About me...

...and l'Atelier d'émail

My captivating encounter with enamel

Initially a special needs professional working with people with disabilities, after a few years in the profession I decided to make a career change. Attracted by watchmaking and the meticulousness involved in this age-old skill, I undertook a training course from 2016 to 2018 to become a watchmaker.

During my school project, I chose to make an enamelled plaque with my name on it, to decorate my desk clock. And what a revelation it was! I discovered both a magical and fascinating material, and the exceptional capacity for concentration that I was capable of when working with it. The immense pleasure I derived from this creation led me to specialise in the manufacture of enamel dials after completing my watchmaking training. At the time, I had no idea of the range of possibilities and techniques offered by this incredible material, which continues to surprise me more and more every day...

Experience and training for exceptional expertise

Between 2019 and 2021, I was lucky enough to work several times with the enamellers at the Maison de l'émail in Morez. In particular, I met Florence HUGUENOT, who passed on some of her knowledge to me, teaching me the basics of enamelling for fine watchmaking, as well as a number of ancestral techniques such as grisaille, plique à jour and cloisonné enamel.

Grâce à elle, j’ai pris conscience du très haut niveau d’exigence attendu dans le milieu horloger : un enseignement qui me guide, encore aujourd’hui, dans chacune de mes créations.

In 2024, I also had the opportunity to follow a training course with Olga Tonkova, a specialist in miniature underglaze painting, a delicate and precise technique that is the hallmark of Geneva enamel. This experience enabled me to perfect my mastery of the fine, meticulous gestures required for this method. It was an invaluable apprenticeship that now enriches my creations with a new artistic and technical dimension.

At the same time, I carried out numerous trials with my kiln, sometimes successful, sometimes more laborious, but always marked by perseverance. Meticulous observation of my results and my constant quest for perfection have enabled me to master enamelling and its secrets better and better, even if working with fire reminds us, on a daily basis, that humility remains essential.

Watchmaker and enameller: dual expertise at the service of my customers

I officially founded l'Atelier d'émail Maëlle Constant in October 2020, where I thrive as an independent enameller in the heart of the Vallée de Joux, one of the cradles of watchmaking.

At the same time, for several years after completing my watchmaking training, I also had the opportunity to work for two prestigious Swiss companies, where I was able to hone my watchmaking skills, from decorating components (hand and micromotor bevelling, satine brush and other finishing touches) through to final inspection of the watch, not forgetting refurbishing calibres, assembling movements, adjusting, casing and all the bench work.

Today, although I devote myself entirely to my own workshop and to enamelling, this experience in watchmaking is an undeniable asset for my customers. I master the technical aspects of watchmaking, use the appropriate vocabulary and understand the constraints involved in integrating an enamelled dial into a watch. In short, my dual expertise enables me to understand and anticipate your needs, to work with you to design your watch in its entirety, taking all the parameters into account, and to offer you a timepiece that perfectly meets your requirements, down to the smallest detail.