the internal curve uses the little-known Grossmann one further increasing accuracy. Furthermore, the movement is particularly remarkable due to its two escapement wheels, which provide a direct impulse to the balance through the roller/jewel. This innovative construction improves efficiency by requiring less energy than the Swiss lever escapement and allows for notable benefits, for everyday use, such as longevity, stability and a longer power reserve.

Completing the overall design, the timepiece features a stylish and elegant 39 mm tantalum case paired with a hand-sewn blue crocodile strap.

About Urushi lacquer’s techniques

MAKI-E is a lacquer work and a decoration technique in which designs or patterns are drawn in Urushi lacquer, over which gold-powder is sprinkled (scattered) while the lacquer is wet, securing the design on the surface.

RADEN is a mother-of-pearl inlay work and a decoration technique in which designs or patterns are drawn in Urushi lacquer, gold-powder, pieces of cut-gold, turban and abalone shell.

Technical specifications

Voutilainen 28LQU Unique Piece

Case

• Material: Case and crown made in-house from tantalum
• Diameter: 39 mm
• Glass: Sapphire glasses front and back with anti-reflection treatment

Dial and hands

• Unique art piece created by the legendary Japanese lacquer Kitamura Studio depicting the world’s famous mountain, the Everest
• Hands made from gold

Movement

• Unique, in house designed movement with hours and minutes, two escapement wheels with direct impulse
• Design, construction, fabrication, finishing and assembly in the Voutilainen workshops
• Diameter : 30.00mm
• Number of components : 202
• German-silver main plate, steel rachet wheel and bridges made from titanium with art decoration hand-made by the legendary Japanese lacquer Kitamura Studio
• Wheels made from gold
• Number of jewels: 21
• Frequency : 18,000 v.p.h, free sprung balance wheel with rose gold timing weights
• Balance diameter : 13.50mm
• Balance-spring with Phillips terminal curve and Grossmann internal curve
• Power reserve of 65 hours

Functions/Indications

• Hand-sewn blue crocodile strap

MSRP: Not disclosed

For more information, please visit voutilainen.ch