Albanian jeweler Piro Ruko worked around the clock for five years to capture the essence of his country in an impressive $1.4 million luxury watch.
It will go up against the best watches from around the world during the Geneva Grand Prix in November.
The hours are indicated by the images of 12 golden folk dancers - each in a different regional dress - placed on Murano glass, and the hands are decorated with honeysuckle in honor of Albania's national symbol.
Ruko's rise has mirrored Albania's, from the poverty and isolation of Europe's most reclusive communist regime to roaring capitalism.
Along the way, the jeweler overcomes envy, the secret police and exile to rise to the top of his profession.
For Ruko - as he is known in his homeland - it all started in 1985, when he was asked to make a medal in red and gold with the head of Enver Hoxha - the dictator who ruled the small Balkan country with an iron fist for more than four decades.
"It saved me," Ruko told AFP from his workshop tucked away in one of the backstreets of the capital, Tirana.
The medals were awarded to the most loyal supporters of the regime and later attracted the attention of Hoxha's wife.
As a result, thousands more similar medals were produced and worn by communist cadres throughout Albania.
"All the delegates at the convention had to wear it. I made a name for myself with it," said the jeweler. This saves him because his family is considered "rebellious".
"Priceless"
Piro Rocco's success was almost derailed by an anonymous letter sent to the authorities accusing him of working with foreign agents.
Rocco was interrogated by intelligence agents and his workshop was searched.
After making a ring with the image of the late husband of a member of the Communist Politburo, he regained his position, and in July 1990 he won an award for a piece featuring the 15th-century Albanian national hero Skanderberg.
But the very next day fate intervenes. The regime began to crumble, and after the fall of communist rule in Albania in 1991, years of violent upheaval followed as the country transitioned to a free market economy.
Through the ups and downs, Rocco stayed busy designing pieces for officials and celebrities.
On a trip to Basel, Switzerland in 2016, something new caught his eye.
"I wanted to make a watch. That was my new dream," he said.
For the next five years, Ruko focused on "making something special, Albanian, and at the same time completely new and unprecedented in the watchmaking industry".
The new watch, which he calls Primordial Passion, was developed in collaboration with Swiss watchmaker Agenhor.
"I never wanted to make jewelry, but art. Sculptures, images of the country, parts of the culture... This watch is the culmination of all that, of this love for Albania. It is more than a watch. It combines the rich heritage of ancient Albanian culture with the idea of chronometry," the jeweler explained.
Piro refuses to reveal the methods used to make the watch, but remains hopeful that the small details will be appreciated by the judges at the Grand Prix in Geneva.
Several collectors have already contacted him about buying the watch, although it would be difficult for Rocco to part with his creation.
"I determined the price because I had to do it. But for me he is priceless," emphasized the Albanian. | BGNES
