In today’s article of "What have I done", we explore the rare and elusive Commedia Mona Lisa from the iconoclastic master watchmaker, Vincent Calabrese.
Vincent Calabrese is most certainly a name that many new collectors may not be aware of. After all, his watches are not so often seen on collector’s wrists, let alone the open market. Many hardcore collectors and independent watch enthusiasts however would be well acquainted with this name, and his mainstream reputation as a watchmaker can best be described as somewhat of a “quiet giant” as an extremely prolific master watchmaker who stays relatively hidden from the radar of the casual watch collector. In fact, he and Svend Andersen were the two master watchmakers to set up the universally known Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) in 1985, a community for some of the most distinguished independent watchmakers globally and now a hallmark of independent ingenuity and excellence.
His story as a watchmaker is fascinating, all the more for the reason that he has worked on some of the most interesting complications such as the iconic Golden Bridge for Corum, as well as the flying tourbillon that he had specially designed for Frédéric Piguet and Blancpain – probably one of the most desirable neo-vintage watches out there today! Outside of these, Vincent Calabrese created many interesting watches for his own brand such as his spatial collection, an aesthetically amazing movement which seeming floats in the middle. He is at times known as the "philosophical engineer", and when we look at his creations, one can see why he has managed to earn himself this moniker.
Moulin Rouge?
Source: Generalist
Today, we have a hands-on review of one of his beautifully wonky creations – the Commedia Mona Lisa. From the get go, this is probably one of the most colourful and playful watches that you would see out there not named Swatch, especially in this price range. Coming in a gold-plated case with fancy flared lugs that are very characteristically Calabrese, the dial is the centre of the show (no pun intended). The dial comprises of grand red curtains draped over the face of the watch, and emerging from the back of the stage is our very famous Mona Lisa. It is said that these dials were painted painstakingly with no less than seven coats of paint. Now those are some thick and heavy curtains...
The Commedia Mona Lisa came in various colours as well. A lot of funky colours existed for the watch, including purple and green!
Source: The Swiss Collector
This isn’t just your average Mona Lisa however. Far from the mysterious and somewhat pensive expression that is often associated with Da Vinci’s magnum opus, this one strips. Yes, you read that right – Mona Lisa is out on the stage performing a little strip show on this watch. There are 12 scenes in this window, each a scene of the strip show, and with the passing of every hour, she progressively removes articles of her clothing. At the strike of the final hour, we see Mona Lisa in her full nude state with her bum pointing proudly towards the wearer.
An excellent picture showing all 12 scenes of the show. Credit to @davidliangdong on Instagram.
Source: @davidliangdong on Instagram
It is a difficult complication to explain, but I would best explain this as some creative concatenation of a jump hour and an erotic automaton. One would say that this is a very playfully innovative way of expressing his creativity in his watches, but this watch shows that sometimes, even this is a difficult feat that not many can pull off. However, Vincent Calabrese certainly could.
Source: Generalist
True to the name of the watch “Commedia”, the watch seems to have been meant as some form of fashionable comedy. Not only is the watch itself extremely provocative through its irreverent treatment of the Mona Lisa (mind you, he himself is Italian!), so is its construction. To create this watch, he used a quartz movement with a special patented module that he created for the display. We talked about Vincent Calabrese as a philosophical engineer, and this watch is an apt display of why he is called as such. His watches themselves are a true reflection of how he views watchmaking coupled with his immense technical prowess.
This is truly remarkably strange, and this is a tale of why there is no set recipe for what entails a “great watch”. Great watches need not be mechanical, they need not fit into some traditional mould of what watches should be, and they need not be boring. At the risk of sounding like an armchair philosopher, this watch is a great example of how “high-end watchmaking” can be luxurious in the most unconventional sense, and challenge the status quo.