by Elizabeth Doerr

At SalonQP 2016, London’s premier watch show, Quill & Pad will have a bigger presence than ever before with both myself and Ian Skellern actively taking part in the exhibition.

SalonQP at the Saatchi Gallery, London

Métiers d’Art: Art of Time

I have curated a special exhibition taking place on the ground floor of the Saatchi Gallery, which SalonQP occupies during its three-day run, called Métiers d’Art: Art of Time.

A. Lange & Söhne will figure prominently into the exhibition with the premier German brand bringing an engraver from Saxony to demonstrate the art of engraving as it’s practiced in Glashütte. A. Lange & Söhne famously engraves the balance cock of each of its movements with an artful design that can even be specially requested.

Hand-engraving a balance cock to go into the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst

Jaquet Droz will be demonstrating the art of miniature painting at the Métiers d’Art: Art of Time exhibition via one of its Swiss craftspeople, who will be displaying the work in progress at the throughout the entire show.

Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Thousand Year Lights

Jaquet Droz will also be showcasing the Petite Heure Thousand Year Lights, marking the first display at a major exhibition of this watch – which celebrates the beauty of flowers in a most unique way.

The gorgeous decorative interpretation of Petite Heure Thousand Year Lights was inspired by an ancient Asian technique called Najeon Chilgi; it is created using mother-of-pearl intaglio and lacquer. You may recall having seen it on antique aristocratic jewelry boxes. The play of light and richness is sheer mastery.

Genevan maker of bespoke timepieces Van’t Hoff and the beautiful work of engraver Dick Steenman will also be on hand to demonstrate the delicate art of sculpturing over enamel.

“My job is to tell a story, I find inspiration all around me. Each piece that leaves the workshop is all about art; every piece tells a tale and takes you on a journey into an extraordinary three-dimensional universe,” says Steenman of these timepieces. Find out more about this craftsman at the exhibition.

Bovet, Vacheron Constantin, and Chopard will also be displaying at the SalonQP Métiers d’Art: Art of Time exhibition.

I’m also happy to conduct personal tours of the exhibition taking place from Thursday, November 3 through Saturday November 5, in a very exclusive experience. If you are interested, please leave a comment below and we will get back to you. Any press may come during the dedicated press segment on Thursday for a personal tour.

SalonQP at the Saatchi Gallery, London

Ian hosts “In conversation: Kari Voutilainen”

SalonQP’s seminar program is extremely popular, and at 2:30 on Saturday afternoon Ian will be hosting, “In conversation: Kari Voutilainen.”  Voutilainen is widely regarded as one of the best contemporary watchmakers and the creator of some of the world’s most beautiful watches.

Kari Voutilainen presents Quill & Pad’s GaryG with his Masterpiece II Chronograph

To give you just a taste of his talent, at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Voutilainen has won the following awards over the years:
2013 Best Men’s watch for V-8R
2014 Best Artistic watch for Hisui
2015 Best Men’s watch for GMR
2016  Two watches are currently pre-selected: Scintillante in the Jewellery category and Triton et Sirène in Artistic Crafts. Winners to be announced on November 10.

Kari Voutilainen Vingt-8

Ian will be discussing with Kari on subjects as diverse as his life, his career, and his approach to watchmaking. SIM card covers may even get a mention (see The Real Story Behind The Stepan Sarpaneva/Kari Voutilainen/8848 Ti Chinese Phone: Yes There’s More, Much More and Commissioning A Watch: My Journey With The Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece Chronograph II).

This is sure to be a well-attended seminar so get in early to ensure a seat.

Practical demonstration at the Montblanc stand at SalonQP 2014

If you only go to one watch exhibition this year, remember that SalonQP really has it all. We hope to meet you there.

SalonQP run runs from 3 through 5 November 2016, at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea. Opening hours are as follows:
Thursday, 3 November: Preview Night, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday, 4 November: Daytime, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday, 4 November: SalonQP cocktail reception, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday, 5 November: Daytime, 12:00 pm-6:00 pm
Tickets are now on sale at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/salonqp-2016-tickets.

For more information, please visit www.salonqp.com/exhibition.