Elite Traveler May-June 2016

INFLUENCE WATCHES COLUMN

elite traveler MAY/JUNE 2016 56

Jonathan Bues on the independents

Operating outside the competitive and corporate watch world, independent horologists aremaking strides with collectors and tastemakers alike

luminous indexes, lending a sporty edge to a line known for its conservatism. The stainless steel Galet Square Boréal features the return of the cushion-style case first seen last year, now with a luminous sector dial and matching hands. Ferrier signs the watch with a subtle transfer on the black dial. The star of any Laurent Ferrier timepiece is its movement; in this case a fine automatic caliber with micro rotor. It would be a challenge to find better finishing anywhere. LOUIS MOINET Louis Moinet is among the most interesting success stories of the independents, aided by an astounding rewrite of an important chapter in the annals of watchmaking. Just four years ago, a Christie’s auction upended the popular belief that Nicolas Rieussec invented the chronograph. During the auction, one apparently unremarkable lot was passed over by almost all in attendance. With a presale estimate of just $5,400, Moinet’s Compteur de Tierces was in fact the first chronograph ever created. Jean-Marie Schaller, the owner of the company that bears Moinet’s name acquired Moinet’s remarkable chronograph, which experts say was 100 years ahead of its time. He then commemorated it with the Louis Moinet Memoris Chronograph watch. In honor of the bicentenary of Moinet’s first chronograph, Schaller and his team produced a limited edition version featuring a new hour dial made in enamel, a new mainplate painted and decorated with the constellations and a translucent flange and counter bridge. The movement comprises 302 components, and its 52-part 18K white gold case is itself complex. With production of these timepieces so limited, it’s unlikely that friends or business colleagues will own the same watch as you. It’s not only the watchmakers who have an independent streak; it’s also their clients. Jonathan Bues has covered high-end mechanical watches in various magazines for 10 years, most recently as the editor-in-chief of WristWatch Magazine

Christophe Claret Mecca $52,000

Most serious watch collectors know something the average Joe scanning the cases at his local jeweler doesn’t ; many of the timepieces under the glass come from just a handful of companies. They may hail from various cities in Switzerland or Germany, but a large percentage of high-end watch marques are themselves controlled by publicly traded corporations. Then there are the watchmaking independents. These are brands on the edge of popular awareness. What they may lack in size or marketing power they make up for in creativity. More often than not, independent watchmakers are steered by a single personality whose name appears on the dial. They produce watches by the tens or hundreds, not the thousands. “Today, there is a growing public awareness of many of these fine, small, independent manufacturers,” says Leon Adams, founder of New York-based luxury watch merchant Cellini. “Many watch collectors are disappointed with the production numbers of the larger brands and are opting for something truly rare and collectible.”

CHRISTOPHE CLARET Switzerland-based master watchmaker Christophe Claret has spent the majority of his career working as an independent contractor for many of the most famous names in horology. When watch companies need a perfectly tuned minute repeater, they often call Claret. It was only a matter of time before his own eponymous brand launched. Claret is an inventor who only pursues projects that interest him. The latest of these, Mecca, has a feature that is not even horological. It uses a miniature mirascope to project and magnify an almost microscopic representation of the Kaaba, a symbol of Muslim faith, three-dimensionally above the dial. It’s a centuries-old optical illusion involving curved, mirror finished surfaces – an early hologram, if you will – and photos don’t do it justice. LAURENT FERRIER Laurent Ferrier is a former Patek Philippe executive who manufactures around 120 impeccably finished timepieces per year. Recently, Ferrier presented his first timepiece with

Laurent Ferrier Galet Square Boréal $38,000

Louis Moinet Memoris $69,000