Independents

Hands on review of Pascal Coyon's Chronomètre Calibre 19 (Chronometer Caliber 19)

 

Pascal Coyon cannot be blamed for spending too much time communicating to the detriment of his workbench activity. Because Pascal is rather discreet about his latest movement, the caliber 19. But does he really need to be visible? After all, the quality of his work is recognized by connoisseurs and his best ambassadors are the customers who were seduced a few years ago by the Chronomètre 1900 and its magnificent caliber. The most curious among us had, however, seen pictures of the caliber 19 that had been published here and there, and information had been transmitted directly to collectors interested in this latest movement. This was enough to whet my curiosity. As the lucky owner of one of the Chronometers of the first series (and I know that many amateurs regretted not having been able to position themselves on this piece), I wanted to know more and above all to appreciate in a tangible way what distinguished the caliber 19 from the famous original caliber 1900. To something, misfortune is good... The health crisis allowed me a few weeks ago to get closer to Pascal Coyon's workshop located in the Landes and we were able to meet in the South-West region of France much more easily than in Paris. And that's how I was able to discover first-hand the caliber 19 and the prototypes of two configurations equipped with this movement.

But at the end of the day, what does Pascal Coyon's proposal consist of? It can be summed up quite simply. The French watchmaker offers the possibility to acquire a classic chronometer watch in a precious metal case and driven by an exclusive movement, the caliber 19, made in the purest watchmaking tradition and offering an exceptional level of finishing. The customer will choose the type of finishing of the caliber 19 and then the elements of the casing to order a watch that will meet his expectations both from a technical and aesthetic point of view.


The cornerstone of Pascal Coyon's offer is therefore the caliber 19. His reference could lead one to believe that it is derived from the caliber 1900. Yes, in a way, because it shares the same spirit, that of handwind chronometer calibers, with a large balance and low frequency (2.5hz). But in reality the caliber 19 has nothing to do with the caliber 1900. This can be seen and felt. I remind you that the caliber 1900 took again the mobile elements of the Unitas caliber which were thereafter reworked by Pascal Coyon. Moreover, the bridges were revised. The result was spectacular and I consider today the caliber 1900 as one of the most accomplished movements having as a starting point the Unitas. Beyond the technical and decorative finishing (let's take for example the shape of the teeth of the gears), the 1900 caliber brings a lot of pleasure to everyday life, especially with the winding experience.


So, how did Pascal Coyon manage to create a caliber at an even higher level? It was a combination of two factors. The first and most important parameter is that the caliber 19 is exclusive. Only the winding stem is from a Unitas caliber. But for the rest, all the elements of the caliber are specific to it. This allowed Pascal Coyon to design this movement from a white sheet of paper while, of course, maintaining respect for the great principles of traditional watchmaking, which are to achieve chronometric precision and stability of movement, as shown by the diameter of the balance wheel and the low frequency. The energy of the barrel of the caliber 19  is not intended to increase the frequency or power reserve: it is intended to provide torque, the movement having to behave more or less identically at the end of the power reserve than at the beginning. In fact, this 16 line caliber (a very respectable diameter!) has a power reserve of 40 hours for a frequency of 2.5hz and one can clearly see from this data the priority of the use of energy.




The second parameter is immediately perceptible: the technical and decorative finishes. The architecture of the caliber 19 is similar to that of the caliber 1900 and this is what makes it possible to better appreciate the differences in finish between the two movements. In fact, the caliber 19 is the result of a collective and family project. Three people are at the base of this project. Pascal, his daughter Barbara and Perrine, the daughter of Pascal's wife. Barbara is specialized in the execution of the finishing of the caliber parts: bevelling, polishing, beading, "grenaillage" etc... as well as in the finishing of the casing elements such as the gold or blued steel hands manufactured in-house. Perrine has also been trained in finishing and works particularly on 3D simulations in order to respond to customers' requests for representations of their requests. It is the joint work of Pascal, Barbara and Perrine that makes it possible to obtain this exceptional level of finishing.


If we had to summarize in only one characteristic the difference between the caliber 1900 and the caliber 19, it would be the way the latter captures and plays with the light in a much more spectacular way. It is this feeling that allows one to appreciate all the quality and subtlety of the work. Because I remind you that the caliber 1900 already had a very high level of finish. But with the caliber 19, all the details are pushed to the extreme. What surprised me the most was the finishing of the gears and the home-made wheels. The gears have flat-bottomed ogival teeth and the arms of the serges are beveled by hand. Of course, the gears are not the easiest elements to observe, but when you look closely at the execution of the center wheel, you are immediately seduced by its beauty and the precision of the execution. The crown wheel and the ratchet are much easier to observe and also provide a lot of pleasure. The contrast in the finish between the central and peripheral areas creates beautiful light reflections, as do all the steel parts, which are finished with a polished-blocked finish. I really like the shape of the ratchet, not to mention the ratchet and crown wheel teeth.

The rendering of the dials changes a lot depending on the light conditions:



The bridges are obviously hand beveled and I particularly like their shape. The bridge of the escapement wheel is a masterpiece in itself thanks to its "two-tone" execution: brass and steel. As for the regulating organ, it is not to be outdone thanks to its spiral adjustment system. Note that the variable inertia balalnce wheel has a gold screw developed in the workshop. The balance-spring is blued to remind the old watches.

The observation of such a caliber causes amazement. The light reflections are multiple and above all the rendering changes very quickly according to the inclination of the rays of light. I am thinking for example of the dimensions of the bridges or the crown wheel and the ratchet. And the size of the caliber itself also contributes greatly to this success: it fills the case perfectly, which is very pleasant. Finally, and this is a specificity of low-frequency movements with a large balance, the ticking is majestic... I could only fall under the spell of this movement when I discovered it because it solicits sight and hearing with refinement and magic.

But as we all know, a single caliber is nothing. It has to be cased and nothing would be more frustrating than to see a casing out of step with its technical and decorative content. Fortunately, this is not the case in the context of the Chronometer Caliber 19. Pascal Coyon proposes this time not generic cases and dials as in the context of the Calibre 1900 but a complete casing which is specific and dedicated to the caliber 19. In addition, the hands give Barbara Coyon the opportunity to express her talent.


There are two basic types of dial. The first one is a sector dial with gold numerals and appliques and a peripheral graduation. The second is with applied numerals exclusively with a peripheral timer made of dots. The graduation of the second hand is obviously adapted to the context of the dial. These are classic, traditional dials that are not revolutionary from an aesthetic point of view but are perfectly adapted to the context of the caliber 19.

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