FROZEN IN TIME
Three masterworks of watchmaking heritage
Our collaboration with Berd Vayé
There are a handful of artists whose work really makes you pause, and Berd Vaye is one of them. Our collaboration with him came together because his approach to craft lines up so naturally with what we care about at DVW. He takes the mechanics of time, things most people throw away, and turns them into something worth keeping. We're genuinely glad to be working with him and helping more people discover his pieces.
The process behind each sculpture is what really sets the work apart. Berd arranges hundreds of tiny mechanical components by hand, then suspends them in layer after layer of clear resin. The tricky part, and the part that takes real skill, is pulling every air bubble out of the resin so the final piece looks clean and weightless. It's slow, patient work, and getting it right on a piece this intricate is genuinely impressive.
What we love most is where the parts come from. These aren't reproductions or filler pieces. Every gear, balance wheel, and spring inside the sculpture is pulled from genuine vintage pocket watches and wristwatches, some of them well over a hundred years old. Each component used to be part of a working watch that someone carried around and relied on. Seeing those parts preserved like this gives them a second life, which is a pretty cool thing to be part of.
That's really why this collaboration matters to us. Berd's work isn't just nice to look at, it has history built into it. When you bring one of these pieces home, you're getting something handmade, something thoughtful, and something that carries a bit of horological heritage with it. We're proud to have his work as part of what we offer.
About the Brand
Berd Vay’e is the brainchild of two dynamic individuals with decades of experience in the fine watch and jewelry industry.
The pair combined a shared fascination which began at a young age with watchmaking and the harmony in which watch components work together to inspire art lovers and watch collectors alike from around the world.
These two artisans have sourced and continue to source thousands of vintage watches and watch components from around the globe with the final goal of the preserving their venerable history in precious Lucite®. They passionately seek out new design inspiration from the world of horology. The name "Berd Vay’e" represents a culmination of syllables from the designer's names, an homage to their each of their personal passions for horology itself
Berd Vay’e breathes new life into the appreciation of horology with distinctive, one-of-a-kind conversation pieces like no contemporary art you’ve ever seen before.
Masterminds in freezing time, Berd Vay’e offers an exclusive look into the secret inner-workings of watchmaking through its show-stopping, limited edition sculptures. Each and every gear, barrel, wheel, spring, escapement wheel, pinion, bridge, and hands is storied. Components are restored, polished and meticulously positioned, balanced in precious, crystal clear shatter-resistant Lucite®..
DECONSTRUCTING TIME INTO ART
Expert curators acutely source 50-100 year-old timepieces and parts with a true passion for horology – from collectible 19th century backwind pocket watches, to remnants of 1900s Americana in the form of stop clocks once belonging to railroad conductors.
The founders of Berd Vay’e scour the globe, fueled by shared passion to collect antique watches and clocks. The personal quests spills into the professional work, amassing 50-100 year old treasures from the watch industry’s most acclaimed manufactures. Recent treasures include collectible backwind pocket watches, to remnants of 1900s Americana in the form of stop clocks once belonging to railroad conductors. The designers painstakingly disassemble broken collectibles, restoring the integrity of each and every component by immortalizing them in art. These acquisitions power the combined creativity of Berd Vay’e.
DESIGN & PREPARATION
Each and every gear, barrel, wheel, spring, escapement wheel, pinion, bridge, and hands is storied. Components are restored, polished and meticulously positioned, balanced in precious, crystal clear shatter-resistant Lucite®
​​The artisans place the components with a highly controlled method, ensuring total balance of size and color within the piece. Each sculpture then begins an arduous process of repeatedly placing components in layers of Lucite®, and then baking in highly pressurized 1,000° Oracle ovens.
FORMING & FINISHING
​​Innovatively preserving the history of watchmaking through a meticulous reconditioning and reinvention process.
HANDCRAFTED WITH PERFECTION
Each Berd Vay’e piece is casted with 8-10 layers over a 24 hour period. The sculpture is then baked, carefully protecting it from the formation of air bubbles or imperfections thus resulting in a seamless, crystal clear sculpture. The cooled Lucite® is shatter resistant, having heralded from its early use on submarines and helicopters. Each sculpture is then shaped and polished by hand, requiring relentless attention from multiple artisans to complete every one-of-a-kind piece
Bespoke Contemporary Art
This process forever preserves the history in watchmaking through reinvention. The result is a visual effect of gears floating in the air, allowing collectors to have a 360 degree appreciation for details that are normally hidden behind watch dials. Berd Vay’e breathes new life into the appreciation of horology with distinctive, Bespoke conversation pieces like no contemporary art you’ve ever seen before.
BERD VAY’E AUTHENTICITY
Each Berd Vay’e limited edition sculpture is presented in a polished mahogany case, lined in satin. Each piece is numbered and features accompanying gloves and a .925 silver plaque a designed to depict a jewel from a mechanical watch gear. A Certificate of Authenticity bearing the sculpture's production number is included.
