OMEGA AND LALIQUE, FROSTED GLASS AND CHROME 8-DAY ART DECO DESK TIMEPIECE, REF. 13.309

The present desk timepiece is a superb example of the collaboration between Omega and the celebrated René Lalique, one of the greatest designers of the time, his creations epitomes of French Art Deco.

According to Félix Marcilhac's "Catalogue Raisonné de l'oeuvre de verre de R. Lalique", Les éditions de l'amateur, Paris 1994, réf. 735, p. 374, the present model was created on 10 February 1931 and was illustrated in the 1932 catalogue, provenance a descendant of René Lalique.

At the turn of the century René Lalique (1860-1945) broke with traditional jewellery conventions, creating jewellery not only to enhance the appearance of the wearer, but also as a genuine art form. His use of exotic and often fragile materials such as glass, horn and rock crystal was revolutionary. Nature was the predominant theme of this "Art Nouveau".

Lalique often designed objects depicting the female figure with dragonfly wings. He produced bracelets, necklaces, pendants and combs with subjects from nature such as dragonflies, peacocks, insects or snakes. In 1910, somewhat disenchanted with the jewellery business, Lalique bought a glassworks at Combs-la-Ville. Henceforth, he dedicated most of his time to creating superb objects in glass, such as the present timepiece, embodying the flamboyant Art Deco style.