At the occasion of a beautiful event in Monaco at the ART IN TIME gallery, The Unnamed Society x L’Epée together open the second chapter – The Unnamed Society x L’Épée The Diamond – of a new class of hyper-exclusive objects that redefine the art of the gifting the unique and take the experience of creativity, aesthetics and craftsmanship to a whole new level.
The Diamond is a one-off creation that offers a new appreciation of Time. A truly unique object of art – in its form, function and realization – that captures the preciousness of time in a completely unexpected interpretation.
78 carats, 2,518 diamonds – a ‘snow spirit’ setting as exceptional for its design as for the surface area it covers, representing more than 450 hours of fabrication and setting.
An extraordinary challenge that could only be met by the Swiss ‘ateliers’ of SALANITRO.
A series of exclusive photos taken in Monaco on the superyacht M/Y AFRICAN QUEEEN.
Committed to the ambition of ‘create the impossible that defies imagination,’ The Unnamed Society‘s second creation reinterprets the concept of the object of time measurement in a different way, a complex work of art and precision developed in collaboration with L’Épée, which appeals to the imagination and the senses, offering a new appreciation of time at all levels. True to the spirit of The Unnamed Society, the object is timeless in its purity of intention and execution.
The Diamond. But why a revolver? And why a clock?
It is a table clock inspired by a revolver, a singular form of expression for telling the time: it aptly symbolizes the preciousness of every moment, the speed at which it can be stolen. It reminds us, more vividly than a conventional clockface possibly could, of the timeless truth in the words ‘carpe diem.’
The gem setting is carried out by the Salanitro workshops, a world reference in this domain and the leader in the field of gem setting for Swiss Haute Horlogerie. Taking design, technical engineering and the art of gem setting to new heights, The Diamond table clock comprises 2,518 diamonds for a total weight of 78.26 carats with 21 different sizes of diamonds. It is an exceptional work representing over 140 hours of fabrication and more than 300 hours of gem setting by 6 Master Setters in the workshops located at the heart of the city of Geneva.
The ‘snow spirit’ setting applied to The Diamond calls for a particularly difficult and meticulous grain crimping technique that only few expert setters have mastered to cover such a large surface whilst maintaining a beautiful and elegant homogeneity. To compose this particularly refined snow setting, whose gradation on the barrel recalls the lingering smoke after the revolver has been discharged, Salanitro’s artisans set hundreds of diamonds, all brilliant-cut and only seemingly arranged at random, of different sizes and with a minimum amount of metal between the stones. The rendering is very sophisticated and the technique, considered to be the Haute Couture of gem setting, ensures unparalleled brilliance and sparkle. The ‘snow spirit’ setting represents one of the most beautiful ways to express the aesthetics of an object, combining a sense of artistry with excellence of execution.
As to the grip, it is made of black lacquer, another ancestral technique that requires a particularly delicate mastery and artisanal know-how.
A most exclusive setting in Monaco: the ART in TIME gallery
The Diamond is being unveiled as an International Premiere with the ART in TIME gallery in Monaco. The gallery is one of the beacons of Haute Horlogerie in the world. Born under the impetus of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, ART in TIME proposes a very innovative concept in the world of high watchmaking, to showcase the quintessential art of watchmaking at the center of a refined scenography, to capture the imagination of lovers of beautiful objects.
Building on a stunning location in the new ONE MONTE CARLO complex facing the Casino, ART in TIME welcomes collectors and lovers of watchmaking art, inviting them to experience only the best. By choosing to stage the International Premiere of The Diamond with The Unnamed Society and L’Épée, ART in TIME celebrates innovative watchmaking, with highly exclusive limited editions for a select circle of collectors and aficionados with discerning senses.
A series of exclusive photos taken in Monaco on the superyacht M/Y AFRICAN QUEEEN.
When history triggers an idea for a unique gift
Caesar crossed the Rubicon. Alexander ventured into Asia Minor. Pancho Villa rode into Texas. The reason why the story of Pancho Villa resonated so uniquely with the creators behind The Unnamed Society is not just because it veers off the beaten path. Villa’s was a legend born at a time of great technological innovation: he was two years old when Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call; and barely eleven, when George Eastman invented the Kodak camera.
By the time Pancho took center stage as a key player in the Mexican revolution, the power of communication through sound and image – of ‘the here and now immortalized’ – sparked a change that was both inevitable and unstoppable. There was no turning back the clock
Yet without these two aligning with a third invention that had already gained some momentum, there would arguably never have been a Pancho Villa. Samuel Colt had already been dead sixteen years when Pancho was born in 1878, but his invention, a ‘revolving gun design’ had already reshaped the American West and was beginning to shape the rest of the world…
Every revolution is based on values
The other reason the story of Pancho Villa again finds its way into the second chapter of The Unnamed Society is that each revolution depends on exclusivity (at the core there is always a very small group in the know), secrecy (nothing out in the open) and trust (as sharing true beliefs is risky, trust is paramount).
The higher the stakes, the harder it is to become part of the inner circle. In describing Pancho Villa and the way his legend grew, John Reed, the writer and journalist who chronicled Villa, referred to the revolutionary’s redoubt at El Paso as the ‘Supreme Lodge,’ an almost haloed place where the ‘Ancient Order’ under Pancho Villa resided.
To fight and die for the revolution was to go down in history as just another tragic footnote. To fight and die for Pancho Villa was to live on eternally as a ‘verdadero hombre,’ a genuine man. This sense of belonging to something greater than oneself, of sharing an evident yet secret understanding, and attaining the seemingly impossible – this is core to The Unnamed Society.
Giving life to art: the movement by L’Epée
Without knowing it, Samuel Colt revolutionized the impact of time: The revolver conferred the power to stop time cold by eliminating the manual reloading process – and thus eliminating the – all too often fatal – vulnerability that came with having to chamber a new round.
Only three years separate the founding of the L’Épée watchmaking manufacture and Samuel Colt’s patent for the mechanically indexing cylinder at the heart of the revolver. Nearly two centuries later, The Unnamed Society bade the masters in the art of time to create a timekeeping masterpiece for the appreciators of finer things and visionary collectors who belong to its covert circle.
L’Épée was founded in 1839, the year when John Davidson Rockefeller Sr. was born, and Louis Daguerre took the first photograph of the moon. Today, the company is based in Délémont, in the Jura Mountains, the cradle of Swiss watchmaking tradition. When The Unnamed Society approached Arnaud Nicolas at L’Épée, it was clear that more than the right partner had been found for creating the impossible never before imagined: a kindred spirit.
“We knew from the outset that we were working on something truly special. Translating the vision of the team into a unique clock caliber has been the challenge of a lifetime and all of us here at L’Épée are very proud of the result. Working with time from all its angles, historical, mechanical and aesthetic, has rarely been so rewarding,” says Arnaud Nicolas, CEO of L’Épée.
Pierre Salanitro, CEO of SALANITRO SA, adds: “When the creators of The Unnamed Society came to us with their ideas for The Diamond, we immediately grasped the complexity and uniqueness of the project. We came up with a totally innovative design and fabrication approach, so ambitious that we were not sure we would be able to make it happen. The team and I met the challenge! Seeing it showcased today in the most beautiful setting brings us joy and undisguised satisfaction. We are very proud of the work accomplished. »
A new tenet for the art of gifting
The Unnamed Society presents that rarest of constellations in the world of collectible art: when beauty and fascination shine through in the history, authenticity and artisanship that have been so mindfully interwoven to ‘create the impossible that defies imagination.’
Heightened senses. Clarity of purpose. Absolute discretion. With the same traits as the owl in the logo, the team of passionate inventors, designers and artisans who form The Unnamed Society conceive the impossible, and then make the unimaginable a reality. What motivates them is the challenge to unlock secret desires and create the impossible for those who already have everything.
About The Unnamed Society
Founded in 2019 in Switzerland, The Unnamed Society is a team of passionate inventors, designers and artisans committed to ‘create the impossible that defies imagination’ – hyper-exclusive items that offer an experience that transcends the object and that are made with the highest quality materials and techniques steeped in tradition, for collectors and connoisseurs who belong to its covert circle.
