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A History of Independent Watchmaking - Curated by Phillips
Phillips quoted George Daniels when announcing an exhibition in Geneva this May to pay tribute to independent watchmaking: “Independence is the utmost importance in life. Without it you are subject to the whims of other people. You are pinned down to a particular area, a particular routine. Independence is crucially important in life, especially in the life of a watchmaker .”
In his Introduction to the book Watchmakers – The Masters of Art Horology Aurel Bacs emphasises [p. 11] how independent watchmakers “have given collectors the greatest of luxuries, the gift of choice. Their watches are atypical and that is precisely why we love them.” Max Büsser highlighted in the podium discussion what Phillips also mentions as a benefit for the owners of these watches: to own a timepiece bearing its creator’s soul, DNA and philosophy.
Looking at the selection of watches on show (which included many “my-first-watch” pieces of the watchmakers), I thought about the very different business models tried in independent watchmaking since the 1930s. On “Independents’ Day” (10 May 2019) quite a few of the associated struggles were mentioned in a panel discussion moderated by Michael Clerizo titled “The Legacy of George Daniels: Paying tribute to independent watchmaking”. Stephen Forsey perhaps brought it to the point in his eloquent way: “Watchmaking is like climbing a mountain, though unfortunately the mountain has no summit but rather a succession of small plateaus, each revealing another nasty ascent on the way up.”
In the Preface of his book Watchmaking, George Daniel mentioned already in 1981 one of the biggest problems independents are facing, which persists until today: “The Swiss industry thrived on mass-production techniques which enabled the production of cheap watches of adequate quality for everyday use. (…) Because there are now no specialist manufacturers of components waiting to fulfil the ambitious watchmaker’s demands he must now satisfy them himself. Only then can he avoid the delays that occur in the completion of orders given to such specialists. By developing the skills required to make components of a watch, including the case, dial and hands, the watchmaker’s programme is never influenced by the time-tables of outworkers.” Ask, amongst others, Kari Voutilainen almost 40 years later, and you are told the real independence is only possible when the parts production and further processes are based on your own know-how.
George Daniels first believed the traditional watchmaking could be revived working with the antiquated tools and methods the masters had to work with building the watches and clocks he admired when restoring them. But soon he “realized that there was to be no rediscovery of the pleasure of watchmaking by traditional methods, and that such methods had no special merit anyway. The best contemporary methods would be the one that succeeded by adaption of existing equipment.” (Watchmaking, p. xii)
Above: L to R, standing – Svend Andersen, Philip Whyte, Richard Stenning, Kari Voutilainen, Laurent Ferrier, Rexhep Rexhepi, Helmut Crott, Gentleman not known to me, Ludovic Ballouard; L to R, seated – Max Büsser, Roger Smith, Philippe Dufour, Evelyne Genta, François-Paul Journe, Stephen Forsey, Michael Clerizo as moderator (Photo: Phillips)
Studying the watches and information panels in the exhibition, many possible ways to climb this “mountain” as watchmaker seeking independence came to mind. The following (non-exhaustive) tour of the show is therefore split into questions that arose for me. Since the battle with the glaring lights of the presentation boxes could neither be won with a proper camera nor with the iphone, I rely mostly on photos provided by Phillips. A few photos from other sources are smuggled in to show here and there some detail not visible the way the watches were presented.
Louis Cottier – The first Private Label Manufacturer?
Collecting world time watches, seeing a prototype made by Louis Cottier loaned by a collector for the exhibition was a main attraction for my visit. Until 1931 Louis Cottier worked in the employ of different watch manufacturers in Geneva. He became a victim of the big crisis, changing into self-employment for a lack of choices. First he proposed watches without hands (digital displays) to manufacturers, but then found his niche by becoming a specialist for world time indications.
(Photo: Phillips)
Louis Cottier never made watches bearing his own name. He rather modified movements to implement world time for most of the high end manufacturers of the time. Agassiz, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Rolex and Vacheron Constantin offered therefore more or less the same world time pocket watches.
(Photo: Phillips)
The 18 K yellow gold prototype wristwatch was Louis Cottier’s personal watch. It shows the configuration with two crowns later used by Patek Philippe for the now iconic 2523HU wristwatch.
Patek Philippe refined the system further by replacing the second crown with a pusher. They patented the idea and presented it the first time with the 5110 model.
The reference 5130J-012 on offer by Phillips demonstrated how easy it is to create limited editions when you have a world time display: Only a city name has to be changed and printed in a different colour, and voilà, the AD can offer a special model. Here a 18k yellow gold version made for Relojeria Alemana in Palma de Mallorca was on offer, described to be made in 2014 for “offering their clientele with unique pieces, and to commemorate its 135th anniversary, (…) an exclusive order of eight reference 5130s, two in each available metal.” The watches display the time zone for P. Mallorca highlighted in green.
(Photo: Phillips)
After Louis Cottier’s death, his family gifted 1967 the small workshop content as well as his archives to the Musées d’Art et d’Histoire in Geneva. Unfortunately, this state owned museum never made anything of it, according to rumours not even properly documenting what they have got. Opportunities to get glimpses into the history of Cottier are therefore exceedingly rare and made my visit alone worthwhile. To me it looks like Cottier is one of the first private label manufacturers. The high end manufacturers of the Vallée de Joux selling their watches before to “brands” sold these creations also in their own name; Louis Cottier abstained from this.
George Daniels & Roger Smith – Can Master and Pupil support each other’s individual success?
Roger Smith represented personally not only his own watches and history at the event, but also those of his master George Daniels. Appropriately, the two watches in the auction showed the transition of the watchmaking happening towards the end of Daniels’ active professional life. Their phenomenal success in the auction might underline how important a continuous history can be.
(Photo: Roger W Smith Ltd.)
George Daniels made the Grand Complication with instantaneous perpetual calendar minute repeater with moon phases, thermometer, power reserve, equation of time, annual calendar and one minute co-axial tourbillon in 1987. It is the second to last of the 23 pocket watches he built in his lifetime.
(Photo: Phillips)
George Daniels only relented once (for Seth Atwood of the famous Time Museum) to accept a commission. He preferred to build the watches as he wanted them for himself. The Grand Complication was retained by him for his personal use and was never sold during his lifetime.
(Photo: Phillips)
Phillips writes in the catalogue: “For Daniels, ‘watches should provide historical, technical, intellectual, aesthetic, amusing and useful qualities.’ (…) From the outset, Daniels closely adhered to these prerequisites when designing and constructing his watches. He frequently repeated this mantra when discussing his watches and explaining what he was trying to achieve. The case, dial and movements of his watches were to be instantly recognizable as a Daniels, each was to be hand-made to the highest standards, and the movements were to incorporate interesting and innovative mechanical features. (…) A mechanical tour de force, the Grand Complication stands apart in the Daniels production. Fully hand-made, it is the only Daniels timepiece to feature an instantaneous perpetual calendar with retrograde date and minute repeater, both mechanisms to Daniels’ own design.” The part of “instantly recognizable as a Daniels” tells how important it was for him to also build a brand.
(Photos: Phillips)
Old Master (paintings) expert Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe recommends studying the great baroque paintings of Caravaggio by wearing sunglasses in the museum. These paintings were created when only sunlight and candle light was available; the dramatic contrasts between light and dark can thus also be more effective when viewed with less light.
When studying watches made entirely by hand from scratch, we should perhaps also go by this advice and not use macro-photography for presentation. George Daniels’ watches where built under a watchmaker’s loupe and not a microscope.
Michael Clerizo recorded (Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking, p. 17) George Daniels’ philosophy on the decoration of his watches: “The appropriate finish for a watch is a vexed question for some but not for me. The way the Swiss finish a watch involves a lot of work that only suits a load of old fusspots. I never used Geneva stripes and I never will. I prefer gilding simply because the best watches used nothing but gilding and polishing. (…) I gilded and polished because I wanted all the parts to be the same, to look the same, and to come together in one beautiful whole. I wanted each component possessing its own individual beauty but all of them come together. Again, it is all about elegance and simplicity.” George Daniels admitted that one of the two watchmaking trades (of 34) he did not bother to learn is engraving (with the exception of guilloché engraving by engine).
I obviously qualify as “fusspot” because I appreciate not only the “whole view” but also detailing as we know it today with all the bevelling and black polishing of parts, serving only decoration but not technical purposes.
(Photo: Phillips)
The Anniversary watch in the auction bears “Daniels” as well on the dial but it is the work of Roger Smith, so this model is not listed in “Complete Watch and Clock Production” found as an appendix to the revised edition of George Daniels’ biography All in Good Time.
In the interview series published on Youtube and available here , George Daniels admired Breguet particularly (repeated in many interviews as well as highlighted in the Preface of his Breguet book (p. ix) for the ability to create a great variety of clocks and watches with “a continuous development towards the ideal time-keeper for whatever purpose it was intended”, always immediately recognisable as a “Breguet”. Leaving restoration work and entering his own watchmaking George Daniels pursued the goal to “surpass him” (Clerizo, George Daniels, p. 116). In a video interview published in 2007 he confided how difficult a constant search for original solutions was: “I began to run out of ideas. (…) So I began to lose interest.” (part 51/85). The high demands he put on himself seem to have taken its toll. On the other hand, he had no interest entering into series production, unlike Breguet. When he got the first 50 movements from Omega as part of the patent deal to build watches in his own name from them, he only made the prototype with his escapement (and fitted his own calendar to it). The Millenium series watches launched in 1998 built Roger Smith; “which he did very satisfactorily”, was the master’s judgement, what is the highest level of praise attainable in his language.
Regarding the Anniversary watch, Roger Smith confirmed to Kiran Shekar (Hodinkee, 19 May 2015) he had “basically made the 35th Anniversary watch” himself: ”Yes, George was there to look at designs and tell me if it was right or wrong, so it’s very much a Daniels. By then I’d known George for several years so it was becoming second nature anyway.”
(Photo: Phillips)
Offered in 2010 for subscription, the Anniversary model was described as “drawing on Daniels’ unique body of work (…) in a style reminiscent of the appearance of the famous tourbillon chronograph pocket watch created by Dr. Daniels in 1994.” The subscription price was set at £ 142’000.00 excluding VAT. At the time an additional 16 watches (to the 35) were planned, “created in 4 sets comprising 4 watches each in 18 carat yellow, red, white gold and platinum with a separate numbering” as a “special request item.”
The watch offered in the auction is number 24/35: “The 40mm gold case sits perfectly on the wrist whereas the hand guilloché dial is a gem of design and craftsmanship. The movement tactfully balances traditional British looks and the groundbreaking co-axial escapement.”
Sold for CHF 456’250.00 (inclusive buyer’s fee) in Geneva, I believe this result is testament to the appreciation of a history kept alive.
(Photo: Phillips)
Roger Smith had two watches in the exhibition with his name on the dial, referring to his career separate of Daniels‘. It was a somewhat difficult path. He hinted to this when talking with Kiran Shekar in 2015 (Hodinkee , 19 May 2015): “What I struggle with was I had to make my next watch [after the 35th Anniversary Daniels watch], (…) I struggled a bit to get back my own designs because I had become ‘Daniels-ified’. It was quite a funny period really.”
(Photos: LH- Roger W Smith Ltd.; RH - Phillips)
The unique The Great Britain of 2013 shown was created to “commemorate the Great Britain campaign to celebrate the best of British creativity, innovation and technology in watchmaking.” It was the Government’s most ambitious international marketing campaign ever, with the aim to showcase the very best of what Britain has to offer “in order to encourage the world to visit, study and do business with the UK.”
(Photo: Phillips)
The case is hand-made from three strips of platinum. In the brochure for the watch the dial is described “as probably one of the most complex dials to have ever been designed and made by hand”. Not only were all elements made by hand (which includes several different guilloché patterns cut on the straight-line engine), but also the treatments, like flame whitening the dial background before fitting the hand-cut and flame blued numerals.
Roger Smith used in this watch his new, second generation single-wheel co-axial escapement for the first time. The escape wheel was lightened by 23%, improving the performance with a faster acceleration and less abrupt deceleration. He was involved in the development of the co-axial escapement since 1998. The improvements came from the understanding that concentric and angular errors were occurring in the assembly of the two wheels onto a shared arbor (causing variable performance in the escapement). By combining the two wheels into one, he could eliminate these vagaries. The single wheel co-axial escapement was first fitted into a Series 2 watch in 2010.
(Photo: Roger W Smith Ltd.)
With a nano coated pinion also in the glass case, Roger Smith told he is not fixed on “tradition” when there are opportunities to improve the technical qualities of his watches.
There are watchmakers saying they would not want to be recognised as the “apprentice” for all their life. But sometimes a bit (clever) humbleness is the better choice.
In his book The Art of Breguet (p. 9) George Daniels reveals how much he admired Breguet also for his business acumen. Breguet was dependent on good and loyal watchmakers because his travels for sales and to the workshops in Switzerland kept him away from the atelier for longer periods. George Daniels wrote: “Not the least factor in Breguet’s success was his remarkable ability in selecting his workmen. (…) Some of these men would, inevitably, want to leave the workshops and exploit their talents for their own benefit by setting up in business as makers in their own right. (…) Those that did were allowed by him to sign their work ‘Elève de Breguet’ [pupil of Breguet]. Here again, by showing his understanding of human nature, Breguet gained publicity. His pupils were proud to declare their association with Breguet but, at the same time, his name was emphasised as the master.”
Maybe George Daniels’ legacy is not limited to the proper making of watches by traditional methods to the highest standard, but also how you can organise your succession when an able pupil is on hand who is also willing to carry on the baton offered in a worthy way. This cooperation further shows how an Apprentice or Elève can have a head start on the top level of watchmaking, and staying there, getting full appreciation by enthusiasts and the market.
Derek Pratt
When a master watchmaker has no long term business plan which includes the succession, becoming the “unsung hero” (Michael Clerizo) is a high risk, as it happened to Derek Pratt. With watches made for Urban Jürgensen, Helmut Crott represented him at the show. Today almost only known by horological scholars, the quality of Derek Pratt’s work was on the same level as George Daniels’, likely even better regarding decorations and other detailing.
“Solothurn” (in Switzerland) is written on the dial because it was home of Derek Pratt since the 1970s. Using a mixture of traditional and modern methods, it was the piercing saw he regarded as the most valuable hand tool. He managed to cut out almost finished parts requiring a minimum of time with a file to finish. His craft brought him an excellent reputation as a restorer of complicated clocks and watches.
With his horological skills and dedication, Derek Pratt became instrumental in reviving the brand Urban Jürgensen und Sonner (UJS). Peter Baumberger had acquired 1981 the brand (or what remained of it), together with a quantity of 90 unfinished vintage movements. Himself a qualified watchmaker, Peter Baumberger had crazy demands for quality and design he felt not able to satisfy with the work of his own hands. Derek Pratt became therefore a “consultant”, effectively running the atelier of Urban Jürgensen.
Phillips respectively Helmut Crott showed some of the horological highlights created in this function. One is the oval pocket watch Derek Pratt worked on more than 12 years. It is a one-minute flying tourbillon with Earnshaw-type spring detent escapement. Sectors on the dial show the state of the wind indication on the left and Réamur temperature on the right. All the parts were made with hand-tools and hand-machines. The guilloché engraving is so detailed, it was impossible to properly photograph the watch with the stark lighting of the show box.
(Photo: Phillips)
Another example of Derek Pratt’s fine work is from the series of complicated pocket watches based on the historical movements with complications added (here: perpetual calendar, moon phases). Urban Jürgensen as a brand came back to the market with these complicated pocket watches for collectors from the mid-1980s onwards.
When Peter Baumberger wanted to develop the brand, he needed a collection of wristwatches. These elegant wristwatches were first based on El Primero movements bought in the midst of the Quartz crisis; for later models Frédéric Piguet movements became the basis. Complications could be added to these movements, but Peter Baumberger wanted an in-house movement. This new calibre UJS-P8 has a detent escapement, before only thought to work in ship chronometers where this type of non-selfstarting escapement could work in a more or less horizontal position as per its design. The research and trials from 2003 onwards to make such an escapement work in a wristwatch turned out to be a real financial burden. The solution proposed by Derek Pratt was then worked-on by movement specialist Jean-François Mojon.
On show was the prototype of 2010. Kari Voutilainen was also involved for assembling, finishing and regulating these movements.
The discussion on the podium turned out to reveal to what extent Derek Pratt helped George Daniels. The two toured not only every September together in Switzerland, but Derek Pratt helped with his connections and language skills considerably in the negotiations with Omega for the patent deal. These negotiations were, as Michael Clerizo mentioned, burdened by George Daniels’ lack of knowledge how an industrial watch manufactory works. Philippe Dufour then added how for him Derek Pratt was “George’s shadow”. Visiting the atelier of Derek Pratt, Philippe Dufour told, was not only a surprise for the immense machine park but the extent of parts made there for George Daniels. Especially the difficult dual escape wheel at the heart of the co-axial escapement came from this workshop. Roger Smith could also confirm he met George Daniels often on the telephone with Derek Pratt to discuss technical matters.
In his article on Derek Pratt (“The Greatest Unknown Watchmaker”; Watches By SJX, 30 March 2018) Timothy Treffry writes how George Daniels “could never bring himself to acknowledge his [Pratt’s] contribution.” Well, Breguet also only acknowledged his pupils by name but not competitors…
Charles Frodsham & Co. Ltd.
With a real and continuous history since 1893 linked to a company (and a Companies House register extract actually proving it) you don’t have to plan your formal succession. Frodsham, run by watchmakers Richard Stenning and Philip Whyte, had nevertheless to start from scratch when they also wanted to realise their dream of expanding the business to wristwatches. This was 15 years ago.
Derek Pratt appears in this story as well. On the wish list was a spring detent escapement for the movement of the wristwatches. Yet prototypes showed up too many problems. Derek Pratt, who frequently visited Frodsham’s shop in London, suggested the double impulse chronometer escapement of Daniels instead. While George Daniels thought it not possible to miniaturise this escapement to be used in a wristwatch movement, Derek Pratt had proved the contrary with his superb manufacturing skills.
On the other hand, Frodsham finished in 2014 a project dearly to the heart of Derek Pratt when he was no longer able to carry on due to his illness: Building a replica of the H4 timekeeper of John Harrison.
Shown in Geneva were two of the well-received double-impulse chronometers Frodsham now offers. The design language of the watch is completely different compared to the “English style” practised by George Daniels and Roger Smith. The white two-part dial made of zirconium is inspired by historic chronometers, with a design language found in their own books, as in a vintage Frodsham tourbillon pocket watch created in the early 1900s. A special feature is the extra-fine execution of lines and scripts, possible by not using pad printing but vapour deposition of metal oxides. With minute and hour hands the same length, both time units are read from the same railway track on the dial.
Philippe Dufour
Still contributing to his history (even when officially no more watches with his name are available from him) and legacy is Philippe Dufour. He has so far not managed to find a successor, but is travelling the world to promote appreciation for the traditional handcraft going into artisanal watches in general and not just his own. For the time being, all young competent watchmakers ambitious to become independent are his “pupils”. Though, when asking his advice they must be prepared to heed what already George Daniels stressed (Watchmaking, p. xiv): “The only way to certain success is to become proficient in all the crafts presented in the complete watch and to work without regard to so-called conventional hours of work.”
In the show Philippe Dufour had the full line of his creations, right from his first watch, to make lust for the traditional way of watchmaking.
(Photo: FHH)
He made the Montre Ecole pocket watch in 1967 as a graduation project. Until quite recently, the education in the watch school was finished by giving proof you learned all that is required to build a watch. The test was the “school watch” to be built on an ébauche, or at least by delivering a working movement.
Philippe Dufour got very explicit (making him somewhat a persona non grata with the industry in the Vallée de Joux) when the school programs were streamlined, no longer expecting the ability to make a complete watch a goal of the watchmaker’s education. The podium discussion has confirmed the inevitable consequences. Stephen Forsey told how he and Robert Greubel decided to invest in modern machines and concentrate on hand-finishing the parts for lack of skilled technicians when Greubel Forsey started to expand. They could not find a micro-mechanic (let alone a watchmaker) capable to produce parts for the watches on a lathe. And the hand-finishing of parts is also no longer taught in the watchmaking schools of Switzerland. The conclusion of the podium members was quite blunt: The Swiss watchmaking schools are nowadays only supposed to create “fodder” for the watch industry, where series work on sets of components is the daily job of most watchmakers.
Above: Prototyping the movement construction for the Duality, Philippe Dufour first tested the function principle on such a raw “model”.
Stephen Forsey added on the podium how he, Robert Greubel, Philippe Dufour and some further independents set up a small foundation (Time aeon Foundation) with the goal to safeguard and transmit the traditional know-how no longer taught in schools. Doing so, they expected to find a grateful industry supporting the idea of offering additional education and training in these traditional techniques. But not one sign of interest materialised, “the phone stayed very dusty.”
Phillipe Dufour pointed the finger to a further problem in Switzerland: Young people are often too lazy and more concerned about an enjoyable spare time and “safe” life. He mentioned the lack of young Swiss candidates in the AHCI, but for me a stronger sign is the lack of successful Swiss participants in the watchmaking competitions sponsored by François-Paul Journe and A. Lange & Söhne.
At the moment, it looks therefore unavoidable for the independents cultivating the artisanal watchmaking to create a pool of viable successors themselves. Not only by educating and training in the techniques, but instilling the “fire” in them for the real watchmaking in the traditional sense, and for accepting the struggles it brings until you are established. When Philippe Dufour mentioned to have always told applicants who dared to enter his atelier to immediately forget thoughts about spare time, holidays and pension, it seemed sufficient to put them to flight!
The line-up of Philippe Dufour’s wristwatches showed the business decisions he had taken in the course of his career. He started off with the highly complicated Grande Sonnerie (RH) with a price of CHF 600’000.00 reported in the 1990s; only four were made. The Duality (centre) of 1996 was offered at CHF 85’000.00 and he announced a planned series of 25 pieces then, yet in the end only nine were built. He won the Gaïa Prize 1998 in the craftsmanship-creation category, with the Duality using a complicated differential system for the first double regulator wristwatch also belonging to the selected works considered by the jury. All this acclaim did not translate into sales. Philippe Dufour told Michael Clerizo (Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking, p. 78) how “knowledge about watches was not then what is today.”
Working on his own, it seems it all got too risky financially (or tedious) to spend all your time for months on a single watch. For this reason, he told in an interview published on Chronomania (September 2002), another concept, some kind of series production was deemed more viable for the long term. In response, the Simplicity (LH) was conceived with the intention to build 25 to 30 watches per year at a more accessible price, as demanded by his growing fan base in Japan. From 2000 onwards, he therefore specialised with this model on superior hand-finishing, offering initially a series of 200 watches, which took him also longer than expected to complete.
The Simplicity interested me also in 2003. Depending on case size (34 or 37 mm) and material the watches sold at the time for CHF 40’000.00 to 57’000.00, with a delivery time quoted “2007”. Since an Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Dual Time I had already looked too small with the 36 mm case on my wrist and I lacked then an appreciation for the hand-finishing leading to the unusual asking price for a time only wristwatch, I passed the opportunity…
On the podium Philippe Dufour told how much satisfaction he gets by the astronomic prices his watches realise nowadays in auctions. This appreciation for his work “pays” for all the struggles he had for decades to get not only personally accepted as watchmaker, but also for the traditional, time consuming handcrafting he wanted to highlight with the Simplicity model.
Gérald Genta – Do you need to be a watchmaker to create artisanal watchmaking highlights?
Gérald Genta’s legacy was never livelier than today. There is the Patek Philippe Nautilus craze, but also Audemars Piguet still living off his Royal Oak design. With the further iconic designs of the IWC Ingenieur, the Universal Polerouter and Cartier’s Pasha models, it got almost completely forgotten he built in parallel his own brand. While the retrograde display with the Mickey Mouse character gets some appreciation, his haute horlogerie pieces are hardly known and turn up seldom in auctions, perhaps because of the derisory prices realised so far (the estimate of Phillips for the watch in the auction also considering this market situation).
It seems the design of these watches is too outlandish and ornate for today’s tastes. The high-complication movements are top-league, what is no surprise with the star watchmakers working for Gérald Genta. The sonneries are a speciality of Pierre-Michel Golay, who went later to Franck Muller to conceive the Aeternitas Mega 4, billed as the most complicated wristwatch with its 36 complications. Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, two further watchmakers once working for Genta, teamed up to found La Fabrique du Temps, which became the complication movement developer for the Louis Vuitton group.
(Photo: Gerald Genta Heritage Foundation)
At the Phillips event two of these highly complicated models could be inspected. In the exhibition a Grande Sonnerie loaned by Evelyne Genta was flanked by a Nautilus and a Royal Oak. The “stacked” design of the 39 mm case is typical for the most expensive watches he offered in the 1990s.
This model was created for the 25th anniversary of the atelier and sold for around 1 Mio. Dollars in 1994. In an interview published by Chronos (4-1995), Gérald Genta told to have sold four pieces, hoping to increase the number to eight for the year. With grande et petite sonnerie, minute repeating, perpetual calendar, second time zone, tourbillon and power reserve indication it was claimed to be the most complicated watch at the time.
Phillips described the version in the auction as follows: “Ref. G.0027.7. A historically significant and unique pink gold automatic two train minute repeating grande and petite sonnerie tourbillon wristwatch with power reserve, diamond-set mother-of-pearl dial, bracelet and Westminster Chimes.
Perfectly encapsulating Gérald Genta's design aesthetic, the present watch not only features a Petite and Grande Sonnerie with Westminster Chimes, but also has a tourbillon mechanism. Reference G.0027.7 was made in 1994 in three examples only: the present watch cased in pink gold with a pink gold bracelet, a second example cased in white gold and with leather strap and a third cased in platinum.
The caliber 31000 is one of the most impressive conceptions of modern horology. To combine the different complications within the confines of a 39 millimeter case is no easy feat. Over 1000 components of the movement are decorated with painstaking care and inspired by nature. Furthermore, the parts are all hand-mounted. The automatic movement is particularly noteworthy, making this model part of the exceedingly small series of automatic ‘grande and petite sonnerie’ watches ever made.”
(Photo: Phillips)
In the podium discussion Evelyne Genta told her husband was not a watchmaker but very hands-on running the atelier. At the time everything was made in their own ateliers, therefore, Gérald Genta knew well through discussions with his employees what is technically possible. He got personally involved in finding technical solutions, evaluating for hours with his specialists. Already in 1981 he had created the self-winding minute repeater movement in his ateliers, a first in the horological history.
The brand started in 1969 had by 1995 an annual output of 2500 to 3000 watches. Gérald Genta mentioned in 1995 how their average price was by far the highest of all watch brands. He sold the brand in 1998 to The Hour Glass; they in turn soon sold it on to Bulgari. He returned to his roots to design and paint, right until before his death. Though, at one time he got the urge to return to the watch business and launched a new brand, Gérald Charles, which still exists respectively has now been revived.
(Photos: Gerald Genta Heritage Foundation)
It is a pity Bulgari has not made more of this rich history of the brand. Fortunately, a Heritage foundation has now been set up independently of the brand. I hope better access to information about Gérald Genta watches will be available in future thanks to the activities of the foundation. Of particular interest to me would not only to know if he really liked two completely different styles, the restrained, timeless shapes offered to his design clients, as well as the ornate version of his octagonal shapes reserved for his own collection (which found not the universal approval). On the other hand, the history of his business building could hardly serve as inspiration in today’s watch world, because the big brands have covered too much ground (especially regarding sales outlets) for an independent to still take such a market share. Towards the end of his involvement with the brand, Gérald Genta himself turned again to unique pieces, created for his wealthy customers.
Kari Voutilainen & François-Paul Journe – Is real artisanal watchmaking limited to a certain annual production?
Kari Voutilainen as well as François-Paul Journe has nowadays completely integrated production facilities, the atelier/watch manufactory supported by separate dial and case production companies. Though, it seems the facilities are not dictating a policy for the watchmaking.
(Photo: FHH)
Kari Voutilainen presented his watchmaking history with three watches in the exhibition. The Oberservatoire in the middle (photo below) was his start into a kind of series production in 2007, after creating one-off minute repeaters (taking around one year each to finish) and other unique pieces up to then.
He still felt not easy with the business situation after this expansion of the customer base. On the one hand there was a reliance on a finite stock of Peseux 260 movements to work from, and on the other hand working with inflexible industry suppliers for parts like dials and treatments was just too tedious. Developing his own movement (the Vingt-8) and investing heavily in building up the facilities for in-house production of the parts, brought real independence from 2011 onwards.
Combining hand-finishing the parts of the watches to the highest standard with art appropriate for a watch embodies the top level of true artisan watchmaking. At the exhibition such a result could be admired, the 28 Oukamon of 2014 (LH below). From time to time Kari Voutilainen co-operates with one of the greatest lacquer studios of Japan, Unryuan, for unique art pieces. Their superlative work in the Japanese tradition uses techniques of lacquering with Saiei Makie and Somata zaiku, taking several months to complete. Based on the Vingt-8 calibre, the result is described as a “symbiosis of Japanese tradition with the Swiss haute horlogerie [representing] an all-embracing mechanical and visual work of art that unites the East and West in perfect harmony.”
(Photo: Phillips)
The tourbillon pocket watch with power reserve indication was the first watch to bear Kari Voutilainen’s name. He finished it in 1994 after three years of spare time work, with about 2’000 hours invested. At the time he worked in the atelier of Parmigiani where he restored and built tourbillon and minute repeater watches. Charles Meylan, an master in the world of horological complications, had pushed him to design and build his own watch. In an interview Kari Voutilainen mentioned it was his proudest moment when this watch was finished and the movement started to beat.
(Photos: Phillips)
The current production was represented with a GMT-6 model based on the in-house Vingt-8 calibre. This watch in the auction was originally created for the owner of the EKSO Watches Gallery in Paris. The hand engraved dial (by Eddy Jaquet) in Art Deco style embodies the goal of Ekaterina Sotnikova to present creations of independent watchmakers as art.
Phillips’ description in the catalogue focused also on the visual design: “With the present unique Vingt-8 GMT, Kari Voutilainen manages to perfectly balance the horological tradition of the movement and unbridled creativity of the dial. What immediately strikes the eye is the superb hand engraved dial with Art Deco numerals and background giving the watch an irresistible seductive attraction. The motifs on the dial dance and sway depending on the angle of the light shining on it, bringing the dial to life in a playful manner. The dial is not the only work of art in this watch, the movement is a superlative example of Voutilainen’s mastery. (…) Furthermore, every component in this caliber, from the bridges to the tiniest of screws, involves manual labor, may it be adjusted tolerances, polishing, angling and so on.”
(Photo: Phillips)
François-Paul Journe has a different view. Unlike some big brands, claiming their production churning out thousands of watches to be „artisanal“, he differentiates. In an interview published on watch1010 (1 January 2017) he concedes: “Independents like Rolex, Patek Philippe and Chopard you mean? The distinction is more between industrial companies and small, completely artisanal watchmaking companies. So you have artisanal, like Roger Smith with 20 watches a year and half artisanal from 200 to 1’000 pieces like us.”
(Photo: Le Temps)
His watches presented in the show were from his own „artisanal“ period. The pocket watch completed in 1983 is the first “F.P. Journe” watch. He entirely handcrafted it over five years. The tourbillon movement has double barrels with a spring detent escapement.
The design of the dial shows (again, as with Kari Voutilainen’s first watch) an influence of Breguet. François-Paul Journe, though, found quickly his distinct style and came only back to the visuals of this pocket watch with the limited edition T10 and T30 anniversary tourbillon wristwatches.
The Tourbillon Souverain 11/91 of 1991 is entirely handmade as well. The design language of the inaugural piece of Montre Journe (the Tourbillon Souverain – Ref. T) of 1999 was more refined but identical to this first wristwatch.
There were two more of the handmade version of 1991, but the watch created not a lot of enthusiasm when first shown at Baselworld on the AHCI stand. This has not deterred François-Paul Journe to stay true to his ideas. He drew in 1994 a whole range of models in this style; Octa Annual Calendar, Octa Chronograph, Octa Power Reserve and Chronomètre à Resonance all got laid down in spite of the rejection the design of the Tourbillon got from dealers and collectors.
The Resonance model builds (like all other models in the Souverain model line) on the visual design of the first tourbillon wristwatches. A more recent version was offered in the auction, with an excellent sale result.
The catalogue essay emphasised the position of this model has in Journe’s range: “Since its launch in 2000, the Resonance is one of contemporary horology’s most iconic pieces. Inspired by the work of the great 18th century watchmaker Antide Janvier, Journe rose to the challenge in 1983 and created a pocket-watch using the resonance phenomenon and launched a wristwatch 17 years later. It was the world’s first wristwatch to use the resonance phenomenon whereby the movement is composed of two independent balances, alternatively serving as an ‘exciter’ and ‘resonator’. When in motion, the balances create the resonance effect and beat in opposition, naturally evening out each other’s discrepancies and thus permitting greater accuracy. In addition to being a maverick, the Chronomètre à Resonance is also an extremely useful dual time watch. Featuring a 40 millimeter case and now discontinued, this second generation model is one of the most classic iterations of the Resonance.”
(Photo: Phillips)
Montres Journe states since years an annual production of 900 watches (but there are guestimates of a higher figure), what required an organisation of the business similar to what the big brands need, inclusive of brand boutiques around the world. In his book F.P. Journe author Jean-Pierre Grosz writes (p. 267): “F-P couldn’t do everything himself. His time was completely taken up with technical development. He had to delegate responsibility. (…) These key people are absolutely crucial to ensure that he has time to concentrate on essential areas: creation, production and representing the Manufacture.”
These “representing duties” cannot be the same Kari Voutilainen practises, by meeting collectors and enthusiasts around the whole world as the only salesperson for his watches. On the podium François-Paul Journe was asked if it makes him proud to see his watches on the wrists of owners and experience their enthusiasm for his watches. He answered, it makes him “fatiqué” to be approached by enthusiasts who want to talk with him; since he added to “rather do work”, his qualification of such contacts can only be translated as “tiresome”. So it is certainly better to delegate and rely on professional sales people…
Taking François-Paul Journe up on his own definitions, the “full-artisanal” watchmaking has therefore also other aspects than just the differences in the execution of details of the watches, like hand-made guilloché engravings on dials vs. stamped patterns (when comparing Voutilainen and Journe watches). A resident artist watchmaker in direct contact with his customers and with an open ear for extensive individualisations of the watches, are further benefits when the artisanal part of watchmaking is still in the foreground.
But I believe creating a certain critical mass with a higher production volume has its advantages in the market. Sometimes I get the feeling Journe watches have become the “Patek Philippe” of the non-fully industrial manufacturers. This shows not only in the performance of the watches on the auction circuit, but also in some kind of hype created on the web, including this forum. The lovers of watches like Kari Voutilainen’s seem to enjoy what they have got more for themselves.
Opus-Project of Harry Winston – Was it a kick-off for independent watchmaking careers?
When Max Büsser was managing director of Harry Winston Rare Timepieces, the Opus-Series of haute horlogerie limited edition watches made by independents was instigated. What might look like a plan of Harry Winston to establish its name further in the fine watchmaking from today’s view, was effectively started to help independents in a difficult time. Max Büsser remembers (Robb Report UK, 29 November 2013):
E-CH" lang="EN-GB">“Most people congratulate me with having some sort of a vision [for the Opus project]. I didn’t have any vision at all; I was just trying to help a friend named François-Paul Journe. I had the idea at the Basel fair in 2000 – the year he was exhibiting for the first time. He was telling me how tough it was, explaining what he was doing to everyone who was discovering his brand, because he had signed NDAs with every brand he’d worked for previously. I remember saying to him, ‘We should do something together with Harry Winston. I can tell the world what you’ve done!’ The project started off like that. There wasn’t one every year. I just adored what François-Paul had done and loved that I had access to his movements. But the real game changer was Opus III with Vianney Halter. He showed me the design of Opus III, and my jaw dropped open. I didn’t know how I was going to convince Ronald Winston to do it at the time. The Opus III and the Opus V by Felix Baumgartner were for me the seminal pieces of my days at Harry Winston. They were pieces that were going to change watchmaking. (…) They allowed us to finally break free.”
(Illustration: Blade; original concept for Opus One)
Notwithstanding his difficult situation then, François-Paul Journe stayed stubborn. Jean-Pierre Grosz describes the negotiations in the book F.P. Journe (p. 209): “A jeweller submitted a new idea to F-P. And not just any jeweller – it was Harry Winston, the prestigious diamond and jewellery merchant. His watch division was called TimePiece. The director of the watch department, Maximilien Büsser, wanted three horological designers to make an exceptional timepiece worthy of their brand. This watch, called ‘Opus’, to be produced in a very limited edition, would be the crown jewel of Harry Winston TimePiece. He had already contacted the two internationally famed Swiss watchmakers Michel Parmigiani and Antoine Preziuso. Journe was to be the third.
F-P listened. He was interested in the challenge. But for him creation is a solitary act; he can’t accept the inevitable compromises that go with partnership. (…) While he found the idea very exciting, he wanted to face the challenge on his own, not as part of a team. Maximilien Büsser was insistent, but F-P refused to budge. Büsser listened to the arguments, saw his determination, and finally agreed. (…) Finally, it was F.P. Journe alone who designed the first Opus, the watch that Harry Winston so desired. There were three models, with six pieces produced of each. F-P adapted the movements of the Tourbillon Souverain, Chronomètre à Résonance and the Octa Automatique, and Harry Winston decorated them.”
Max Büsser and also his successor at Harry Winston, Hamdi Chatti, stuck to the concept of not teaming watchmakers. But the further Opus projects concentrated on one model which had to be a new movement creation and not just an “adaption” of existing mechanisms. With considerably increased quantities for these further Opus models over the coming years, Harry Winston’s order made a real difference to the independent watchmakers who got the contract; the pieces ordered by the “jeweller” were often a multiple of the usual annual production of their own watches.
Felix Baumgartner – Urwerk
Max Büsser approached Felix Baumgartner for a contribution to the Opus series in 2004, when he still worked for other brands to get the money to support what he really wanted to create. Such “bread jobs” were, for example, building 200 gold watches for Egana Goldpfeil or doing work for Vacheron Constantin. The satellite display system Urwerk became known for was already an idea pursued when he was still in the atelier of Svend Andersen. Here Felix Baumgartner worked through suitable Maltese crosses to find a solution for a functioning satellite system after mechanisms with springs failed respectively drew too much power. With the UR 103 the system could be brought to the market.
With the Opus V the idea was developed to a much higher level with a display by three small cubes arranged like satellites turning and rotating as needed to show the current time. The numeral indicating the hour “parks” at the end of a pointer indicating the minutes. On the backside an integrated service indicator is found, together with a screw the owner can use to adjust the rate by plus or minus 30 seconds.
Harry Winston ordered a total of 100 pieces in different case materials and decorations, at a time when the sales of Urwerk watches was around 55 per year (2004).
(Photo: Phillips)
Andreas Strehler
When Andreas Strehler got the call of Harry Winston in 2006, now represented by Hamdi Chatti, he was already well established as a movement constructor and parts manufacturer for the watch industry. But also belonging to the group of stubborn watchmakers who don’t relent to market trends when they are convinced of a different idea, he had so far not managed to be accepted with collectors with watches bearing his name.
With the Opus 7 contract he could combine his design ideas of a “living organism” (making bridges and gearwheels on the dial side almost undistinguishable) with the complicated mechanism relying on differentials he had developed for Die Zwei . Furthermore, he was allowed to offer his own Papillon watch of a similar visual design in parallel on the market. This latter part of the deal did not quite work out as planned (running out of time to build the ordered 61 Opus watches within one year), but it established him in the market as an artisanal watchmaker in the haute horlogerie range.
(Photo: FHH)
Quoting from the Phillips auction catalogue, more details are available: “The present Opus 7 was a collaboration with horological wunderkind Andreas Strehler who is known as the watchmaker’s watchmaker, a brilliant movement constructor and designer. Apart from his own brand, he has worked with some of the world’s greatest brands to create unique complicated movement, his motto being ‘It’s complicated to be simple ’. Presented in 2007, the Opus 7 is an incredibly complex yet easy to use timepiece that indicates hours, minutes and power reserve with absolutely no hands but via a disc on the top left side of the dial. A first push enables the reading of the hours as indicated in white opposite a small arrow-shaped indicator marked H in silver, a second push rotates the disc and the minutes are indicated in blue opposite a small arrow-shaped indicator marked in blue. A last push on the crown and the disc rotates again to indicate the elapsed power opposite a small arrow-shaped indicator marked R in blue. The visible gears and bridges on the dial side are shaped in the form of a butterfly, a Strehler’s signature feature and hide with their graceful shapes the mind boggling complexity of the movement.”
(Photos: Phillips)
Jean-François Mojon – Chronode
From Opus 8 onwards, the request for ever more complicated movements led away from the artisanal independent watchmakers to specialist movement constructors. Building Opus 10 of 2010 was awarded to Jean-François Mojon, a watchmaker/constructor not known outside the industry. At the time he worked already several years behind the scenes as a complication developer with this company Chronode. The patronal element of the Opus contracts diminished, or was even given up, preferring to get a wild show piece.
(Photos: Phillips)
Ludovic Ballouard
For Opus 13 Harry Winston chose an artisanal watchmaker again in 2013. Ludovic Ballourd was then still fairly unknown in the watch collector world. In 2009 he had given up his job at Montres Journe to open his own atelier. The idea was to base the highly complicated movement mechanism on the technique of the watches he had already constructed, the Upside Down and the Half Time. The mechanism with 70 “hands” and 242 rubies was said to not function properly, with the whole discussion escalating into a legal case. Ludovic Ballourd had more or less to close the atelier he had built up with employees and start on square one again. Opus 13 came never on the market.
(Photo: Phillips)
The Swatch Group as new owner of Harry Winston made one more attempt with the Opus series, number 14, which could be the final one. Movement developer Telos (with Johnny Girardin and Franck Orny at the helm) got hired to construct a watch that could not be moved further away from the previous elegant models with their well-integrated complicated mechanisms. It was said Swatch wants to take the production of Opus 13 in house, but they had in the end also farmed out building the Opus 14 to the developers.
Max Büsser was already in pessimistic mood in 2004, telling Armbanduhren (7/2004) to conclude the series with Opus V. His argument was not to find any more watchmaker artisans able to build within reasonable time 20 watches. Good for independent watchmaking his successor Hamdi Chatti found some more, but the increasing pressure to present constantly more outlandish pieces has indeed perhaps set limits.
A valuable (considering the quantities ordered) and effective starting help for artisanal watchmakers able to construct complicated movements has in all likelihood vanished until the next patron revives the concept or a new one.
Massena Lab – Are co-operations with retail businesses and publishers beneficial for an independent’s standing?
What is offered increasingly more often to independent watchmakers are co-operations with non-traditional retailers. The outrage for competing with the officially appointed dealers is no issue with the artisanal independents who usually sell mostly direct anyway.
There is a long tradition of websites/forums entering into such deals, started by PuristS and Timezone. When an order for around 10 pieces arrives at once with smaller independents, this certainly supports their business. A veteran of this kind of patronage is William Rohr (alias “William Massena”), a manager at Timezone when such an initiative involved Habring already many years ago.
Phillips offered a recent result of such a collaboration, now under the label “Massena Lab”. The excellent sales result might have been helped by proceeds going to charity: “Habring 2 X Massena Lab; Massena LAB is a creative laboratory created by William Massena, an industry veteran, long time collector and General Manager of Time Zone, the oldest and one of the most important watch related forums on the net. The philosophy of Massena LAB is to collaborate with independent watchmakers to create watches of sophisticated character with enduring value. Even though Massena had worked with Habring² in the past, the Erwin LAB1 is the very first collaboration under the Massena LAB umbrella. (…) The Erwin LAB01 was definitely a watch collectors had been hoping for, it was presented early 2019 as a limited edition of 50 pieces and it sold out within a matter of days! The movement is developed fully in house by Habring² and features a dead beat seconds mechanism meaning a seconds hand that advances perfectly once every second. (…)The present Erwin LAB01 is the original prototype that was later brought to the market and is also offered with a second prototype dial that never made it into production. The case is different to the production model as the flank was brushed as to test the aging process of the bronze case.”
(Photo: Phillips)
By the way, could one of the senior members involved with the limited edition watches for the PuristS Tenth Anniversary Celebration perhaps compile a catalogue raisonné of the watches created for the occasion? If some words about design decisions and other insider information could be added, it would be a marvellous reading for me and likely other enthusiasts as well. Even using the search function, I have not managed to get the full picture. Many thanks in advance.
MB&F – Can a promotor create acceptance for a brand in artisan watchmaking without a fêted in-house master watchmaker?
Max Büsser left Harry Winston in 2005 and invested his own money (despite declaring on the podium “independent watchmaking is not a business”) to build a brand on the basic concept he had developed at his employer, namely, creating artisanal watches with a team of specialists under the label “Max Büsser & Friends” (MB&F). The “Friends” are all listed on his website with the watch models they contributed to. All is very transparent, the full details (inclusive CV, address and telephone number) of designer, glass maker, parts detailer etc. is disclosed.
Nevertheless, he also ran into problems to have parts made on time and of the required quality. Against plans, he had to acquire three 5-axis CNC-mills to bring parts production facilities in his “house”. This shows once more how difficult it is even in the middle of clusters of specialists serving the industry to get what you need for creating watches outside the norms of the prevalent mass production.
In the portrait of Max Büsser (“The Creative Force of The Watchmaking Industry”; 3 April 2019) Phillips published before the event, he is quoted on his attitude to market forces: “It really doesn’t bother me what people think of my watches.”, adding, he is used to be the “weird one” (“I was the kid who didn’t have friends”).
The clients of MB&F can also not meddle in the creation of watches Max Büsser has conceived for them. To Orologi (# 285/Gen.-Feb. 2015) he explained the refusal to personalise his watches: “How could you ask from an artist who has painted a red square to do the same again but in blue: this would be absurd!” “We clearly create for ourselves”, was proclaimed again on the podium in Geneva, also speaking for the independents in general.
In this podium discussion Max Büsser got the full support for this view. Stephen Forsey confirmed a bit more diplomatic: “If it is going to be authentic and interesting, it is not going to be driven by a marketing approach,” and the customer is not always in the focus at the beginning of a new project. “You want to tell a story.”
Michael Clerizo added, this was the approach of George Daniels too, who told him: “There will always be some nut like me who wants to buy it”, referring to the watches he always built first for himself.
The enduring success of MB&F proves there is a market niche big enough to support original thinking. When the quality is also ensured by the choice of subcontractors, the customers don’t demand a watchmaker “star” recommending the watch. There is enough trust in an artistic director who offers a genuine story and not just a hollow one made-up for marketing.
Above: Max Büsser presented not historical models but representatives of the current range. In the photo above, L to R: Legacy Machine Flying T, dedicated to women; Legacy Machine Perpetual , movement constructed by Stephen McDonnell, with the claim to “have reinvented one of the most complex traditional watchmaking complications”; Horological Machine No. 9, a homage to the aerodynamic principles applied in the late 1940s and 1950s in automotive design. (Photo: Phillips)
Two watches of MB&F were in the auction, one example each of the two collections co-existing in the catalogue, the Legacy Machines of traditional design and the Horological Machines for those loving daring shapes.
The movement of the Legacy Machine 1 of 2015 conceived Jean-Francois Mojon. Working usually on modern constructions for his industry customers, Max Büsser wanted Kari Voutilainen in the team to advice on the desired “traditional” visual design of the movement and its decoration of this model line.
Max Büsser remembers Kari Voutilainen didn’t want to oblige first (A Collected Man; Interview, November 2017): “Jean-François Mojon and Serge Kriknoff and I drove up to Kari’s workshop and I explained, with a little nervousness, that I was working on a project which would pay tribute to 19th century watchmaking and that we would be honoured to work with him on the project. He carefully listened to everything we had to say, but politely declined, saying that he would love to do it but that he had far too much on his plate to accept. It was a complete disaster. I immediately pulled an early design of the LM1 out of my bag and put it in front of him, asking maybe if he had some advice for us. Kari stared at the design and began making suggestions like, ‘wouldn’t it be great if the balance were a little more like this, and if the bridges were like that’. He didn’t stop drawing and developing the thing for the best part of three or four minutes, during which we were silent and listening. He stopped, looked up at us and I dared to ask one last time, ‘does this mean you will work with us on this project?’ He smiled and said, ‘on this project, of course.’ The rest is history.”
(Photo: MB&F)
Phillips describes the result in its catalogue: “Launched in 2011, the LM1 introduced watch collectors to a singularly fresh take on traditional watchmaking. Said to be inspired by 19th century pocket watches, the LM1 presents a traditional features not seen in previous MB&F models: a round case, white lacquered dial and blued steel hands. However, it does that in an extremely modern configuration and underneath a spectacular sapphire dome. The most visually striking element is the balance wheel, presented on the dial side of the watch hanging theatrically over two white lacquer dials featuring independent time displays. The watch is powered by a beautifully crafted manual-winding movement, created by Jean-Francois Mojon and Kari Voutilainen, with a 45-hour power reserve indicated by a vertical indicator at 6 o’clock.”
(Photo: Phillips)
“The LM1 was an instant hit when it was launched, receiving both popular and critical praised. The watch received both the Public Prize and the Best Men’s Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2012, shortly after its release, and inspired an entire range including a perpetual calendar version. Now discontinued, the LM1 was made in four different metals: rose gold, white gold, stainless steel and platinum. The present example, made shortly after the presentation of the LM1 at the Basel Watch Fair, is the second of 33 made in platinum.”
(Photos: Phillips)
The Horological Machine 6 - Space Pirate
represents the adventurous model line of MB&F, as Phillips highlighted in
the catalogue: “Since its inception over 10 years ago, MB&F has been
bedazzling collectors and enthusiasts with their over the top, audacious and
viciously cool and creative timepieces. Max Büsser,
the brand’s founder and creative director conceives the Horological Machines
(HM) not as mere timepieces but as kinetic sculptures for the wrist that can
also indicate time. Inspired by the bulbous spaceship of Captain Flam (also
known as captain Futuro) a Japanese
cartoon character that was very popular in the 1970s-1980s, the HM6 is also
nicknamed the Space Pirate.
The entire shape and time telling of the watch is like no other, the shape is a
surprising organic spacecraft that fits the wrist perfectly. Time is read via
rotating spheres (hours on the left and minutes on the right).
(Photo: Phillips)
Rexhep Rexhepi – And what direction wants the “new kid on the block” to take?
An almost unprecedented success story in independent watchmaking is the short time it took Rexhep Rexhepi to establish himself and his brand Akrivia. While other watchmakers required decades to be recognised in competitions like the GPHG, he won the Men’s Watch Prize 2018 with the Chronomètre Contemporain after only setting up his brand in 2012.
It no doubt helped to practice the movement decoration style of Philippe Dufour with the wide and thus well visible chamfers on bridges and plates, which have become a sign of really fine hand-crafted watches. Going by the many published photos, the uninitiated could think Philippe Dufour has finally found his designated successor…
Rexhep Rexhepi has still built a school watch to complete his apprenticeship the traditional way. This is no longer part of the watchmaking education and training in Switzerland, with the consequence (lamented also on the podium discussion) watchmakers are almost only suitable for series work offered by the big brands if they take not their own initiative for an additional education and training. At the Phillips show Rexhep Rexhepi presented his elegant pocket watch together with his two lines of completely different wristwatches of the current collection. The “modern” style was found in the Akrivia AK-06 and the popular traditional line in the Chronomètre Contemporain. With certain standards to fulfil the school watch allowed not yet much freedom in execution. But an important feature of the school watch came back with the Chronomètre Contemporain : His name “Rexhep Rexhepi” on the dial.
In interviews the brand name “Akrivia” (Greek for ‘precision’) was explained to best describe the goals of their watchmaking. Like every ambitious watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi would actually have preferred to see his name stand for the quality of the watches. But he did not dare, fearing his Kosovan name would not be accepted by collectors used to French names when traditional watchmaking is involved. The success of the watches brought the real intentions to the foreground, specifically, not to act as an anonymous “brand” but to stand as an individual behind the product; a proud watchmaker keen to contribute to and make his mark on traditional watchmaking at the highest level.
(Photo: Phillips)
Rexhep Rexhepi will therefore have no other choice than invest heavily in his own production facilities. Other master watchmakers known for their artisanal made watches had to do it likewise. A few steps from Akrivia’s glass box at the event, Roger Smith proudly told of his investment into an automatic bar lathe to produce pinions and other such tiny parts (so far done on hand-operated machines, requiring insane time investments) not really visible in the movement but so critical regarding tolerances for the functions of the watch. Robb Report (Watch Collector Annual 2013) cites him on this: “Handcrafting parts with tolerances of two or three microns is nearly impossible, so you accommodate your errors in the mating components. But the moment you want other people to work with you, or to make more than one watch a year, you need to standardize. CNC gives me the micronicity, and the confidence to spend two days polishing a minute wheel because we know it will fit.” Yet, according to Roger Smith, the majority of the costs of his watches are still generated by the detailing. To produce quality basic parts, he employs since 2006 a CNC-mill with a dedicated specialist to operate it.
Kari Voutilainen produces all the parts for his watches in the atelier. He also stresses how CNC-mills and skilled operators are indispensable to get the basis for quality watches. Robb Report quotes him as well: “Ebauches are prepared on a CNC machine. Without it, we couldn’t really exist. Making an ébauche by hand would take 50 times as long, and it wouldn’t be better. We can concentrate on bevelling and polishing, where working by hand can make a difference.”
For me all this led to the conclusion that the “pure” methods of handcrafting watches practised by George Daniels seem not suitable for the smaller size of wristwatches, and, consequently, you need a lot of money almost right from the start as independent to produce quality parts because there is no reliance on industry specialist mostly focused on the requirements of the industrial mass producers. Today, there is no way to build a “brand” recognised by the market the way George Daniels was privileged to do in his time.
Participating Further Independents
Greubel Forsey, Urwerk, De Bethune and Laurent Ferrier participated also in the presentation of independent watchmaking. The following photos emphasize what wonderful diversity can be found when venturing off the well-trodden paths of watch collecting.
Above: Urwerk – LH, AMC; Centre – UR CC1; RH – UR-110
Final Thoughts
George Daniels has published Watchmaking for people who have written to him “to express their wish to learn to make watches”. Already in the Preface (p. xiv) he advises: “The watch must be original in design and conception and, when completed, beautiful in appearance. Only then will it attract a buyer. Connoisseurs of watches are not interested in copies of other makers’ work. They do not buy watches simply because they have need of them but because they are excited by them and this excitement must be engendered by the maker.”
The watchmakers presented in this exhibition certainly live up to this advice of George Daniels. For me it was especially impressive how these ideals were unanimously defended by the participants of the podium discussion. And what they said was totally believable. I got not the unpleasant aftertaste of insincere marketing speak, trying to apply the words of George Daniels to parts more or less falling out of industrial production machines.
The motto “Paying Tribute to Independent Watchmaking” could not have been better realized, with great convenience for the visitors. I parked right in front of the exhibition tent and all the services of a first class hotel were available only a couple of steps from the exhibition. No appointments were necessary to personally meet the masters. And no journalists and bloggers “occupied” the watches for ages, as it is the norm at Baselworld or SIHH.
Seeing the watches close up and getting all the support of the watchmaker for a better understanding of the details is also an educational source of a different quality compared to Instagram. If this is the future, should the time have run out for the big shows, as consumer and enthusiast I could not have it better.
When two of the masters otherwise known to present themselves in a serious demeanour get suddenly into a “selfie-mood”, you know the event offered a most relaxed atmosphere. With an inviting, generous lounge area installed by Phillips, serving also free water and coffee à discretion, it was just perfect. Particularly on the Thursday of my visit, when everybody else was fully occupied with studying the Rolex and Patek Philippe watches in the auction exhibition.
(Photos: Roger W Smith Ltd.)
It seems more such events are necessary to raise appreciation for the art of building watches based on traditional craftsmanship. The problems cannot only be seen on the side of the watchmakers where traditional crafts are no longer taught in the apprenticeship and the required efforts to build up a business as an independent fit no longer into demands for a work-life-balance; in the podium discussion problems on the side of the customers were raised as well. Max Büsser stated: “We have less and less educated customers who actually understand the difference of an artisan finish, an artisan watch from an industrial product. Most of them just don’t get it. When we start explaining, a lot of their eyes glaze over. They don’t get it.” Roger Smith supported this bleak view. The amateur films he produced on handcrafts going into his watches (for example, the real hand finishing of a set of hands) and put on YouTube address the same problem. He realised to what extent the big brands have diluted “handmade”. Actually, to the point some of the customers didn’t realise to what degree his watches are made a different way than the industrial “cousins”. “Handmade” is suddenly no longer an USP.
Enjoying an excellent lunch with Svend Andersen in La Réserve’s restaurant, I got my own private lesson, learning (amongst other watch related things) about details of a pioneering sealing system he used in 1992 for the Christophorus Columbus model (that Piaget was not interested in when first offered by their case manufacturer). I am always amazed how such nerdy information never communicated in press releases can urge me to look more closely at watches and consequently generate additional interest. In this instance, the sealing technic led to the unusual case design (with the back cover creating already half the case). Such detailed back ground information is only available from the watchmaker, which is why I love these opportunities for a personal contact as provided here by Phillips.
Björn
A History of Independent Watchmaking - Curated by Phillips
Wow...thanks for this incredible write up...
Extraordinary post!!
Very interesting article, Bjorn. The " artisan finishings " is indeed THE essence. Even if some" big brands " reserve such a treatment for some of their watches. BUT...
One of the best articles in the history of Purists
Thank you.
Excellent report my friend . A real joy to read .
Incredible work, huge thanks for this reference post !
Bravo!
I stopped whatever I was doing when I saw this article out, to read it immediately
