Patek Philippe 5538G-017

Not enamel. Not paint. Wood. Two hundred and twenty-four tiny veneer parts, cut and assembled by hand from forty-five species of wood — each chosen for its colour, grain, and texture — to reproduce the château of Gruyères and the bell tower of Saint Théodule at the foot of the hill. The 5538G-017 is the first Patek Philippe minute repeater to feature a dial in wood marquetry, and only ten were made. Inside the white gold officer's case, a manually wound calibre R TO 27 combines the minute repeater with a tourbillon — two of watchmaking's most demanding complications, housed behind a landscape that belongs in a museum of decorative arts.