MB&F LM101 Gabriel Colliard: Three Animal Motifs in Cloisonné Enamel

On the MB&F LM101 Gabriel Colliard, mechanics and the art of enamelling share the dial side. The independent enameller has designed three jungle scenes for the watch, featuring macaws, a monkey or a crocodile. Each composition is built around a dominant colour and incorporates the large balance wheel suspended above the dial. The three versions are each produced in eight examples with a 40 mm platinum case. The manually wound movement has also been revised: its power reserve increases from 45 to 60 hours.

Three Scenes Uniting Animal Imagery and Mechanics

The collaboration gave Colliard complete creative freedom. Rather than working to a prescribed visual concept, he was given scope to create his own cloisonné compositions. Enamel dials from the 1950s served as his reference point. He replaced their customary multicoloured palette, however, with a single dominant colour for each composition, explored through numerous gradations.

Cloisonné (also known as cell enamelling) is a traditional enamelling technique used to decorate metal surfaces. Extremely fine metal wires or strips are soldered onto a base of copper, bronze or precious metal to form delicate compartments — the so-called “cloisons” (French for partitions). These cells are then filled with coloured vitreous enamel and fired in a kiln, with the metal partitions preventing the colours from running into one another. Repeated firing and a final polish produce luminous, high-gloss ornamentation with clearly defined contours.

Macaw depicts a pair of scarlet macaws in a scene dominated by red. Monkey centres on a monkey in a blue setting, while Crocodile portrays a crocodile at the edge of a swamp in shades of green. Areas of enamel ranging from transparent to opaque distinguish the motifs and lend spatial depth to the miniature landscapes.

The technical architecture of the LM101 imposes clear constraints. Its large balance wheel and sculptural bridges occupy a considerable portion of the dial side. Colliard therefore treated them as elements of the composition. To make room for the enamel, MB&F modified the dial plate, removed the separate subdials and lengthened the hands. The artistry continues on the reverse: an enamelled ratchet wheel echoes the colours and motifs of the dial side.

Gold Partitions and Repeated Firings

In the cloisonné process, fine gold wires bent by hand trace the outlines of animals and leaves. The resulting compartments are filled with layers of enamel and fired repeatedly. The design alone is not the only determining factor: the colours change in the kiln. If a shade needs correcting, it may be necessary to start again from scratch.

Colliard’s training brings together fine art and specialist enamelling expertise. He studied art in Argentina, moved to Switzerland in 2003 and learnt the enamelling technique in Limoges. He subsequently worked in specialist ateliers and at Patek Philippe. For this project, approximately one composition is completed each month. Production of the entire series of 24 watches is therefore expected to take more than two years.

Revised Manually Wound Movement with Double Hairspring

The LM101 calibre was, at the time, the first movement developed entirely in-house by MB&F, with input from Kari Voutilainen. For the editions created with Gabriel Colliard, it gains not only a longer power reserve but also a Straumann double hairspring fitted to the 14 mm balance wheel.

The movement comprises 222 components. Its hand-applied finishing includes undulating Geneva stripes, polished bevels, gold chatons and recessed blued screws. Mechanical craftsmanship thus remains an essential part of the watch, even in these versions defined above all by their enamel scenes.

Eight Examples of Each in Platinum

The Macaw, Monkey and Crocodile versions are each limited to eight examples. MB&F quotes a retail price of CHF 98,000 excluding VAT, with international prices of USD 131,000 and EUR 107,000 respectively, excluding taxes.