At first, his support meant that Chee had bespoke watches made for himself. As these artisans have slowly become a dying breed, he decided to support their traditions. That’s where he got to know many highly skilled but unknown artists who create amazing artisanal products using traditional skills and techniques. The first is the Celadon Haute Horlogerie line, which features high-end handmade watches, like the ones in this review.
I enjoy multiple modern Delft Blue pieces as small art pieces in my house. This classically shaped “moon case” is beautifully finished by hand. While brands like Behrens and Atelier Wen focus more on contemporary watchmaking, Celadon is all about traditional craftsmanship deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Over the past decade, we have seen more and more Chinese brands follow that principle but not often in the way Chee does it with Celadon HH. Over a decade later, that has turned into three brands that have made a name for themselves in the watch world. Celebrating it’s 5th anniversary this year, Maison Celadon is proud to present pre-orders for the limited edition Celestial Silk collection through its micro-site.
The Celadon CL Imperial watches are powered by the Seagull ST18 automatic movement, maintaining the brand’s emphasis on and commitment to Chinese production. It’s also important to note that legibility is often at least partially sacrificed on watches with such beautiful, artistic dials. That allows the art to shine, but it also makes setting the watch an absolute guessing game where the closest you can get is setting it at the hour. While the Silver Snow dial will catch your eye, the Cosmos will hold your gaze and definitely had me looking down at the watch with no intention of https://maisonmontres.com/ reading the time. Three solid colors, including the Silver Snow azure blue seen here, are offered, but the stars (pun absolutely intended) are the Cosmos dials, which feature a Galaxy or Nebula design. Each dial is made with grand feu enamel which then has silver flakes hand-applied to create depth and texture.
The story of the Celadon Haute Horlogerie Century
- As a watch writer, I sometimes run into something truly special and different from everything else.
- Su silk embroidery from Suzhou takes center stage in this collection, being the highest art form within the four primary schools of Silk embroidery in China, the others being Yue of Guangdong, Xiang of Hunan, and Shu of Sichuan.
- It was during his time spent living in London and Shanghai that he conceptualized the brand, having seen a distinct lack of representation from Chinese watch brands within the luxury segment.
The manual finishing, including black polishing, Chinese scroll stripes, and meticulous hand-beveling on inward and outward angles, is nothing short of impressive. The bridges, balance cock, and click are designed to look like the crested head and tail feathers of a phoenix. The Duo of Swallows model we received housed the brand’s flagship Calibre CH5, a creation by master watchmaker Lin Yong Hua exclusively for Celadon HH. It is so well done, and the watch feels like a true painting on the wrist.
This technique of enameling dates back 600 years in Chinese history and is tied to many historical artifacts and events. We had a few variations of the Century time-only model in our offices. The second brand Chee created is Milléchron, which celebrates the elegance of classical watchmaking. It all started with Celadon in 2012 to put the spotlight on traditional Chinese craftsmanship. That’s when the idea arose to start a business and sell the watches online. But as he posted them online, his friends started taking notice and expressing their interest in owning some.
The Duo of Swallows dial depicts an elegant scene of bird-and-flower painting, an art form that goes back millennia in Chinese culture and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. This blue and white tin-glazed earthenware is all around the Netherlands. Traditionally, the peacock embodies magnificence, power, and beauty in Chinese culture. Currently, there are 10 cloisonné enamel dial designs to choose from. No two dials are the same due to their artisanal creation process. On top of that, there is the risk of the dial cracking at any time during firing in the oven.
Maison Celadon has 49 models tracked in our database, with 5 currently in stock. Maison Celadon is an established watch brand, based in China. Individual models vary — check the catalog below for current pricing on each reference. The average retail price for a Maison Celadon watch is $13,652 across 49 models tracked on WatchPolice. Their catalog lists 49 models and examples include the Calibre 4414 (Add-on Module), Champlevé Imperial (Map of Singapore – Royal Blue), Champlevé Imperial (Map of Singapore – Cream), and the Cloisonné Imperial — SOLD OUT. Scraped directly from brand websites and secondary market data.
Some hands-on time with handmade watches that are pure works of art It was during his time spent living in London and Shanghai that he conceptualized the brand, having seen a distinct lack of representation from Chinese watch brands within the luxury segment. China has been the center of the watchmaking industry for decades, with much of the world’s timepieces today either being manufactured, assembled, or having their parts made in the nation. Further, the polished hands sometimes get lost against the dial, especially the blue dial, as they lack significant contrast.
Celadon is not necessarily a new brand, as it has existed since 2012. As you will understand, I was intrigued to learn more about the Celadon HH Century Cloisonné collection. After seeing the dials, it was apparent that incredible amounts of time and skill went into creating them.
A classic motif in Chinese art, plum blossoms are known to bloom even in the coldest winter. The Plum Blossom pattern is one which symbolizes ethereal elegance, and perseverance in times of adversity. The brand was founded by Benjamin Chee, an ethnic Chinese born in Singapore. WatchPolice tracks 49 watch models from Maison Celadon, of which 5 are currently available and 44 are currently sold out.
