Stone micro-marquetry

Minuscule, hand-adjusted tiles of jade and agate pay tribute to Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is a place that Romain Gauthier holds dear. He has visited this iconic city annually since meeting his Rio-born wife Ana at the turn of the millennium.

As a tribute to the city that has given him so much, Romain has created the unique piece ‘Logical One Secret Kakau Höfke’ by harnessing the talents of Brazilian artist Kakau Höfke and the stone marquetry artisans of Olivier Vaucher.

Romain Gauthier, stone-micro-marquetry, corcovado

Mesmerising Rio

Adorning the 18k white gold cover, hour-minute subdial and small seconds of Logical One Secret Kakau Höfke is a mesmerising depiction of Rio de Janeiro designed by Kakau Höfke, a long-time friend of the Gauthier family.

Stone micromarquetry, Collection exception, Romain Gauthier

Signature portrayal

Originally featuring in her series of acrylic-on-canvas artworks, Kakau’s signature portrayal of her native city Rio not only evokes Corcovado – the mountain on which stands ‘Christ the Redeemer’ – but also the pattern that features on the promenade bordering Ipanema beach.

Stone micromarquetry, Collection exception, Romain Gauthier

Intricate micro-marquetry

Kakau’s design has been beautifully adapted and recreated using an intricate micro-marquetry technique based on traditional stone marquetry, carried out by artisans at the Geneva atelier of Olivier Vaucher.

Stone micro-marquetry, Collection exception, Romain Gauthier

Shimmering miniature tiles

352 unique, mirror-polished, miniature tiles of lavender jade and blue agate –each one 0.5mm thin and painstakingly hand-finished and hand-applied – make up this three-dimensional micro-marquetry, which required three months of solid work to create.

Stone micro-marquetry, Collection exception, Romain Gauthier

Mechanical art

The visual splendour doesn’t stop there. A gentle squeeze on the caseband pusher at 4 o’clock unlocks the cover engraved on the inside with the Romain Gauthier logo and Kakau Höfke’s signature. Lifting the cover reveals the mechanical art that is Logical One Secret’s multi-patented, in-house movement.

Kakau Höfke Ref. MON000168 352-tile lavender and jade micro-marquetry on cover and dial Hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve indicator 43mm case in 18k white gold In-house constant-force movement Manual winding via caseband pusher 46-hour power reserve

Logical One Secret

Kakau Höfke

Ref. MON000168

  • 352-tile lavender and jade micro-marquetry on cover and dial
  • Hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve indicator
  • 43mm case in 18k white gold
  • In-house constant-force movement
  • Manual winding via caseband pusher
  • 46-hour power reserve
Create your own unique piece, Romain Gauthier

Create your own unique piece

Collectors, collector groups and retailers are able to commission their own Exception unique piece featuring personalised design created by the artistic expression of their choice.

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