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Mauro Carraro | Blue Ink Portrait Artist

@maurocarraro

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Time, rewriten in blue ink & 24k gold ✍️💙✨
Slow art • True emotion• Timeless Gestures
⚙️ FHH2 Watch Specialist
📩 Enquire for events & bespoke art

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Letter to Time.

There is a moment where time is no longer measured, but interpreted.

Ink becomes structure.
Gold becomes light.

—

Shot with @johannsauty.official
Bespoke glasses by @adrienboerez
On display @coffee.up.ge
Letter to Time for @jaegerlecoultre taken in Geneva, Switzerland by @maurocarraro

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7 months ago

LETTER TO TIME — REVERSO HYBRIS ARTISTICA CALIBRE 179

This is the largest piece I’ve created so far.

An A2 tribute to the Gyrotourbillon by @jaegerlecoultre , a piece that has been on my mind for months.

Some watches are meant to be read. Others are meant to be explored. This one feels like getting lost in a structure of lines, diagonals and invisible paths.

Drawn entirely with my set of @montblanc Meisterstück in blue ink and 24k gold leaf, with subtle violet accents for the ruby, a dialogue between precision and emotion.

This is a unique piece it’s a one of one. Inspired by a watch produced in only 10 examples.

From Monday, it will be exhibited exclusively at @coffee.up.ge , Geneva. If you’re curious to experience it in person, you know where to find it.

Special thanks to @jeandre.br for capturing this moment, and @adrienboerez for the bespoke glasses with engraved “draw the time”.

First shooting in my new space. New setup. New energy.

More to come.

#goldenleaves #inkdrawing #blueink #watch #reverso taken in Coffee UP Genève by @maurocarraro

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7 months ago

A new chapter in understanding what I draw. 🖋️💙⌚️

Proud to share that I’ve officially earned the FHH Watch Specialist certification.

I translated this milestone into my own language.

@fhh.fondation.haute.horlogerie taken in Geneva, Switzerland by @maurocarraro

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5 months ago

A century-old house. A radically different vision of time.

Visiting the M.A.D.House of @mbandf in Carouge was a fascinating experience.

Built in 1907, this historic residence, with its original wood panelling, painted ceramics and richly detailed interiors, is now home to one of the most unconventional creative laboratories in independent watchmaking.

What impressed me most was the extraordinary diversity of MB&F’s horological constructions.

From the sculptural, three-dimensional architecture of the Horological Machines to the reinterpretation of classical complications in the Legacy Machines, each creation explores a distinct mechanical concept, with its own calibre architecture, displays and technical challenges.

Here, movement design is not simply a means of indicating time. It becomes an essential part of the artistic expression.

And perhaps the most beautiful contrast of all: witnessing this extraordinary mechanical creativity taking shape at the watchmakers’ benches, within the intimate atmosphere of a historic home.

A genuinely warm and generous visit, with the freedom to observe, exchange and discover.

Many thanks to the entire @mbandf team for opening their doors and sharing their world with us.

#MBandF #MADHouse #IndependentWatchmaking #HauteHorlogerie #HorologicalMachines taken in MB&F by @maurocarraro

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4 days ago

OFF THE CLOCK — MILAN
Beyond watchmaking. Beyond the dial.

Some evenings remind us that watchmaking is not only about exceptional timepieces, but also about the people, creativity and encounters that bring this world together.

It was a genuine honour to bring my artistic universe to Off the Clock, an exceptional evening hosted by @dubaiwatchweek during @milanowatchweek , at the beautiful Vesta Milano, in the heart of Brera.

Throughout the evening, blue ink and gold leaf became a way of connecting with guests, creating spontaneous portraits, sharing conversations and leaving each person with a personal piece of art to remember the occasion.

A wonderful first chapter of Off the Clock in Milan, opening the door to new encounters and creative exchanges across the international watchmaking community.

The evening also marked an exciting moment with the announcement of the next Dubai Watch Week, taking place from November 17–21, 2027.

I am particularly grateful to Dubai Watch Week and the Seddiqi family for their trust, their vision and for inviting me to contribute to such a remarkable gathering.

My warmest thanks to @hind_seddiqi @livindreams79 and the entire team for the impeccable organisation, their kindness and the wonderful hospitality.

An unforgettable evening celebrating the human side of watchmaking.

Until our paths cross again, somewhere around the world. 💙

#DubaiWatchWeek #OffTheClock #MilanoWatchWeek #ArtAndWatchmaking #BlueInkAndGold taken in Vesta by @maurocarraro

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5 days ago

10.10.26 — A Letter to Time.

An instrument made to measure time, reimagined to remember it.

Today, at 10:10, I unveiled a new Letter to Time at the Musée d’art et d’histoire in Geneva, on the occasion of World Watch Day @worldwatchday_org .

For this piece, the three wandering-hour indications become a date: 10 · 10 · 26. A moment suspended in time, transformed into something to remember.

Behind the drawing, a handwritten letter unfolds. A personal tribute to Geneva, to the extraordinary world of watchmaking, and above all to the people, encounters and shared passions that have shaped my journey through it.

Created in my Geneva atelier, the work brings together blue fountain pen ink, handwriting, gilding and the patient gestures of traditional craftsmanship.

One artwork. One week. One meaningful cause.

This unique original will be offered through a week-long charity auction in support of the Pierre Amstutz Fund, created in memory of the former director of the Geneva Watchmaking School.

The Fund supports young apprentices in watchmaking and micromechanics, particularly those facing financial difficulties, helping them continue their education and preserve the skills that will shape the future of watchmaking.

A way of giving something back to a world that has given me so much.

Photography and Studio Documentation by @johannsauty.official .

A huge thanks to:
@fhh.fondation.haute.horlogerie
@mahgeneve
@themorningpartygbl

#LetterToTime #WorldWatchDay #HauteHorlogerie #Watchmaking #BlueInkAndGold taken in Geneva, Switzerland by @maurocarraro

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8 days ago

When craftsmanship goes beyond the boundaries of watchmaking.

Last week in Rome, I had the pleasure of discovering the six extraordinary timepieces presented through Vacheron Constantin’s One of Not Many Crafts Programme, following their presentation at @homofaber in Venice.

From glass sculpting and micro-origami to featherwork and other exceptional métiers d’art, each creation opens a dialogue between traditional watchmaking and artistic disciplines that rarely meet on such a miniature scale.

A particular pleasure was discovering the work of Italian glass artist @simonecrestani , whose remarkable glass octopus brings an entirely different dimension to the art of watchmaking.

What fascinates me most is this willingness to bring different crafts together, experiment with materials and push the boundaries of what is possible in contemporary Haute Horlogerie.

As an artist myself, I find these encounters between different creative worlds especially inspiring.

A warm thank you to @filippo_mozzi , @hanshachfeld , Mauro Meloni and the entire @vacheronconstantin Rome team for the invitation, the wonderful hospitality and the conversations.

A beautiful reminder that craftsmanship continues to evolve when different creative worlds meet. taken in Vacheron Constantin by @maurocarraro

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9 days ago

A LETTER TO TIME

🇬🇧 ENG

As part of the Geneva programme of World Watch Day, the artist Mauro Carraro presents a unique work created for the day. Panels, a guided tour and a conference follow at the MAH, into the afternoon.

Drawn and written by hand, then finished with gold leaf and celebrates the maine theme of the day - Time as Living Heritage. Mauro unveils it at 9:30 am at the MAH, opening The Morning Party and the whole day.

Not in Geneva on 10 October? => More than 50 events are open across four continents. Find yours in the programme, link in bio.

FOLLOW US for live updates from around the world.

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🇫🇷 FR

Dans le cadre du programme genevois du World Watch Day, l'artiste Mauro Carraro présente une œuvre unique créée pour la journée. Suivront au MAH des tables rondes, une visite guidée et une conférence, jusque dans l'après-midi.

Dessinée et écrite à la main, puis achevée à la feuille d'or, posée fragment par fragment. Mauro la dévoile à 9h30 au MAH, pour l'ouverture de The Morning Party et de toute la journée.

Vous n'êtes pas à Genève le 10 octobre ? => Plus de 50 événements sont ouverts sur quatre continents. Trouvez le vôtre dans le programme, lien en bio.

FOLLOW US pour les directs du monde entier.

#worldwatchday #timeaslivingheritage #watches #watchesofinstagram #watchmaking by @maurocarraro

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11 days ago

A few lines, a little blue ink and a touch of gold to leave a trace of this very special day at the Manufacture.

At the end of my visit to Jaeger-LeCoultre⁠, I had the pleasure of leaving a small dedication in the guest book of the Atelier d’Antoine: my interpretation of one of the timepieces I had just discovered, drawn in blue ink and finished with gold leaf.

A small souvenir to thank @virginieingeneva and the entire @jaegerlecoultre team for their warm welcome, their time, and for opening the doors of the Grande Maison to me.

There is something particularly meaningful about drawing a watch in the very place where so much of its story, craft and savoir-faire comes to life.

Thank you again for this beautiful immersion into the Vallée de Joux.

🎥 Beautifully captured and edited by @eliozurbruegg and @artworth_brothers taken in Jaeger-LeCoultre by @maurocarraro

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20 days ago

A few moments from the making of my latest Letter to Time, dedicated to the @jaegerlecoultre Atmos Hybris Artistica Tellurium designed by @marcnewsonofficial .

Almost one year after seeing it for the first time in Milan, I finally took the time to draw it.

“For the first time, we inhabit the same cosmos, made of letters and tiny planets. Two worlds so different and yet, deep down, so similar: writing and astronomy.”

One of my largest works so far, made in my atelier in Geneva with blue ink, Bologna gesso, blue bole, gold and silver leaf, and a lot of handwritten thoughts about time, space and constellations.

“This one-metre sheet could just as well have been one kilometre by one kilometre, or the size of a postage stamp. Because the universe, a little like you, has no true measure.”

And once again, @johannsauty.official , who has always had this unique ability to capture the dialogue between me and each of my Letters to Time through his photographic eye and @adrienboerez , who created these incredible bespoke glasses for me.

More soon. by @maurocarraro

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21 days ago

The Art of Transmission.

A very special moment during @geneva_watch_days , joining the FHH Tribune “The Art of Transmission: Why Human Expertise Remains Irreplaceable” as an FHH Academy alumnus.

It was also my first time speaking on a panel, a beautiful opportunity to share a little of my atypical path into the watchmaking world: entering it through art, drawing and curiosity, and gradually developing a deeper understanding of the timepieces I portray and the people, craftsmanship and savoir-faire behind them.

Having completed the first two stages of the @fhh.fondation.haute.horlogerie journey, including my Watch Specialist certification, I recently chose to experience the three-day Watch Expert training in person with Gianfranco Ritschel.

During the panel, I shared what those three immersive days brought me beyond the course content itself: spontaneous questions, conversations, exchanges with the trainer and other participants, and the possibility of exploring subjects much further than I would have expected.

To thank the FHH team, I also wanted to bring a small piece of my own universe on stage: a personal reinterpretation of my FHH Watch Specialist certificate, drawn in blue ink and gold leaf, with intertwined watchmaking doodles, a piece I was very happy to offer to Aurélie.

A warm thank you to Pascal Ravessoud and @aurelie.streit for inviting me to be part of this conversation, to Gianfranco Ritschel for those incredibly rich three days of training, and to @oliviertalon Talon, who accompanied me through the first stage a of this journey and helped nurture my curiosity for watchmaking from the beginning.

Still learning, still curious and with so much more to discover. 💙

Photos ny Raphaël Hatem

#FHHAcademy #GenevaWatchDays #HauteHorlogerie #Watchmaking taken in Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie by @maurocarraro

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a month ago

The same Letter to Time, seen from the other side.

The museum digitizations of my @artyawatch Complexity Yin & Yang diptych.

Two works born from the same watch and the same words, yet built in opposite ways.

In the Yin, the Letter to Time is written traditionally in blue ink over the white paper.

For the Yang, I wanted to reverse that relationship. The writing was created first as a resist, before covering the surface in blue, leaving the words to emerge from within the colour itself.

Light becomes dark.
Ink becomes absence.
The same words find another way to exist.

Seeing the two works finally digitized side by side makes this dialogue even clearer to me. Neither feels like the positive or the negative of the other. They belong together.

Two sides of the same time.

Digitalisation by @atelier_actinic taken in Geneva, Switzerland by @maurocarraro

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a month ago