With respect Magnus, I suspect you may be wrong here...

Jun 21, 2008,09:04 AM
 

It's true that the personality of this watch is rather unlike that of any of the individual watchmaking maestros involved in its creation.

However, having been exposed to the Chapter One in Geneva in April (some few hours after its completion, apparently!) and again in Shanghai three days ago, I can say that this watch is bursting with character.

I would hazard a guess that the personality imbued in every molecule of this timepiece is that of its spiritual creator, Mr Steven Holtzman.

The movement is astonishing, and I think that the imprint of the "three tenors" you so despairingly seek would be found only at the watchmaker's bench.

The casework, I was interested to discover (from Mr Holtzman himself, and what a charming and urbane gentleman he is) was created by a couple of young Turks - well, Brits actually - whose previous design experience had been confined to the automotive industry - Jaguar cars, to be specific. It turns out these were the same guys John McGonigle and I (and some miscellaneous girls in black) got pissed with after the Hour Glass dinner at Tempus last year.


John McGonigle and I (and a miscellaneous girl in black)

It takes guts to hire car dudes in their twenties to design the watch you are betting the bank on. I think the gamble has paid off. The profile of this watch is utterly unlike any other timepiece, from any angle. In an industry where everyone is madly copying everyone else, this Chapter One looks like nothing I've ever seen before on a wrist.

As to the size, yep, it's a little daunting. But interestingly, it was this very feature (combined with the majestic volumes of gold being deployed) which attracted the keen interest of a couple of finance-market guys at our Shanghai dinner. "We would not wear this watch with a suit", they declared. "It would be a perfect watch for casual events." They were already thinking about where they might wear it. I would rate this as a good sign.

Cheers
Tony P



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Launch of Maitre du Temps Chapter One in Singapore

 
 By: SJX : June 17th, 2008-09:33
Maitre du Temps unveiled the Chapter One grand complication yesterday at Il Lido on Sentosa Island here in Singapore. Present was Roger Dubuis, who along with Peter Speake-Marin and Christophe Claret form the trio of watchmakers that established Maitre du...  

Part I: Cocktails

 
 By: SJX : June 17th, 2008-09:41
...  

Part II: Dinner

 
 By: SJX : June 17th, 2008-09:49
...  

Part II: People

 
 By: SJX : June 17th, 2008-09:59
...  

Part IV: The Watch

 
 By: SJX : June 17th, 2008-10:07
The Watch It is a rare occasion that an entire event is built around a single watch which attracts such a huge amount of attention constantly throughout the evening as the Chapter One did last night....  

My thoughts at the VERY moment were..and I am honest.

 
 By: bernard cheong : June 17th, 2008-17:36
The movement in a watch of this class is INCREDIBLE. It is exactly like the finest wine..I mean just look at it. And then it hit me that I had always thought of the movement as a wine..but in reality, it is more like a woman's body. Sexy and erotic in a m...  

without seeing the watch, I see your point and only disagree slightly

 
 By: SteveH : June 17th, 2008-22:41
Again I have not seen the watch, but if it's going to be basically unwearable, why not make the case super sexy and unique too? This looks to be a fairly boring case of classic design and crazy proportions. I'd love to see this supercar engine housed in a... 

Bernard, here is a dissenting voice...

 
 By: Ornatus-Mundi : June 17th, 2008-23:50
that this watch is quite a (dare I say?) disappointment for me. In my view it is in line with current mainstream high horology, and lacks (for me) cutting edge original thinking or intellectually appealing concepts in terms of: - chronometrical merit - mo... 

Part V: The Watch (continued)

 
 By: SJX : June 17th, 2008-10:12
The Watch The Chapter One is an immense watch, both in terms of physical presence as well as technical complexity, no doubt thanks to the unique skills, in terms of watchmaking, production and design, of each of the three watchmakers. This message has bee...  

Thanks for sharing

 
 By: Tuffgong : June 17th, 2008-10:47

Part VI: Chapter One press images and technical specifications

 
 By: SJX : June 17th, 2008-10:13
Chapter One — Technical Specifications Manual-wind mechanical movement, one-minute tourbillon, mono-pusher chronograph, retrograde date indicator, retrograde GMT indicator, day of the week indication on roller, patented precise moon phase indication on ro...  

Impressive piece. [nt]

 
 By: Davo : April 9th, 2009-13:43
No message body

Awesome SJX. What can I say.

 
 By: Bill : June 17th, 2008-22:51
Hi SJX, I guess a simple thank you. Your reporting is second to none. thanks Bill

Thank you all very much for your constructive comments

 
 By: smh : June 20th, 2008-03:18
Chapter One is the result of many years of development by Christophe Claret, Roger Dubuis, Peter Speake-Marin and myself, and our goal was to create a watch which reflected all of the strengths of the team rather than anyone individual. The aim was always...