To process this material, Paul Picot developed special techniques: the round pieces of slate are first cut to size and then reduced to a thickness of 0.6 mm, which places a severe strain on their delicate and friable structure. After the delicate phase of cutting out the aperture, counters and applied chapters, only 1.5% of the materials fashioned in this way will be used for the final assembly. Untreated, the natural dial then reveals its wild elegance, endowing each watch its own individual character. The smaller and carefully “bouchonné” central dial makes a striking contrast with the raw aspect of the slate.
The calendar is also an exclusive patented development: the day’s date appears in red, while the previous and next days appear in grey. Real time seconds and timed minutes are shown on the lower dial, on two oversized half-moon-shaped counters. The small seconds can be read on the left-hand counter at 9 o’clock. The short part of the hand (the counterpoise) indicates the first 30 seconds in the inside area of the half moon, after which it disappears at the 12 o’clock position behind the central dial. The long part of the hand (the arrow) then takes over and shows the next 30 seconds in the outer zone before disappearing in turn behind the central dial. The 30 minutes chronograph counter works on the same principle: located at 3 o’clock of the central dial, it displays the 15 first minutes in the outer half-moonshaped area while the next 15 minutes are shown in the inner area.


Source: Europa Star February-March 2009 Magazine Issue