Harry Winston Revives Feather Marquetry for the 21st Century

The name Harry Winston is synonymous with diamonds, but the house’s avian creations are what stole the show at Baselword this year.

The art of feather marquetry involves selecting feathers from exotic species of birds and artistically arranging them on the face of a timepiece. All the rage in the courts of European royalty during the 1800’s, master artisan Nelly Saunier is reviving the art in four variations for Harry Winston.

Silver pheasant, Lady Amherst pheasants, ring-necked pheasants and, of course, peacock feathers, adorn the faces of Saunier’s Harry Winston creations. The feathers used in crafting the watches come from ethically sourced birds that are bred specifically to donate a few feathers for the sake of haute horlogerie.

The 36 mm ladies’ watches feature cases of either 18K white or rose gold, with 66 brilliant cut diamonds studding the bezel to equal 1.45 ct. Powered by a quartz movement, each watch is a labor-intensive project, with Saunier spending an average of seven hours creating the dial of every piece. Her finished work ranges from being artistically off-center to dazzling iterations of scale that would warm the heart of any math teacher.

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Seth Semilof

Co-Founder COO · Knockoff Watches Wholesale

Seth Semilof co-founded Haute Living and, with business partner Kamal Hotchandani, launched Knockoff Watches Wholesale, the brands' luxury timepiece site, to educate buyers about the best watches in the world and to showcase the passion of collectors and the CEOs who lead the great maisons. His love of watches began early: a TAG Heuer at 13, an Omega at 16, and his first Rolex at 20. Through Knockoff Watches Wholesale he has been honored to visit the greatest watch manufactures in the world and meet the master watchmakers behind them. He has also personally featured private collections exclusive to Knockoff Watches Wholesale, taking readers inside the watch boxes of Kevin Hart, Carmelo Anthony, Tony Robbins and Swizz Beatz.