Taniwha
Taniwha are fantastical mythical water based monsters that dwell mostly in rivers, They could also be described as dragons. lakes and the ocean or anywhere there is water like swamps. They mainly live in dangerous areas where there are fierce currents, strong breakers or rocky shorelines.
Taniwha have a great variety of forms. In the oceans they can be seen as pakake(whale) and sharks or great monsters with razor sharp spines with fish scales and large teeth. Some have wings and can even fly. Many can disguise themselves as floating logs.
They also have a variety of names, Marakihau is one of them and has great bulbous eyes, three fingers, a serpent like body and a tongue that is a long tube used to suck unwary sailors from the surface.
The early Taniwha arrived from Hawaiki and were generally guardians of the ancestral canoes that arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand. They helped create harbors for the canoes and opened channels to the sea to enhance travel as well as protecting their people from the elements of the seas and enemies.
Taniwha can be a ferocious and bitter enemy when riled or seeking utu (revenge) for an injury or death of one of his people, or when it is hungry. There are many famous stories of how it has taken up to 200 warriors to kill one giant Taniwha. But it takes a lot of guile and skill to do this as they are intelligent creatures.
A Taniwha can also protect its own and so long as the tribe observes the respect and customs due to it. If people had to pass by a taniwha’s cave or wanted to go fishing in the area of the taniwha’s home they would often leave an offering of a green twig. Some people offered the Taniwha the first vegetable of the crop or the first fish or bird of the season. Taniwha often gave their people early warning of the approach of enemies and escorted the fishing waka (canoe) safely back to shore. Although mainly invisible to humans the Taniwha can sometimes be seen on the water as a mark of respect when a leading rangatira (chief) dies.
Other references: Wikipedia
Model: Taniwha
Movement: Self-winding, 25 jewel, Swiss movement (ETA cal. 2824-2)
Case Diameter: 44mm excluding crown, polished stainless steel with gold inlay.
Bezel:Hand engraved with gold inlay
Crown: Screw down
Crystal: Sapphire
Water-resistance: 3 ATM (approx 100ft)
Strap: 24mm Black leather
Buckle: Polished stainless steel (hand-engraved)
Wooden box: Kauri (hand-made)
Limited Edition: 5 pieces
Price:$5985.00 USD plus shipping
To compliment these wonderful pieces, we have placed them in handmade boxes that are crafted from timber, milled from the Kauri tree - a protected New Zealand native - engraved with our logo and inlaid with black New Zealand paua shell.
Giant Kauri trees were considered by Maori to be the kings of New Zealand forests. The Kauri is one of the largest and oldest growing trees in the world.
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Please contact us to find out more information about purchasing this MAGRETTE Timepiece
Gold Inlay into steel.
Inlaying precious metal like gold into a harder host metal is a process that has not changed for centuries. The techniques that the old masters used are exactly the same today and even the style of tools hasn’t changed. What has changed is the host metals have got a lot harder so the tools are also made of stronger materials.
Not to be confused with gold plating which is a micro thin layer of gold plated onto the surface of the metal, gold inlay is actually set and bonded into the metal and is quite thick. For the Taniwha watch 0.5mm 24 karat gold wire was used.
Step 1: The main outlines of the design are cut. The areas to be gold inlaid are then cut deeper (approximately 0.25mm) and relived. The outer edges are then undercut that gives a dovetail to the cavity. In bigger areas teeth are then cut into the surface to help grip the gold.
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Step 2: The gold wire is annealed then pressed into the cavity and then set by gently tapping it into place. At this stage this is to only hold the gold steady so that it doesn’t fall out.
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Step 3: The gold is then hammered in with a brass or bronze textured punch. This forces the gold down onto the teeth and spreads out along the bottom of the cavity filling the dovetails from step 1. The gold is now firmly in place.
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Step 3a: All the cavities are filled with the gold over the entire surface.
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Step 4: The gold is then stoned down with a series of abrasive stones ranging from coarse to fine until it is flush with the surface. Wet and try grit paper can be used as the very last step but care must be taken not to round the edges.
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Step 4a: The entire surface is finished with the stones and abrasive paper.
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Step 5: All the main outlines are then recut including where the steel joins the gold.
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Step 6: The detail is then engraved into the design.
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Step 7: Extra lustre is given to the gold by burnishing very lightly. This is an optional step as depending on what is being engraved, as a high lustre is not always desirable.
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