This dial is wood marquetry rather than enamel, and the change of medium changes the whole character of the watch. Marquetry is assembled from hundreds of individually cut veneer pieces, each chosen for its grain, and the image is built from natural colour rather than fired pigment — so a pintail's plumage is rendered in wood that already carries the right tone. The surface stays matte where enamel is glassy, and Patek Philippe uses the technique on a small fraction of the Rare Handcrafts output.

The white gold case measures 34.5 mm in the Golden Ellipse shape, chosen again for its uninterrupted dial field. The northern pintail is built in wood marquetry, the veneers cut and laid by hand and finished flush. A self-winding movement drives hours and minutes only, so nothing crosses the image. The watch is completed on an alligator strap. Because the colour comes from the wood rather than from pigment, no two marquetry dials are identical even within one motif, which is the opposite of how enamel behaves.

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