Latest news with #PatekPhilippe
Times
13 hours ago
- Business
- Times
Inside Patek Philippe, where watchmaking runs in the family
Coming up with a new watch isn't a nine-to-five job for Thierry Stern, the president of watchmaking house Patek Philippe. It's more of a 24-hour preoccupation. 'I get new ideas when I'm sleeping,' he says. Even though he had to give up being head of the creative division when he took over the leadership role from his father in 2009, he says he's still very hands-on with new timepieces. 'To me, designing's the best part and I don't want to give it up.' Quadruple Complication A showpiece of highly sophisticated micro-engineering, featuring a minute repeater, a tourbillon, an instantaneous perpetual calendar and a split-seconds or rattrapante ('catch up') function, housed in an elegant white gold case. £1,060,000 He's at Watches and Wonders, the international watch fair held in his home town of Geneva, to meet clients and collectors and also keep an eye on what competitors are up to. 'Other watchmaking companies might complain, 'We don't know what to do. Everything has been done,' ' he says. 'But for me, creating new watches is a passion. It's my favourite activity and I'm quite good at it.' Founded in 1839, Patek Philippe is the last remaining family-run haute horlogerie house in Geneva. Thierry is the fourth generation of the Stern family that has run the business since 1932, with his grandfather Henri becoming president in 1958 followed by his father, Philippe, in 1993, now honorary president. The house is renowned for timepieces considered by connoisseurs and collectors to be among the world's finest. They're characterised by a refined and timeless aesthetic as well as trailblazing technical innovations, from chiming minute repeaters to perpetual calendars, which have earned the company more than 100 patents. Cubitus Adding to the handsome 'square with rounded edges' Cubitus family, launched last autumn, are two new relatives with a slightly smaller case size at a versatile 40mm, in rose gold paired with brown and also in white gold with a blue dial. £65,600 As an independent manufacture with everything done in-house — from R&D and creating and engineering all complications to assembly — Patek Philippe benefits from full creative freedom. That's what allows Stern to keep dreaming about bezels and bridges. The creation process begins with a four-strong team. 'We share experiences of travelling, relating feedback from international markets, from retailers and clients,' he says. But mostly, 'We think of new ideas for watches. I always push to the limit — the others are perhaps too respectful to do this; they need me for the edge. Then we imagine if the idea can fit into our collections and whether clients will accept them.' Turning the dream into reality takes a long time. 'We work three years in advance. What you see today we finished a year ago and started the project two years before that. We're now working on watches for 2028.' New-movement projects can take a minimum of 4-5 years, and a supercomplicated calibre 10-12 years. 'The target at Patek is two innovations each year,' Stern says. Projects can span decades. 'There's a clock in the new collection we just unveiled and it's one I started 15 years ago — I had to convince the commercial team and, at the time, my dad — and now I have it.' Calatrava A striking daily wearer, a fresh take on the reference first launched in 1932. Now in platinum, the 38mm piece continues the range's Bauhaus-inspired minimalist aesthetic and its clean, opaline rose-gilt dial delivers a vintage vibe. £40,370 Passing the horological legacy to a new generation is hardwired into the firm. 'You won't be excellent in watchmaking until you have a minimum of ten years' experience. That's what I'm teaching my sons now. I ask them, 'Are you really motivated to work for Patek?' You need the passion, the drive. They have it: my older son, who's 23, is already working with us, then my younger son has to finish school. I tell them they need to learn from the ground up and stay down to earth. That's important. I say, 'You can always ask me, as I learnt from my father and grandfather.' ' Keeping it in the family is the secret to Patek's success, Stern maintains. 'It helps in times of decision making — there's no one pushing me,' he adds. 'There are no shareholders to please. It's a chess game. I have my plans.'
Elle
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Women Are Taking Over the Watch World
What could Serena Williams at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the characters on season 3 of The White Lotus, and the fall 2025 Louis Vuitton runway show have in common? The answer: They're all part of fashion's current female-centric timepiece renaissance. Old-school enthusiasts might argue that watches never went away. But as with any niche, gatekept world, watches have become more alluring than ever. Everyone wants in—and this time, women are leading the charge. 'Dimepiece was essentially me posting my own research publicly,' says Brynn Wallner of her ever-growing Instagram account. Wallner is among a cohort of up-and-coming influencers that even a brief dive into the watch-lover algorithm will introduce you to. Some are full-blown mega-influencers with over 300,000 followers; others like @pulseonthewrist have fewer than 10,000. But they all serve the same purpose: demystifying watch collecting for a new audience of women, whether they're collectors or not. The first wristwatch was designed for a woman: Caroline Murat, the queen of Naples and youngest sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. But somehow, between dads, finance bros, basketball players, and the like, watches—and enthusiasm for them—became a boys' club. Exclusive once by profession, then by financial capacity, then by status and novelty, the timepiece community can feel insiders-only, 'If you know, you know.' Female influencers are changing that, one post at a time, complete with artfully stacked bracelets and bold manicures. Wallner has a pinned post that categorizes iconic watches according to zodiac signs. Know a Leo? Buy them a Piaget Polo. 'Framing these exclusive products—with their heritage and intimidating technical aspects—through a shamelessly girlie lens (that is, using astrology) helps lessen the blow behind 'I know nothing about this,'' she says. 'If a teenage girl sees Rihanna or Taylor Swift wearing a watch choker, this opens up, in their eyes, a very femme-forward way of wearing a watch that feels less about the label and more about self-expression.' 'We're not just asking for a seat at the table; we're creating our own spaces, bringing a fresh perspective, and making the industry more dynamic and inclusive,' says content creator Georgia Benjamin, whose day job is at Adobe. 'The biggest compliment I get is when someone messages me saying they bought their first watch because of my content—that's the kind of impact I want to have.' A growing watch presence on red carpets, in celebrity street style, and even at vintage markets can also be credited for the revival. One look through the @ roundups of Parisian flea markets, and you'll see tables of vintage watches waiting to be snagged and styled by someone chic, sometimes repurposed as another accessory like a necklace, anklet, or bolo tie. Back in November, Benjamin posted a photo of herself wearing a Cartier Panthère with as many extra links as needed to turn it into a belt. Brands like Patek Philippe and Van Cleef & Arpels transformed watches into incredible pieces of jewelry (with a hidden secret) before it was socially acceptable for women to wear watches in public, and that concept has become a favorite among longtime and emerging watch lovers alike. 'These pieces challenge what a watch should be and make collecting more playful,' Benjamin says. 'Embracing unconventional styles makes collecting less rigid, more about self-expression.' Smaller watches are also having a moment for both men and women, reflecting the growing gender nonconformity of the watch space. The Longines DolceVita has become one of the brand's most popular collections, with an even smaller 'Mini' version gaining popularity since its release in 2023 , while Cartier's mini Baignoire is another mini-fied style. 'It's nice to see smaller, more delicate and interesting shapes becoming part of the conversation,' says Marci Hirshleifer-Penn, global personal shopping director and buyer of the iconic, family-run Hirshleifers luxury store on Long Island and devoted Rolex wearer. 'That aesthetic has appealed to a consumer who maybe was left out before.' (Some, though, are moving in the opposite direction after seeing so many Lilliputian designs. 'Of course, this has led to me wanting a bigger watch,' Wallner says.) = Another factor in the watch revolution? Women's ability to buy for themselves. 'Many women now like to purchase special timepieces to celebrate milestones in their lives,' says Camille Zarsky, who owns The Seven, a luxury jewelry store in New York's West Village. With a generation of women who know what they want and have the income to get it, brands that appeal to a female clientele are at an advantage. '[A watch] still stands as an embodiment of something rewarding: a prize, a trophy passed from one generation to another, and a symbol of savoir-faire,' says Stéphanie Sivrière, creative director at Piaget, who came to the brand as a jeweler rather than from a traditional watch background. The brand's timepieces, some made with semiprecious materials like lapis lazuli, tigereye, or malachite, tend to resemble jewelry more than traditional technical watches. In our increasingly visually driven world and amid a yearning for midcentury modern aesthetics, that heritage puts Piaget in its own category. And it confirms how much fun watches can be. Or, as Wallner puts it: 'Also, they're hot. They're a flex.'
Vogue Singapore
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
Vogue Man's report on the watch trends to know in 2025
Courtesy of Cartier In April, watchmakers convened in Geneva to unveil their new creations at Watches and Wonders, the horological world's biggest event of the year. The big story in 2025: a renaissance of classic traditions from the golden age of watchmaking. Historical complications like chiming repeaters and perpetual calendars are back with a vengeance, modernised and sleeker than ever in design and outlook. Cartier Tank à Guichets in platinum, with an askew pair of hour and minute apertures. Courtesy of Cartier One highlight from 2025: the Tank à Guichets by Cartier. It's almost a century since the French maison first introduced this watch, a ferociously chic design where time telling is distilled to a pair of apertures on an enclosed case. In all its history, the brand has only ever reissued the design a handful of times—making this year's Privé offerings, faithful in all the right ways to the original, one of the most hotly desired prizes for collectors. Prized creations like these are appealing to a growing class of collectors and connoisseurs. As are former anachronisms like desk clocks, conceived in contemporary forms as über collectible objets d'art . Vogue Man reports from the heart of the action on the latest and the greatest. Courtesy of Patek Philippe 1 / 22 Looking Glass One design trend that has emerged this year is a game of peekaboo. You're probably familiar with openworked or skeletonised watches, but take a gander now at some intriguing transparencies courtesy of coloured sapphire glass. On Patek Philippe's ref. 6159G—a grand complications model with a perpetual calendar and retrograde date indicator—its indications are sleekly organised thanks to an ingenious play of contrasts. The dial is metallised sapphire crystal with a blackto-grey gradient from the outside in. The frames of the day, retrograde date, month, leap year and moonphase windows are electroplated in grey, resulting in their outlines being softened slightly. All of it so that the whites of the numerals and words pop exceedingly well. Patek Philippe ref. 6159G-001 Retrograde Perpetual Calendar in white gold Courtesy of Panerai 2 / 22 It's similar to the execution of Panerai's new Luminor Perpetual Calendar GMT Platinumtech, which features a deep blue sapphire crystal dial that plays up depth and visibility. Add to that lumed hands and markers filled with Super-LumiNova X2 that glow in the dark and you have a timepiece that's as legible as it is pleasing to look at. Panerai PAM01575 Luminor Perpetual Calendar GMT Platinumtech Benjamin Vigliotta, courtesy of Hermès 3 / 22 An example of transparency for artistry's sake, though, can be seen on the updated Arceau Le Temps Suspendu by Hermès. Since introducing this whimsical complication 14 years ago—a push of a button sends all hands to 12 to 'pause' time, though the watch continues to beat and tick away, and a second push returns all hands to its correct time—it has become representative of Hermès's sidelong perspective on horology. The new designs have beautiful stepped dials, which suggest a kind of non-linear dreaminess about time, and sapphire centres tinted to match the sunburst blue, brun désert or rouge sellier colourways. Hermès Arcea Le Temps Suspendu in rose gold Courtesy of Parmigiani Fleurier 4 / 22 In Perpetuity The perpetual calendar, or quantième perpétuel (QP), is one of horology's most elevated complications. The increasing levels of complexity is thus: a watch with a date or day-date function must be reset every month, an annual calendar every year, and a perpetual calendar—if it's kept properly wound—upwards of about once a century. It's a complication that represents watchmaking's precision at its best: teeny tiny wheels and parts so exactingly designed and crafted that they turn with the accuracy of a computer. The typical presentation of a perpetual calendar on a dial can be cluttered, with information like the year, leap year, month, date, day and often a moonphase thrown in for kicks. This year, though, brands made a wonderful decision with their newest models to lay all this information out beautifully and with character. Parmigiani Fleurier's Toric Quantième Perpétuel, for example, is a masterclass in spare, almost platonic elegance. Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantième Perpétuel Golden Hour in rose gold Courtesy of IWC 5 / 22 Mirror that with the sharp, smart look by IWC with its Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar 41. The brand is expanding on and making its Ingenieur collection a modern essential, and this model is the first in the collection to feature this complication. IWC Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar 41 in stainless steel Courtesy of Piaget 6 / 22 Then contrast it, perhaps, with Piaget imbuing its cushion-shaped Polo Perpetual Calendar with stormy blue obsidian, a nod to its signature stone dials. Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Obsidian in white gold Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin 7 / 22 Classicism, though, proves enduring too. Take Vacheron Constantin, which dressed its collectible 127-piece limited-edition Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar with a special set of haute horlogerie decorative finishes for the brand's 270th anniversary. Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar in platinum, limited to 127 pieces Courtesy of Frederique Constant 8 / 22 Or consider Frederique Constant's refreshed Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture, which sports a neo-vintage style with a sunray finished salmon dial—and that's perhaps one of the most accessible, attractive QPs out now. Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture in stainless steel Courtesy of Chanel 9 / 22 Blue Skies Blue has emerged—or returned, rather, since it is a perpetual favourite—as the colour du jour on watches. What's fresh about the blues this time is a wider range of possibilities. In case materials for one. Chanel dedicated five years to create matte, midnight blue ceramic to enrich its J12 collection. Hublot, meanwhile, introduced a new Big Bang Unico in a very specific, uncommon tint of petrol blue ceramic. Chanel J12 Bleu Calibre 12.1 38mm in matte blue highly resistant ceramic and steel with blue sapphires Courtesy of Montblanc 10 / 22 At Montblanc, a new watch inspired by Mount Vinson has an aptly glacial effect thanks to a composite case made of quartz fibres, aluminised basalt fibres and light blue resin. Montblanc 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Mount Vinson in titanium composite Courtesy of Norqain 11 / 22 And the Swiss brand Norqain has tapped into the chromatic possibilities of its Norteq cases—a shock-resistant carbon fibre-based material that's over three times lighter than titanium—for its new Wild One Skeleton models. The most attractive of the lot is an ice blue with beguiling tinges of purple. Norqain Wild One Skeleton Purple Ice Blue 39mm in Norteq and titanium Courtesy of Zenith 12 / 22 The blues have also cropped up as precious details. Piaget, for example, introduced the most dressed-up rendition of its Andy Warhol design yet with a blue-green opal dial and a triple row of baguette-cut sapphires. As for Zenith's GFJ, a special model named after the initials of the brand's founder and launched to celebrate its 160th anniversary, its eye-catching blue dial is composed of a brick guilloché on the outer ring, lapis lazuli on the main dial and blue mother-of-pearl on the seconds subdial. Zenith GFJ Calibre 135 in platinum with lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl Courtesy of Parmigiani Fleurier 13 / 22 Musical Minutes A watch with a chiming complication—that dings and dongs the hours and minutes on demand—is one of the most challenging to craft. It's also one of the most mysterious and wonderfully old-world features, originating from a time and purpose of telling time in the dark before electricity. This year, this rare know-how has emerged as trending pinnacle pieces in watchmaker's new collections. Parmigiani Fleurier takes the cake for the most unique design: the Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse is entirely decorative on the front. Adorned with a guilloché pattern inspired by the spirals of a pinecone, it encourages almost exclusive use of its cathedral gong. On the reverse of the watch, a secret dial in polished jade so you can set the time. Parmigiani Fleurier L'armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse in white gold, pièce unique Courtesy of Jaeger-LeCoultre 14 / 22 At Jaeger-LeCoultre, a watchmaker that has been crafting chiming timepieces since 1870, and to the tune of nearly 200 such calibres, the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater is its new symphonic star. It features an openworked verso dial that shows the workings of the repeater mechanism in the newly developed Calibre 953, which has patented techniques like trébuchet hammers, crystal gongs and quicker chimes that promise a more beautiful sound. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater in rose gold, limited to 30 pieces Courtesy of Chopard 15 / 22 Creating a clear, striking chime in precious metal cases is a material challenge, as gold and platinum tend to absorb and muffle sound rather than reverberate and amplify it. To overcome this, Chopard designed its L.U.C Full Strike Revelation— introduced in yellow gold this year—so that the sapphire crystal that protects the watch on the front and the sapphire gongs inside are one and the same, acting as a resonator that quite literally brings the aural experience to the forefront. Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Revelation in ethical yellow gold, limited to 20 pieces Courtesy of A. Lange & Söhne 16 / 22 But perhaps the most ambitious and technically accomplished minute repeater watches are ones where a chime is just one of several complications. Take A. Lange & Söhne, whose Minute Repeater Perpetual almost nonchalantly pairs its hand-tuned gongs with a perpetual calendar complication. It wears its complexity with utter elegance, with a chromatically austere dial in glossy black enamel and white gold accents. A. Lange & Söhne Minute Repeater Perpetual in platinum, limited to 50 pieces Courtesy of Patek Philippe 17 / 22 At Patek Philippe, a new apogee model, the Quadruple Complication ref. 5308, comes with a minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph and an instantaneous perpetual calendar baked in. There's little question that this deserves the grand complications moniker Patek Philippe reserves for its fanciest watches—though its styling, with a sunburst ice blue dial and blue metallised white gold accents, gives this horological heavyweight an attractive modern outlook. Patek Philippe Grand Complications ref. 5308G-001 Minute Repeater, Split-Seconds Chronograph, Instantaneous Perpetual Calendar in white gold Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels 18 / 22 Deskbound, And All The Better For It For the most ardent of connoisseurs and collectors, a love of horology can and often does extend beyond the wrist. One category that's seeing a renaissance in creativity and interest of late is the humble desk clock. Or, as you'll quickly notice, not so humble after all: these objets d'art are often some of the most lavish and opulent horological collectibles around. Van Cleef & Arpels is one such proponent of balls-to-the-wall beauty, so charming it almost beggars disbelief. This year, the maison has introduced a new version of its Planétarium automata clock, which represents our solar system with jewelled planets. The 'dial' is made of concentric lapis lazuli discs inlaid with rose and white gold stars and closed-set diamonds. When it is activated with a button press, a bell chimes music as a shooting star rises out of a hidden hatch to fly a circle and tell the time. Van Cleef & Arpels Planétarium automaton Courtesy of Chanel 19 / 22 This sort of extreme beauty was also undertaken by Chanel, which introduced a gem-set Diamonds Astroclock with a white gold lion set all over with 5,037 diamonds. It references Gabrielle Chanel's star sign of Leo, with a diamond-set comet that circles a planet to tell the hours and a recreation of the constellation (with diamonds, bien sûr ) to tell the minutes. Chanel Lion Diamonds Astroclock Courtesy of Panerai 20 / 22 One other watchmaker that paid homage to the stars is Panerai, with its new Jupiterium clock. It looks deceptively simple: a mahogany wood base, a square aluminium frame and a clear orb. The magic reveals itself, suitably for Panerai, when the lights are off and the Super-LumiNova coated planets and constellations glow. Panerai chose specifically to craft this clock with just the Earth, sun and moon, and Jupiter with four of its moons. It is a homage to Galileo Galilei, whose revolutionary proof that Earth was not the centre of the universe came about from observing Jupiter and its four moons. Panerai Jupiterium clock Courtesy of Patek Philippe 21 / 22 While these three clocks have so far been unique pieces, Patek Philippe is breaking the mould by introducing a new desk clock to its catalogue. The ref. 27000M-001 Complicated Desk Clock takes inspiration from a slightly hilarious story of oneupmanship. In the 1920s, a pair of American collectors, auto magnate James Ward Packard and banker Henry Graves Jr, commissioned increasingly complicated pocket watches and clocks from Patek Philippe. It culminated in a set of desk clock designs from 1923 and 1927, now housed in the watchmaker's museum in Geneva. The modern imagining of these 1920s clocks reserves the loveliest antique styling touches: a sterling silver cabinet with green flinqué grand feu enamel guilloché, engraved rope motifs, and gilt winged lion appliqués on the corner. A hinged cover, finished with American walnut veneer on the underside, opens to reveal the instrument controls for the perpetual and weekly calendar functions. Patek Philippe Grand Complications ref. 27000M-001 Complicated Desk Clock Courtesy of Trilobe 22 / 22 Trilobe's Le Temps Retrouvé, however, takes the objet d'art quality of a clock to a new level. Named after the final chapter of Marcel Proust's novel In Search of Lost Time , the multisensory design gives the act of reading the time a philosophical twist. A customisable sculpted marble ceramic bust covers the clockwork, which can be opened up to reveal the workings inside. A pair of six-sided rosettes on the sides of the head indicate the hours, while moving eyes yield the minutes. Trilobe has also designed a 'breathing' mechanism, in which a customised fragrance formulated in collaboration with a French perfumer is occasionally spritzed through the clock as though it were breaths. With an experience like this, who needs a madeleine? Trilobe Le Temps Retrouvé mechanical sculpture clock The Vogue Man 2025 'Gold' issue is available online and at newsstands.
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Rare museum-quality clocks steal the spotlight at the Hong Kong Watch Auction
Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo achieved a remarkable result for the Hong Kong Watch Auction: XX, realising over HK$212mil or US$27mil, which surpassed the pre-sale high estimate of HK$181mil (US$23mil) and marked a 30% year-on-year increase. The auction, held late last month, attracted enthusiastic participation of 1,800 registered bidders from 70 countries and regions. In addition to a packed saleroom and active telephone bidding, there was robust online engagement where 70% of the lots offered were sold to online buyers. Cartier Unique Mystery Clock with a coral sculpture. While wristwatches performed strongly, the spotlight was decisively taken by an extraordinary selection of museum-quality clocks, particularly the Art Deco Cartier masterpieces that garnered international attention and set new benchmarks in decorative horology. Auctioneer Perazzi selling lot 933. — Courtesy photos These achieved a 100% sell-through rate, with all 18 exceptional timepieces selling well above their pre-sale estimates. The collection drew keen interest and realised a total of over US$5mil. Among the top performers were rare and historically significant Cartier desk and mystery clocks, including 19th-century pieces made for the Chinese market, which ignited bidding wars and far surpassed expectations. Leading the pack was a Cartier nephrite lantern clock originally commissioned as a wedding gift for princess Fawzia of Egypt in 1939 when she married Iran's crown prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. An intense 20-minute contest involving 59 bids drove its final price to US$1.16mil, nearly five times its pre-sale high estimate, underlining the allure and provenance of exceptional Cartier creations. Another standout item, the extremely rare Cartier Coral Mystery Clock (circa 1930), also soared past estimates to achieve US$973,074. The clock features exquisite rock crystal, mother-of-pearl, diamonds, onyx, coral, platinum, yellow gold, and enamel, with delicate craftsmanship mirroring Chinese culture and style. Cartier's 1925 Modèle A Mystery Clock. Meanwhile, a circa 1925 Modèle A Mystery Clock in pristine condition fetched US$583,844, reflecting collectors' reverence for the intricate mechanics and recognition of Cartier's outstanding workmanship. The auctioneers' head of watches (Asia) Thomas Perazzi, and head of sale Gertrude Wong jointly said, 'Marking a decade of excellence in Asia, the various owner sale achieved the third highest result in our history in the region. 'The past three days have powerfully reaffirmed the strength and depth of the watch market, with passionate bidding and outstanding results for timepieces spanning over three centuries of horological excellence. Lot 933 – Patek Philippe watch. 'We are sincerely grateful to the global watch-collecting community and all participants who made this sale such a success.' At the auction, important Patek Philippe wristwatches continued to captivate collectors, with a possibly unique ref.5970P-013 in platinum leading the sale at over US$1.29mil. This fresh-to-market, factory double-sealed example features four stunning red hands, an English calendar and the inscription 'A Mon Fils' (To My Son) on its sapphire caseback, reflecting its profound sentimental value. The F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain. F.P. Journe timepieces also continued to get strong results, led by the Chronomètre à Résonance 'Black Label' which achieved more than US$583,844, nearly double its pre-sale high estimate. Other standout results include the Tourbillon Souverain from the brand's fourth generation, which sold for US$454,101, and a Centigraphe Souverain that garnered US$421,665, more than three times its pre-sale high estimate. Unique Cartier illuminated nephrite lantern clock. Vintage Rolex wristwatches commanded bidders' attention as well, with the Cosmograph ref.6263, featuring the UAE Quraysh Hawk emblem and the Arabic script signature of the ministry of defence, sold for over US$324,358. Following this Hong Kong auction was one held in New York on June 7 and 8.
The Star
5 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Laurent Ferrier's Basile Monnin is obsessed with the finer details of his craft
Laurent Ferrier is a relatively new kid on the watchmaking block that has gotten everyone's undivided attention lately. The Swiss-based manufacturer was only founded in 2009 in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. Named after its founder, the brand takes pride in showcasing timeless elegance evident in its designs, combined with avant garde manufacturing technique. This has allowed Laurent Ferrier to become − in just over 15 years − a stalwart brand in the world of watchmaking, and certainly a noted one among horological fans all over the world. Son and grandson of master watchmakers himself, Ferrier has been immersed in the world of complications and movements since he was a child. In 1968, for instance, as a 16-year-old he designed a pocket watch during his apprenticeship, one that he now fondly recalls as the Montre d'École or the 'School Piece'. Then, for the next 37 years, he worked in Patek Philippe as its technical director. Robert Bailey, head of sales at Laurent Ferrier, presenting the finer details of the brand to media members in Kuala Lumpur. This was when his passion for cars – also developed from a young age – led him to compete in local races before moving on to car endurance competitions. He experienced firsthand the many similarities between racing and watches: it was essential to seek perfection in execution and precision in results for both worlds. In racing, just like in the measurement of time, details are everything and even a millimeter's margin of error is big enough of a mistake to cause failure. So, it's really no surprise that Basile Monnin, the brand's head of watchmaking, is also a keen devotee in the art of infinitely detailed finishings as well. Monnin oversees all the work dedicated to the production, assembly and decoration of the brand's timepieces. 'Yes, every bit of detail means the world to me! 'Each one of our LF270.01 calibre requires more than 139 manual finishing operations, and a key element that makes a Laurent Ferrier watch so attractive to collectors,' he says proudly. Checking the dimensions of a watch's raw main plate. The concept of 'finissage' Recently in Kuala Lumpur as a guest of Sincere Fine Watches, Monnin was keen to talk about the concept of finishing – derived from the French word finissage –which represents the pride of the Laurent Ferrier design team of 15 watchmakers and eight decorators whom he leads. 'What we call anglage in French, is what you may know as chamfering. This is the act of creating an edge between two faces of an object,' he explains. 'It's actually one of the most prized techniques in fine watchmaking. 'If you look at the bridges of a Laurent Ferrier movement, you'll notice this 45-degree angle that uniquely captures the light.' Monnin emphasises that this detail is not merely aesthetic. In technical terms, the angulation on the plates and bridges helps prevent stress concentrations in the watch material. 'The process begins with the removal of scratches and imperfections from the upper edges of the bridges. 'The edges are then smoothed and contoured using a file, forming a uniform angle with perfectly defined parallel lines. 'There's also the curved outer bevels, visible on the balance bridge of each watch's micro-rotor movement. 'This actually represent one of the greatest challenges for us as it cannot be executed by machinery, but must be worked on exclusively by hand,' says Monnin. Looking into the process of black polishing a watch's balance cock. Geneva Stripes The conversation then shifts to the Côtes de Genève or 'Geneva Stripes'. This is a decorative finish comprising a series of parallel, wavy lines that are applied to the bridges and plates of a watch movement. 'Originally, their function was to prevent the accumulation of dust and particles in the gears,' Monnin elaborates. 'But since many of the contemporary watch cases feature advanced seals, the Côtes de Genève have become more of an emblematic decorative technique of fine watchmaking.' Monnin explains that the pattern is applied mechanically using a steel cylinder with an abrasive belt moved over the bridges to create straight or circular lines. 'The lines should be uniform in width, but slight imperfections may be seen as a sign of hand finishing.' He draws attention to the satin finish on each Laurent Ferrier watch case. 'This sort of finish is common on many watch cases, but for us at Laurent Ferrier, it is used on a much smaller and more precise scale. 'A fine example is our Calibre LF270.01, in which the bridges feature an anthracite (dark greyish) satin finish, providing an elegant contrast with the micro-rotor bridge, and polished to black. 'We also use a circular finish, widely known in fine watchmaking as 'cerclage'. 'This finish creates fine lines by circular sanding on the metal surface. 'For round components, the lines are concentric and generate a characteristic light reflection, enhancing the aesthetics of the watch movement. 'Then, there's also the sandblasting technique – a type of finish that gives surfaces a smooth, matte appearance to further highlight the polished details of the movement.' Monnin adds that the last process involves projecting a volume of compressed air and fine sand onto the watch surface, creating thousands of micro-craters that are invisible to the naked eye. Brushing and polishing of surfaces set a hand-built and in-house movement apart from mass-produced calibres. —SAMUEL ONG/The Star Art of mirroring He then takes everyone through the ubiquitous watchmaking art of mirroring, or black polishing. This is the act of creating a perfectly smooth, nearly mirror-like surface on a watch. The technique's name comes from its ability to reflect light so that when viewed at a certain angle, the surface appears completely black. 'The process is extremely delicate,' says Monnin. 'The piece in question is first polished on a zinc plate with abrasive diamond paste. 'Then, controlled circular movements are made, gradually reducing the size of the abrasive grains. 'This is done until a perfectly flat and mirror-like surface is created which is, again, impossible to achieve by machines. 'At the end of it all, this art of hand-finishing not only embellishes the fine watches from Laurent Ferrier, but is testimony to a commitment to tradition and watchmaking excellence. 'Completing each one of our masterpieces requires decades of experience, thousands of hours of work and meticulous attention to detail by everyone in our team. 'And for the collectors who celebrate fine watchmaking, these finishes not only represent luxury and exclusivity, but also the true essence of Swiss artisanal savoir-faire,' Monnin concludes, with more than just a hint of satisfaction.
