Zannetti, an artistic and skillful watchmaker, makes use of Jade in its Maginificum collection of timepieces that are unique and out of the ordinary. Each watch has a personalized extra-large watch case and an engraved dial, which exhibits a handmade finish. Every piece is the result of centuries old traditional expertise and all watches are entirely hand crafted. The mastery of the engraver and the craftsmanship of the enameler shine through and the results speak for themselves.
Jade has been a material highly prized by the Chinese, above silver and gold. From ancient times, this extremely tough translucent stone has been worked into ornaments, ceremonial weapons and ritual objects. Recent archaeological finds in many parts of China have revealed not only the antiquity of the skill of jade carving, but also the extraordinary levels of development it achieved at a very early date.
Jade was worn by kings and nobles and after death placed with them in the tombs. As a result, the material became associated with royalty and high status. It also came to be regarded as powerful in death, protecting the body from decay.
In later times these magical properties were perhaps less explicitly recognized, jade being valued more for its use in exquisite ornaments and for its links with antiquity. In the Ming and Qing period’s ancient jade shapes and decorative patterns were often copied, thereby bringing the associations of the distant past to the Chinese peoples of later times.
Technique, experience, style, personality and a sprinkle of audacity: all of these features combine to create an absolutely incomparable timepiece, unique among its kind. The stainless steel watch case also available in PDV bronze measures 47 mm in diameter and has a thickness of 12.5 mm. The dial is made from genuine Jade, engraved and hand-painted for the compass rose timepiece.
