Vintage 1970s DeLaneu Ellipse 1645v101 18K YG Malachite Dial Manual 27 mm

DeLaneau is known for its wide range of elegant and brilliantly designed custom-made watches for women. The Swiss luxury brand is revered for what are essentially pieces of wearable art — its meticulously detailed dials, usually depicting scenes from nature, are striking and wholly eye-catching on a wearer’s wrist. 

One of the first Swiss watchmakers to focus primarily on women’s watches, DeLaneau creates bespoke works, collaborating with their clients to produce a unique piece that enhances — as it becomes an element of — the wearer's identity. While women in the know are increasingly turning to men’s watches for quality, durability and serious style, there is no shortage of women today who prefer watches made specifically for them, whether they’re coveting classic accessories or immersing themselves in the collecting world. DeLaneau’s artisans know this, and they work with carefully selected gemstones, cases made of white gold and other distinctive alloys as well as the brand’s signature Grand Feu enameling to create one-of-a-kind pieces that stand out one from another as individual works of art.

Enameling is one of the oldest forms of surface decoration, used to add color to jewelry without having to rely on gemstones. Evidence of enameling goes back to ancient Greece. Throughout history, far-flung cultures favored different techniques. For example, cloisonné enamel was popular during the Byzantine Empire, while artisans living in France and Germany in the Middle Ages preferred champlevé. And Art Nouveau jewelry designers favored plique à jour. Not unlike the Art Nouveau designers that came before them, DeLaneau’s in-house artisans frequently look to wildlife and the great outdoors for inspiration. And while the brand is best known for its Grand Feu work, its designers work with plique à jour, cloisonné and paillonné, too.

Rolf and Yolanda Tschudin established the company in 1949 in Biel, Switzerland. They founded DeLaneau with the principle of providing outstanding timepieces for women. In the ensuing decades, the company moved toward a more modern approach, favoring sophisticated and unique design over the industry’s conventional expectations of them. The company, which largely produces what are known as jewelry watches, earned the title "Jeweler of Watches.”

In 2001, DeLaneau moved to Geneva and opened its own enameling atelier, and expanded its design capabilities. In 2004, they collaborated with famed manufacturer Christophe Claret to launch their tourbillon complication for women's watches and debuted three-dimensional dial structures in 2006. In 2010, DeLaneau opened a boutique in Geneva. A few years later, the brand was awarded the Prix de la Montre Dame at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. DeLaneau was purchased by Luna Management in 2017.

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