Crystal Caviar’s reputation for producing incredibly beautiful and intricate luxury glass pieces is well-deserved. With an ethos that focuses on the hundreds of years old traditions of bohemian glass craftsmanship, their pieces have ensured the long-established processes – now thought to be the best in the world – haven’t been lost.
Thoughtful collaborations and a refusal to compromise on quality has meant the company has stayed at the forefront of the industry, as demonstrated by the recent partnership with famous chronometer and watchmaker companies Erwin Sattler and Thomas Mercer. Crystal Caviar’s Jan Frydrych has overseen the four unique pieces which have resulted in these partnerships, with each a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. The last, a gold marine chronometer made with Mercer, is very special indeed.
Crystal Caviar specialise in the creation of unique glass sculptures for yachts
There’s noone better placed to be at the helm of these incredible projects. Extremely experienced, Frydrych has been an independent glass artist since the Eighties, with a focus on optical glass. His incredible miracle optical glass sculptures are a sight to behold. Combining pure optical glass with very thin royal blue sheets, minimal gluing and hand polishing to one microne grid means absolute dedication is a must. Making one single sculpture takes Frydrych hundreds of hours of hard work, but it’s work that’s certainly paid off. He may have started on the very bottom of the field of glass sculpting, but nowadays his sculptures are in many private collections, from the houses of famous people and politicians to many museums.
Jan Frydrych’s Royal Blue chronometer
Frydrych is also a lifelong collector of old clocks and chronometers, and from this passion it was only a small step to making his own marine chronometer made from optical glass. It was a couple of years ago that Frydrych made the first two chronometers from his unique series and then, thanks to the high quality of his product, came the first offer to cooperate with the famous watchmaker company Erwin Sattler. The result of this cooperation was a heavy marine chronometer, weighing about 70 kilograms, made from optical glass. More incredible offers followed, and last year came the best – the chance to work with the Thomas Mercer company, the oldest and the best chronometer company in the world.
Jan Frydrych’s Violet chronometer
Jan Frydrych’s chronometer with Erwin Sattler
The outcome of this partnership are three marine chronometers, including the special last piece, the gold marine chronometer. About 45 kilograms, it is a heavy piece made from Champagne Bohemian optical glass – and to finish the case took hundreds of hours. The chronometer mechanism is made from stainless steel, which is coated with 24 carat gold. The glass body lights up the beauty and sophistication of the precision mechanism from every angle, and the visual effects constantly change as you look around the case.
Jan Frydrych
“The partnerships between Jan Frydrych and the best watchmaker companies in the world are proof of the quality of his products,” says Marek Landa, owner of the Crystal Caviar company, which organised the collaborations. “I am proud that, thanks to this partnership, the fame of traditional Czech glass craftsmanship rises again. And that is the goal of the Crystal Caviar company – to return the fame of bohemian glass sculpting.” crystalcaviar.eu
