Haute Horlogerie Discussion

[sistem_32]

Only Watch is a biennial charitable auction which, in addition to raising considerable funds for a good cause, produces many remarkable timepieces. A host of brands, from the likes of Tudor and Maurice Lacroix to Hautlence and MB&F, produce one-off watches, generally variations on one of their existing models, for the auction. Some, however, are the products of new collaborations or ideas. I thought I'd write about some of the most interesting pieces from past years, starting with a collaboration between two of my favorite brands, Laurent Ferrier and Urwerk. Together they produced the Arpal One for the 2017 Only Watch auction.

It appears to use the same movement as Urwerk's UR-105 and 106 from their "UR-Satellite" line. Although the design is obviously heavily dictated by the unique movement, Laurent Ferrier's styling is visible, especially when compared to the recently released Bridge One.

In fact, the lines and motifs are almost identical between the two watches. This is actually quite interesting, as the Bridge One represents a dramatic deviation from the standard for Laurent Ferrier, but the Arpal One was released almost two years prior to it.

The Arpal One was popular enough that LF and Urwerk decided to run a second round of four watches, called LR-UR 2, in matte titanium. Personally, I don't like its moodier aesthetic as much as the sleek brightness of the Arpal One, but that's a personal quibble. The proceeds from the LR-UR 2 examples also went to a charitable cause. Here's a good video report about the original Arpal One, and here's an article from Monochrome about the LR-UR 2.

[sistem_32]

F. P. Journe produced their pièce unique Monopoussoir Rattrapante Bleu for the Only Watch 2017 auction. It's a remarkable watch in many ways, both in terms of design and horology. The dial is a very attractive blue chrome, with the telemeter printed in yellow and the tachymeter in red. The case, interestingly, is made of tantalum, giving it a blueish grey tint. Tantalum seems to be becoming more popular as a case material in recent years: in fact, one of Omega's new Seamaster 300 models uses a tantalum case. I generally wouldn't mention the strap, but this one, made of bright orange crocodile, can't go without comment. It would look ridiculous on almost any other watch, but it just brings out the best in this one.

Horologically this watch is just as interesting. As the name suggests it is a monopusher rattrapante chronograph, Journe's first ever rattrapante (for those not aware of the rattrapante complication, here's an explanatory article). While it is technically a monopusher, as the main function of the chronograph is operated with only one pusher, there is another pusher for the operation of the rattrapante. The beauty of the movement speaks for itself.

Truly a masterpiece of design and engineering, to cap its achievements this extraordinary watch raised CHF 1,150,000 for a good cause. Could it get any better?

[MoT]

Wow wow wow. I really like the looks of that one.

[sistem_32]

Fabergé, jeweler of eggs, is an unlikely brand to have horological chops, but they know what's good. For Only Watch 2017 they produced a special version of their Visionnaire Chronograph, which uses the Agenhor's "AgenGraphe" movement.

Agenhor is a Geneva based company, founded by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, in the business of designing and producing movements. Their movements are used by brands like MB&F, Van Cleef & Arpels, Harry Winston, and, obviously, Fabergé. Here's a good video about Agenhor, if you'd like to learn more. Anyway, the main principle of the AgenGraphe is to improve the legibility of the traditional chronograph mechanism by moving all the information to the center of the dial, meaning the hour and minutes must be moved to the outside. The time-telling component of the AgenGraphe, therefore, is roughly "donut shaped," and the chronograph is a module that sits in the middle of the donut. Here's a very good video that goes more in-depth and includes a conversation with Mr. Wiederrecht himself.

Horologically, then, the watch is quite impressive. I'm not so sure about the name though. Where did these lemons come from? I don't see any particularly troublesome situations stemming from the watch. Who were they given to? Certainly not the buyer, and not Fabergé, as they wouldn't have made the watch in the first place if they hadn't expected to benefit from it. But Fabergé is, at heart, a fashion brand, so I guess I'll cut my losses. You know what they say...

[sistem_32]

Thomas Prescher is a rather obscure independent horologist based in Switzerland. He specializes in complicated watches, particularly featuring retrogrades and tourbillons. His Mysterious Automatic Double Axis Tourbillon is a very interesting watch, displaying numerous features I've never seen anywhere else.

The most obvious quirk is the tourbillon floating in the middle of the case. It rotates on two axes, to mitigate the gravitational eccentricities caused by the various orientations a wristwatch assumes throughout the day. A single axis tourbillon is principally useful on pocket watches, which only sit vertically in their pockets. But while a two axis tourbillon is interesting in itself, this one is particularly interesting; you may have noticed that it doesn't appear to attach to anything in the case. And it doesn't: it attaches to the case itself. The rest of the movement, barrel, gear train, all the rest of it, is built into the bezel.

Each side in itself doesn't look particularly impressive, but I'm sure interfacing the two was a very difficult challenge, especially seeing as how they're connected only by four very thin rods. And the engineering doesn't stop there: see the flat part at the bottom of the case in the top picture? It displays day and date, but it's also the rotor for the automatic winding system. I have no idea how it works, but the date mechanism is somehow able to rotate around its axis, presumably 360 degrees. Each aspect of the movement independently is impressive; taken together they are genius.

Stylistically, the only particularly interesting feature is that, thanks to its second crown, the watch is symmetrical on three axes. My theory is that the second crown is necessary to set the day and date, as there isn't room in the thin sides of the movement for the complex keyless works (the mechanism that allows the crown to take on its functions) necessary to allow one crown to both set the time and the date. More pictures of the watch and movement are available here.

[Dub Rubb]

Thomas Prescher is a rather obscure independent horologist based in Switzerland. He specializes in complicated watches, particularly featuring retrogrades and tourbillons. His Mysterious Automatic Double Axis Tourbillon is a very interesting watch, displaying numerous features I've never seen anywhere else.
[img]https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8730 ... d3~mv2.jpg[/img]
The most obvious quirk is the tourbillon floating in the middle of the case. It rotates on two axes, to mitigate the gravitational eccentricities caused by the various orientations a wristwatch assumes throughout the day. A single axis tourbillon is principally useful on pocket watches, which only sit vertically in their pockets. But while a two axis tourbillon is interesting in itself, this one is particularly interesting; you may have noticed that it doesn't appear to attach to anything in the case. And it doesn't: it attaches to the case itself. The rest of the movement, barrel, gear train, all the rest of it, is built into the bezel.
[img]https://thehorologium.files.wordpress.c ... llon11.jpg[/img]
Each side in itself doesn't look particularly impressive, but I'm sure interfacing the two was a very difficult challenge, especially seeing as how they're connected only by four very thin rods. And the engineering doesn't stop there: see the flat part at the bottom of the case in the top picture? It displays day and date, but it's also the rotor for the automatic winding system. I have no idea how it works, but the date mechanism is somehow able to rotate around its axis, presumably 360 degrees. Each aspect of the movement independently is impressive; taken together they are genius.

Stylistically, the only particularly interesting feature is that, thanks to its second crown, the watch is symmetrical on three axes. My theory is that the second crown is necessary to set the day and date, as there isn't room in the thin sides of the movement for the complex keyless works (the mechanism that allows the crown to take on its functions) necessary to allow one crown to both set the time and the date. More pictures of the watch and movement are available here.

That is freaking WILD! Wow, a really impressive engineering feat. Mind blown. Thanks for sharing!

Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk

[Robotaz]

Here are some articles on Prescher. Amazing stuff.

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/watch-bran ... -prescher/


@robotazky

[PetWatch]

Thomas Prescher is a rather obscure independent horologist based in Switzerland. He specializes in complicated watches, particularly featuring retrogrades and tourbillons. His Mysterious Automatic Double Axis Tourbillon is a very interesting watch, displaying numerous features I've never seen anywhere else.
[img]https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8730 ... d3~mv2.jpg[/img]
The most obvious quirk is the tourbillon floating in the middle of the case. It rotates on two axes, to mitigate the gravitational eccentricities caused by the various orientations a wristwatch assumes throughout the day. A single axis tourbillon is principally useful on pocket watches, which only sit vertically in their pockets. But while a two axis tourbillon is interesting in itself, this one is particularly interesting; you may have noticed that it doesn't appear to attach to anything in the case. And it doesn't: it attaches to the case itself. The rest of the movement, barrel, gear train, all the rest of it, is built into the bezel.
[img]https://thehorologium.files.wordpress.c ... llon11.jpg[/img]
Each side in itself doesn't look particularly impressive, but I'm sure interfacing the two was a very difficult challenge, especially seeing as how they're connected only by four very thin rods. And the engineering doesn't stop there: see the flat part at the bottom of the case in the top picture? It displays day and date, but it's also the rotor for the automatic winding system. I have no idea how it works, but the date mechanism is somehow able to rotate around its axis, presumably 360 degrees. Each aspect of the movement independently is impressive; taken together they are genius.

Stylistically, the only particularly interesting feature is that, thanks to its second crown, the watch is symmetrical on three axes. My theory is that the second crown is necessary to set the day and date, as there isn't room in the thin sides of the movement for the complex keyless works (the mechanism that allows the crown to take on its functions) necessary to allow one crown to both set the time and the date. More pictures of the watch and movement are available here.

Whether we consider many of these haute horology watches gimmicky and/or ingenious creations, this one stands out for me as an example of truly out of the box ingenuity.

[sistem_32]

Most watches that incorporate wood into their design are fashion watches (Original Grain, etc.). But Valerii Danevych has taken woodworking many steps further: he produces entire movements made of wood, featuring such exotic complications as retrogrades and tourbillons. The only parts of the watch that aren't wooden are the necessary springs.

It's certainly a very impressive achievement. I honestly have no idea how the parts could be fabricated; they obviously can't be made on a lathe like regular parts. They look generally a little larger and coarser than metal parts, so they could just be hand-made with miniature woodworking tools.

As impressive as it is from an artistic perspective, technically the use of wood seems like it could only cause trouble. I imagine it could only shorten the lifespan of the components, and it's probably much more fragile than metal. The wood probably expands and contracts in response to temperature much more than metal does, so the chronometry is probably also effected. However, it isn't all bad news: apparently the wood is self-lubricating, which might help its lifespan. Overall I expect the owners of a piece like this aren't after a precision chronometer but an artistic masterpiece of handiwork.

Here's an article with more pictures from Monochrome. Also, here's a historical bonus: Danevych isn't the only person to have made wooden watches. There's a completely wooden pocket watch at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva made by Mikhail Semyonovich Bronnikov circa 1860. There aren't many good pictures of it out there, but here's the best one I can find.

[TheJohnP]

Most watches that incorporate wood into their design are fashion watches (Original Grain, etc.). But Valerii Danevych has taken woodworking many steps further: he produces entire movements made of wood, featuring such exotic complications as retrogrades and tourbillons. The only parts of the watch that aren't wooden are the necessary springs.
[img]https://d23x6d9cx8qezf.cloudfront.net/w ... llon_4.jpg[/img]
It's certainly a very impressive achievement. I honestly have no idea how the parts could be fabricated; they obviously can't be made on a lathe like regular parts. They look generally a little larger and coarser than metal parts, so they could just be hand-made with miniature woodworking tools.

As impressive as it is from an artistic perspective, technically the use of wood seems like it could only cause trouble. I imagine it could only shorten the lifespan of the components, and it's probably much more fragile than metal. The wood probably expands and contracts in response to temperature much more than metal does, so the chronometry is probably also effected. However, it isn't all bad news: apparently the wood is self-lubricating, which might help its lifespan. Overall I expect the owners of a piece like this aren't after a precision chronometer but an artistic masterpiece of handiwork.

Here's an article with more pictures from Monochrome. Also, here's a historical bonus: Danevych isn't the only person to have made wooden watches. There's a completely wooden pocket watch at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva made by Mikhail Semyonovich Bronnikov circa 1860. There aren't many good pictures of it out there, but here's the best one I can find.
[img]https://massdrop-s3.imgix.net/img_comme ... dpr=1&q=80[/img]

Interesting stuff.
Found his Etsy shop.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DanevychWatch

[PetWatch]

Most watches that incorporate wood into their design are fashion watches (Original Grain, etc.). But Valerii Danevych has taken woodworking many steps further: he produces entire movements made of wood, featuring such exotic complications as retrogrades and tourbillons. The only parts of the watch that aren't wooden are the necessary springs.
[img]https://d23x6d9cx8qezf.cloudfront.net/w ... llon_4.jpg[/img]
It's certainly a very impressive achievement. I honestly have no idea how the parts could be fabricated; they obviously can't be made on a lathe like regular parts. They look generally a little larger and coarser than metal parts, so they could just be hand-made with miniature woodworking tools.

As impressive as it is from an artistic perspective, technically the use of wood seems like it could only cause trouble. I imagine it could only shorten the lifespan of the components, and it's probably much more fragile than metal. The wood probably expands and contracts in response to temperature much more than metal does, so the chronometry is probably also effected. However, it isn't all bad news: apparently the wood is self-lubricating, which might help its lifespan. Overall I expect the owners of a piece like this aren't after a precision chronometer but an artistic masterpiece of handiwork.

Here's an article with more pictures from Monochrome. Also, here's a historical bonus: Danevych isn't the only person to have made wooden watches. There's a completely wooden pocket watch at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva made by Mikhail Semyonovich Bronnikov circa 1860. There aren't many good pictures of it out there, but here's the best one I can find.
[img]https://massdrop-s3.imgix.net/img_comme ... dpr=1&q=80[/img]

Interesting stuff.
Found his Etsy shop.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DanevychWatch

Thank you for that link. That is serious depreciation, from 200K usd new mentioned on the link by system_32 to 50k used on the Etsy listing.
Another listing from Etsy claiming to be the first all wooden watch except for the spring for only $10,999.

[img][/img]

Which brings up a question I have been wanting to ask, no doubt it is piece and brand dependent as is for any watch, but in general how well do these haute horology watches hold their value? In particular as it relates to the lower priced one's under 50k.

[TheJohnP]

Thank you for that link. That is serious depreciation, from 200K usd new mentioned on the link by system_32 to 50k used on the Etsy listing.
Another listing from Etsy claiming to be the first all wooden watch except for the spring for only $10,999.

[img][/img]

Which brings up a question I have been wanting to ask, no doubt it is piece and brand dependent as is for any watch, but in general how well do these haute horology watches hold their value? In particular as it relates to the lower priced one's under 50k.

From what I can tell, the Etsy link is Valerii's shop, so I don't believe any of the pieces are used. I'm sure someone can reach out to get more information about how he makes his movements.

[sistem_32]

Which brings up a question I have been wanting to ask, no doubt it is piece and brand dependent as is for any watch, but in general how well do these haute horology watches hold their value? In particular as it relates to the lower priced one's under 50k.

That's a good question. I spent some time perusing recent Phillips auctions (which, by the way, is very entertaining; they sell many exceptional pieces), and all of the haute horlogerie pieces I looked at sold comfortably within their estimates, some (mostly F. P. Journe) far exceeding them. Unfortunately, as we don't know all their retail prices, that doesn't necessarily mean much. However, I did manage to find the retail prices of a few of them. A Lange Zeitwerk repeater sold for more than $200k over its retail price, and so did an MB&F HM3. A rainbow Daytona (yes, I know) sold for more than $100k over retail. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find the retail prices of any <$50,000 watches, but then I was hardly exhaustive. From my very small data set, though, I'd say haute horlogerie pieces hold their values quite well.

If you're curious, the auctions I browsed are here, here, and here.

[sistem_32]

While browsing The Naked Watchmaker I stumbled across a very interesting collection of horological texts, generously assembled by one Richard Watkins. Some are technical, like The Art of Being Drunk, concerning "drunk fusees," which can be wound in both directions, and some are historical, like A Family Tale, which tells the story of American watchmaking. There's a lot of literature on here that seems to be very difficult, if not impossible, to find anywhere else. I highly recommend you take a look:

Richard Watkins Horological Books

[quincas]

Absolutely mindblown!

Great writeups! Thank you for the interesting insights into the high watchmaking world. I’m glad i stumbled onto this thread.