Combining a beautiful, oven-fired enamel dial that will keep its youthful freshness for centuries with the iconic design of the Speake-Marin Piccadilly case, Resilience is an enduring creation that will well and truly stand the test of time. The pure, bright white of the enamel dial sets off the blued-steel hands and refined Roman numerals, while the slim Piccadilly case in stainless steel or 18K red gold houses Resilience’s automatic winding Eros 2 calibre with five-day power reserve.
Speake-Marin founder Peter Speake-Marin explains how his time working in antique restoration in Piccadilly, London played an important role in his decision to endow Resilience with the unfading qualities of an enamel dial. “Resilience’s dial is inspired by the antique pocket watches I used to restore in Piccadilly early in my career,” says the Englishman. “These pieces were often over a hundred years old but were still as beautiful the day they were made thanks in no small part to their enamel dials.
“Enamel dials never tarnish with age. Thus, the Speake-Marin Resilience is indeed resilient, in terms of substance – the enamel will stay the same for time immemorial – and in terms of style, thanks to the dial’s pure, clean design and the classicism of the Piccadilly case.”
Oven-fired, white enamel dial – inspired by the horological greats
After graduating as a watchmaker in London and then furthering his knowledge of complications at WOSTEP in Switzerland, Peter Speake-Marin returned to London where he worked for a prestigious restoration house in Piccadilly for seven years, restoring vintage timepieces by great master watchmakers of the past. For Peter, this experience in the English capital proved to be an invaluable horological learning curve.
“The time I spent in Piccadilly remains the most influential period of my career,” says Peter. “Working in antique restoration allowed me to study many different approaches taken by the world’s greatest watchmakers. One of these approaches was the use of enamel dials such as those used in pocket watches made by the likes of Frodsham and Dent.”
Resilience’s enamel dial is made using the same techniques that have been employed in watch and clockmaking for centuries, which will ensure that, short of being physically damaged, the dial will never tarnish or change appearance, forever retaining its beauty.
Both sides of the copper dial base are enamelled to ensure an even tension within the construction of the material. Enamel powder is applied manually and placed in the oven at temperatures exceeding 800°C to melt into an even coating on the surfaces of the copper. This is repeated five times to gradually build up an even surface of enamel.
Before a final polishing stage, the Roman numerals are printed in black enamel, the melting point of which is lower than the white so the two colours do not run together. These numerals are highly legible yet manage to avoid dominating the dial – a subtle but significant detail that helps to showcase the brilliance of the white enamel.
Foundation hands and blued-steel dial screw
Adding to the unique aesthetics that make a Speake-Marin timepiece so originally distinctive are the heat-blued hands as well as a small blued steel screw below the centre of Resilience’s dial towards 6 o’clock. These features derive from the Foundation Watch, the first ever timepiece to bear the SpeakeMarin name.
“On the Foundation Watch, the blued-steel screw locked the dial in place,” says Peter. “However, Resilience uses three dial feet positioned into the ring around the movement and, as such, doesn’t require this screw. Nevertheless, I included it in Resilience’s dial to complement the blued steel hands; to provide a visual balance with the Speake-Marin logo below 12 o’clock; and to evoke the Foundation Watch and other seminal Speake-Marin pieces that incorporate such a screw.”
Signature Piccadilly case
Resilience is available with either a casual, stainless steel or a sophisticated, red gold Piccadilly case with characteristic pleated crown and screwed lugs. At first glance the three-piece case appears similar to the original Piccadilly that Peter Speake-Marin developed over a decade ago, but on closer inspection it can be seen that this case is much slimmer – just 12mm in height and 38mm or 42mm in diameter – an elegant design made possible by the new Eros 2 calibre.
The Eros 2 movement and a display back to behold
The new Eros 2 calibre is an automatic winding movement and features a long, five-day power reserve and the signature Speake-Marin ‘mystery’ rotor. The large-diameter, circular-grained movement dominates the view through the display-back and provides a technical backdrop for the beautifully finished rotor.
Peter Speake-Marin explains the origins of the Eros name: “The case name is Piccadilly after my formative years working in that part of London and Eros is the famous landmark statue in Piccadilly Circus. My time working in Piccadilly has therefore had a bearing on the name of Resilience’s case, the name of its movement and, of course, the material used for its dial – beautiful, everlasting enamel.”
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