Is a watch just a
watch? All watches are just not the same. The horological world is full of
characters, yes Sir, that is what they are; watchmakers all of them, they are
skilled at what they do and some of them dare the impossible.
The example of the
Frenchman Francois Paul Journe is apt. He is true auteur in the correct sense
of the word. An inventor extraordinaire who imbibes horology and breathes its
DNA; he built a remarkable watch in 2000 that practically cannot be copied.
Naming it Sonnerie Souveraine this watch chimes and minutes reminiscent of a
standing hall clock. He can be called the doyen of independent watchmakers as
he produces about 750 to 800 watches in a year. The world of collectors is
small and among them the name of F. P. Journe stands tall
Then there is genuine
Swiss flesh and blood Philippe Dufour. He is traditional Swiss by birth, in
thinking and in style. He is a one-man band promoting Swiss watchmaking skills.
In 1992, he created an 18K masterpiece that chimes on demand. He produced four
pieces and in 2008 one of them sold at a Christie's auction for nearly half a
million dollars.
The story of Antoine
Prezuiso is a saga of Italian passion combined with Swiss flair. Watchmaking is
in his DNA since he was 7 years of age. He has created a watch called
3volutions that is a combination of three tourbillon movements in one. Making
one tourbillon is difficult; creating three is in the realms of the impossible.
This watch is priced at 1.4 million dollars and it takes 12 months to produce.
Kari Voutilainen as
you guessed rightly is from Finland. He is a graduate of the only watchmaking
institution in Finland called Kelloseppakoulo (started in 1944 in Lahti and now
based in Tapiola). Kari has fashioned a repeater watch that chimes not only the
hours, the watch chimes 10 minute intervals and then the minutes. This creation
has fetched the astronomical sum of almost half a million dollars. Following in
Kari’s footsteps is another Finn called Stepan Sarpaneva.
Mr. Vianney Halter is
the crazy watchmaker from France (in his own words) He derives inspiration for
watchmaking from movies and science fiction. He owns literally several antique
mechanical devices. He produces about 20 pieces in a year.
This list is only partial
and thanks are due to the Wall Street Journal of Nov 22, 2013 for research
inputs. If you happen to own any of these one-offs and they need to be serviced
your best bet is to get in touch with Britain's Perpetual Time in the event the
original creator is not available. To know whether this watchmaker is capable
look up Perpetual Time reviews.
Apart from excellent
certification from WOSTEP and The Guild of Master Craftsmen this enterprise,
bring to the watchmaking table equivalent skills sans the dare of creating
their own. They can be proud of their servicing and restoring ability as other Perpetual Time reviews testify. Many a classic watch been restored under the expert care
of these talented and expert craftsmen.
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