In recent years, with the enamel is being used in the watch too much, about the topic of enamel is also becoming more and more “hot”. What is the enamel on earth and what is the value?
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The English name of “falang” is enamel originated from the similar pronunciation as “fulin” an ancient western area of China because of the enamel derived from Persia enamel.
Enamel is actually the glaze which sinteres quartz, feldspar, borax and fluoride etc similar to silicate material in the extremely high temperature of 800 degrees Celsius to attach on the surface of mental or ceramic. The main function is used for decoration and anti rust. In our daily life, enamel pot bowl and cloisonne appliance and so on are all belong to the category of enamel. During 1918 ~ 1956, enamel and porcelain enamel are regarded as same. Until 1956 China set the standard for enamel, it became the exclusive name for art porcelain enamels.
At present, enamel and porcelain enamel still share enamel together in the vocabulary abroad.
The enamel is used in the dial of watch usually. An 18K Athens watch with 2892-A2 movement, the cost could be $200,000 with enamel. But Patek Philippe is more virtous and sincere. Even its REF.5116G used white enamel as dial but it price is same as the REF.5119G which uses the common dial. However, there is another situation that the Patek Philippe pushes out a series of colored enamel watches every annual. The price of the 18K watches which equipped with movement of 215 will be higher than $200,000. Usually, the enamel watches in Patek Philippe are treasure for collection which is not easy to get.
If you like the enamel, there is a place you have to visit is museum of Patek Philippe. It enjoys the most amazing and rich enamel treasure in the world. Once time, when I visited the museum I heard that the most important factor is color appreciating the enamel said the commentator. Hundreds of years ago, only the French could recover the red and blue used commonly in classical painting to be more bright-colored. Afterwards, the Swiss decoded the secret of enamel color in more than 100 years. The essence of enamel is white or transparent colorless. Its color generated from the mixing of kinds of mental oxide after sintered in high temperature. For example: putting the gold into the raw material of enamel, the color will be red after high temperature sintering. In addition, the cobalt oxide is blue, antimony become yellow, rhodium become black, copper oxide turn green, purple manganese change……
Once time, I asked the ex-president the Patek Philippe why some antique tables in the auction on the field of the enamel is surprisingly high prices usually? Does it because it is difficult to make the enamel watch? Phillip-sterns replied: “enamel is usually copy some famous paintings made by archaic person. In this sense, the antique table is actually a picture of enamel micro painting. The ancient micro often used 10 years even 20 years to paint before making the enamel table. And then took 5 to 10 years to fire and polish again and again. During the long procedure, if there is a mistake on any link, then this will become a waste enamel table. The life of people has how many 10 years, 20 years?! May we ask how many people will be willing to spend 10 years to complete a work still?
