AN AMAZING COLLABORATION
RESSENCE X SILBERSTEIN
Wei knew there was no way he could go wrong by bringing together Benoît Mintiens, the founder of Ressence Watches, and the iconic Alain Silberstein — the first man to bring art, architecture and playfulness to modern horology — to create Grail Watch 1. We’re so deeply grateful that both gents agreed, without hesitation.
INSPIRED BY ART
VANITAS, STILL LIFE WITH TULIP, SKULL AND HOUR GLASS
“One of my favorite paintings is the still life by French artist Philippe de Champaigne. In English, it is known as Vanitas, Still Life with Tulip, Skull and Hour Glass, though in French, it has the much more poetic title, Vanité, ou Allégorie de la vie Humaine. On the table, a tulip that will wither with time; a skull reminding us of our mortality; and an hour glass that shows us that time is passing. This is what is called in classical art, a ‘memento mori,’ a reminder that time is fleeting and that the passing of each second is something we never get back." - Alain Silberstein
MEANINGFUL LIMITED EDITIONS
CARPE DIEM
"I like this idea of carpe diem or ‘seizing the day,’ proposed by the Roman poet, Horace. To act courageously and fearlessly as if each day is your last. So I have taken the elements of the memento mori and incorporated them into the design. The tulip has become the hour indicator. The skull is the running seconds. Instead of the hour glass, I have used my yellow triangle on the day of the week indicator as a reminder to seize each day and make it yours.” - Alain Silberstein
LIMITED & NUMBERED
36 PIECES ONLY
"I would like to make 36 pieces as a tribute to the concept Lamed Vav Tzadikim or the 36 righteous individuals. In my religion, Judaism, we believe that there are 36 righteous individuals alive in every generation, and because of their merit, the world continues to exist. But they are anonymous; neither they nor we know who they are. They could be anyone, your neighbor, your friend and even you.” - Alain Silberstein