Time As Canvas

Franck Muller taps on two artists several centuries apart for these timepieces, proving that great art—and their influence—remains timeless.

- WORDS FARHAN SHAH PHOTOS FRANCK MULLER

LEONARDO DA VINCI PASSED centuries ago, but his influence lingers in museums and schools, hanging on walls and taught by lecturers. His biggest cultural contribution is arguably the Mona Lisa, probably the most photographed painting in the world.

But my favourite work of his is the Virgin of the Rocks, primarily because it finally shows da Vinci fully embracing sfumato after years of toying with it in earlier paintings. Derived from the Italian word sfumare, which means 'to evaporate like smoke', sfumato is a painting technique that eschews hard lines for soft, ambiguous forms and subtle gradations.

Franck Muller paid homage to da Vinci and his technique last year with the Vanguard Sfumato Slim, a fittingly ultra-slim watch in four colours. The dial is the defining feature. A soft gradient, reminiscent of da Vinci's sfumato method, starts from the centre and extends outwards to the edges of the case. Light suffuses into darkness gradually, much like the Mona Lisa and the Virgin of the Rocks. This beautiful effect is achieved by applying different layers of lacquer on the dial.