Brummell Horology by Show Media Ltd

horology 2011

the little black book for the city

Like clockwork special watches issue / latest technological advances / building a collection chic womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s timepieces / greg norman dives with sharks / the flying watch men

www.chanel.com FOR DETAILS OF AUTHORISED STOCKISTS PLEASE TELEPHONE 020 7493 3836

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CONTENTS | BRUMMELL 09

Cover illustration by Ben Newman

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Beaumonde 13

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Foreword Appearances still matter, says David Charters, so it’s worthwhile indulging in a timepiece of quality... or, two

News The All Blacks meet Bulgari; a watchsourcing app; new boutiques and more Technology Revolutions in design and manufacture promise a healthy future for the industry One-stop shop Harrods’ new Fine Watch Room oﬀers one of the world’s biggest dedicated spaces Fashion timepieces How Dior and other haute couture houses have raised their game in watchmaking Watches for women White creates a classic statement in the ﬁnest timekeepers for women Watch fair SalonQP is more than a meeting place for the horologically minded

After the City Nick and Giles English abandoned the daily commute to make a distinctly British mark on the world of watchmaking

Features 31

Collecting Failsafe foundation pieces for a classic gentleman’s treasury of watches Diving watches Australian golf legend Greg Norman comes nose to nose with another great white shark Watches for men Six of the ﬁnest – and most stylish – examples of the watchmaker’s craft Choosing a timepiece Discover what the wristwatch you wear to a meeting tells your colleagues about you Style As so often in life, the crucial edge comes from the ﬁnal detail, especially your watch By George King of complications Franck Muller is horology’s hallowed maverick

FOREWORD | BRUMMELL

Wrist AnAlysis Appearances matter, and never more so than in hard times. A classic piece of the watchmaker’s craft (or, better still, a number of pieces) is an indulgence that will last, through times bad and good Words David Charters Illustration Brett Ryder

There are some situations where being just 30 seconds early – or even 10 seconds – can matter a great deal. We’ve all been there. Well, some of us have. Timing, as they say, is everything. Comedians, lovers and super-fast systematic traders all know it. So important is it that an entire craft has been established around it. In an age when all of us carry electronic devices that, among many other functions, can also tell us the time to the second, we still wear watches. For men in the City, your watch is one of the few genuinely personal and distinctive touches you can apply to what is otherwise a working uniform of tailored suit and designer tie (oh, and black shoes). When you meet a stranger across a conference table, one of the only potentially meaningful clues you can look for to help measure the man behind the suit, is the watch on his wrist. Forget vulgar, flashy jacket linings – the ‘I may look like a grey pinstripe on the outside but when my jacket hangs open you can get a tantalising glimpse of the real me’ shiny turquoise or dazzling scarlet. Yeah, right. And definitely forget red socks, or God forbid, white ones. Waistcoats and bow ties look contrived and self-consciously eccentric and, far from impressing people with your sense of individuality, are likely to get you dismissed as a nerd. Watches, ties and possibly cufflinks are where it’s at. From a fashion perspective, the pendulum has largely swung back from the dress-down days when everyone was making so much money that we could all relax in identical polo shirts and chinos, and for fun – to show how laid-back and funky we were – strap a brightly

coloured piece of plastic to our wrists. In these more serious times we are concerned – quite rightly – that if we don’t wear a suitable watch clients might think we are not successful and can’t afford one. In fact, there was a time, at the height of the crunch, when a lot of people really couldn’t afford one. At least not a proper one. People often say that investment banking is the triumph of form over substance, but appearances do matter, never more so than in hard times. A classic watch projects an image of success; quiet, unflashy confidence; taste and style. You may have none of those qualities but, until people know you better, there is a good chance they will be taken in by first impressions, and for some of us that’s worth quite a lot. I wear two watches. I have a Patek Philippe Calatrava for everyday work. It is refined, stylish, subtle, the antithesis of bling, yet the craftsmanship is superb and insofar as I meet people who know their watches, it cannot fail to get a nod of approval. And, of course, I’m a sucker for the brilliant advertising that tells you that you never actually own a Patek Philippe, you just look after it for the next generation. I really do like to think that one day my son will wear it – though hopefully not too soon. And last but definitely not least,

One of the only potentially meaningful clues you can look for to measure the man behind the suit is the watch on his wrist

it was a present from my most recent ex-wife, so it comes with special memories. For play, I have a Rolex Submariner, the ultimate diver’s watch that can go deeper than I would ever wish to. It is chunky, robust, masculine, and has what in my case are purely aspirational connotations as far as being an action man on the beach or off the piste. But I could easily have a dozen watches. A lazy afternoon window shopping in Mayfair could lead to four or five purchases, none of which I’d regret. As indulgences go, let alone vices, these are ones that will rarely haunt you. In fact, compared to almost anything else I could do that would cost as much money, this really is pretty harmless. Does this mean I think we are all shallow and materialistic? Well, it might, but why else do we work the hours we do and make the sacrifices we have to? Not for the glory. If we want the best it’s because we have put in the hours. I have said (and written) before: compromise is the enemy of achievement. The finer things in life really should be ours. The City might be keeping its head down while firms pursue a low profile and try to defer to the unappeasable green-eyed commentariat in the press and our detractors in parliament, but I’ve had a few successes this year and I’m spending again. It feels good. And these things last. Art may come in and out of fashion, hedge funds might crash and burn, high-end clubs might soar and fail, but a classic piece of craftsmanship on my wrist will last. See you in New Bond Street. The Ego’s Nest, the fifth novel in the Dave Hart series about life in the City by David Charters, is published by Elliott & Thompson, price £6.99

NEWS | bEAumoNdE

A classic watch reborn, a surprising sporting partnership and a nifty way to avoid wind-ups

Jaeger-LeCoutre

Sphere factor What do you get when you assign five years of R&D to creating a timepiece inspired by a famous seafaring explorer’s compass? The Zenith Christophe Colomb Equation of Time, naturally. The centrepiece of this watch, a 75-piece limited edition, is a prominent glass globe that houses a gyroscopic gimbal; its purpose is to keep the all-important escapement completely horizontal at all times. The result? Consistently accurate timekeeping – whatever the angle of your watch arm. Just don’t call it a tourbillon. £154,000; zenith-watches.com Flip Reverso To honour the enduring appeal of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s classic Art Deco timepiece the Reverso, three new versions have been created by the Swiss watchmaker in the year of its 80th anniversary. The Grande Reverso Ultra Thin, modelled here by brand ambassador and Hollywood actress Diane Kruger, the Grande Reverso Duo and the Reverso Répétition Minutes à Rideau all pay tribute to the original design of 1931. And the charm is in the story. Invented for polo players whose watches could not withstand the impact of the game, the Reverso’s neat mechanism allows the case to flip over, thereby protecting the glass and revealing a metal back – proof that logical engineering and great style never go out of fashion. This time around, the reverse of the watch can be personalised via an online service, which offers buyers a broad range of details, illustrations and finishes. jaeger-lecoultre.com

Retail detail The watch business is booming in London, as Rolex, Omega and Hublot all open new stores in the capital. Rolex has launched a boutique at One Hyde Park, the Knightsbridge landmark, with an on-site watchmaker. Oﬃcial Olympic timekeeper Omega’s latest location is in Westﬁeld Stratford. And where better for Hublot’s new store than New Bond Street? Designed by Peter Marino, the boutique is worth a visit for the artwork alone. rolex.com; omegawatches.com; hublot.com

App turn The next time you’re in a luxury watch boutique wishing you could call on some impartial expert advice to make an informed purchase, the solution could be in your pocket – or your phone, to be precise. The Watch Enthusiast app (available on iPhone and Android handsets, as well as the iPad 2) is a critical buyers’ guide comprising almost 1,600 watches from 85 diﬀerent brands, with each model awarded a rating based on a number of criteria from design credentials to value for money. It also includes detailed photos, videos and useful background information on each manufacturer. £13.49; thewatchenthusiast.com

NEWS | bEAumoNdE

Wish list An exciting new arrival in Burlington Arcade is Almar, launched by watch magnate Marcus Margulies. The boutique will stock timepieces from some of the most important watch houses in the world, including Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, de Grisogono and Piaget. But here’s the interesting bit – the store will sell models that are no longer in current collections, and will therefore be discounted by a minimum of 30 per cent, with some models reduced in price by as much as 70 per cent. Almar oﬀers the opportunity to purchase the watch that you wish you’d bought when it ﬁrst launched. A must for the address book of any savvy collector. 020 7493 1409; almarwatches.co.uk

black beauty You would be forgiven for thinking that an Italian ﬁne-jewellery house and rugby union’s new world champions might not have a lot in common – but in the case of Bulgari and the New Zealand All Blacks, you may be surprised. Both were born in 1884, and in 1905, as Rome saw Bulgari open its iconic boutique, the Kiwi team competed in the Northern Hemisphere tour that gave rise to the All Blacks legend. Historical similarities aside, this partnership is built on shared values of technical excellence, style and resistance. A special-edition Bulgari Endurer Chronosprint All Blacks launches the partnership, and elegant design merged with cutting-edge performance is sure to make this very special timepiece a collectors’ favourite. £9,350; bulgari.com

The complete wind-up A mechanical winder is a handy accessory for anyone who owns one or more automatic watches. By rotating your wristwatch a set number of revolutions per day, these devices keep its power reserve ticking over, so you don’t have to wind and reset it time and again. Our favourite example emanates from Geneva-based SwissKubik, whose 10-cubic centimetre winders come in a number of colours, ﬁnishes, and conﬁgurations to meet your horological needs. From £425; jurawatches.co.uk

Street smart Touch-screen technology is commonplace in smart phones and tablets, but, courtesy of Swatch’s new collection Swatch Touch, you can expect to see it on a wrist near you soon. This sporty collection presents a unique LCd with a touch-screen zone operated by finger taps and sideways scrolls in place of push buttons. Available in five colours – black, white, turquoise, pink, purple –plus a camouflage print, this stylish watch combines Swatch’s Swiss-made quality with canny digital innovation. £100; swatch.com

BRUMMELL | TECHNoLogy

THE TIME MACHINE Some of the most exciting recent advances in watchmaking marry revolutionary materials with traditional construction

As mechanical watches go, many would argue that Abraham-Louis Breguet did not leave much to be discovered. Throw in the achievements of Harrison, Ellicott, Arnold, and a few other British geniuses two or more centuries ago, and the mechanical watch was pretty much perfected. So, when George Daniels – aka the World’s Greatest Living Watchmaker – convinced Omega in 1999 to put his co-axial escapement, rejected by the rest of the industry, into production, it marked the most significant design advance since Mudge, another English genius, invented the lever escapement in the 1750s. Daniels’ design uses virtually no lubrication, erasing one of the few flaws in the centuries-old technology, and co-axial movements now power nearly all automatic Omegas. Such technological leaps are rare. More likely to grab the attention of enthusiasts, pundits and manufacturers are new materials. For watchmakers, silicon has almost magical properties: eliminating the need for lubrication; immune to extremes of temperature; and shapeable with incredible precision. It is as if all of the craft’s curses disappeared simultaneously. From pioneering applications by niche brands such as De Bethune and Ulysse Nardin, to more potentially mainstream applications from the likes of Omega, silicon is revolutionising movement design. Patek Philippe, one of its staunchest supporters, recently upped the ante by increasing the number of silicon components used in its latest movements. Patek’s latest silicon-enhanced advance is the GyromaxSi balance wheel, made of gold and the silicon derivative Silinvar, which the brand calls ‘the final piece in a puzzle’. It joins the other recent advances, Spiromax and Pulsomax, in an ensemble Patek dubs the Oscillomax. Protected by 17 patents and/or patent applications, this triumvirate brings together every Patek silicon component engineered so far. Silinvar sprang from research begun in 2001, when discussions between the Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) and Ludwig Oechslin – now curator of the Musée International d’Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds,

Investing in futures Embracing high-tech materials, traditional watchmakers are powering the craft’s most radical revolution in many decades

Switzerland – led to trials with silicon balance springs. The material is hard, antimagnetic, lightweight – some 3.6 times less dense than conventional balance materials – corrosionand shock-resistant, and uniform in its mass distribution, making it a watchmaker’s dream. Patek Philippe has continued to find new uses for it. In 2005, the company was first to present a Silinvar escape wheel that required no lubricant, eliminating a major weakness in mechanical watches. The next year, it launched the Spiromax balance spring with improved isochronism, which affects accuracy. And in 2008 came the Pulsomax, the first escapement made entirely from Silinvar. And more siliconbased progress is on the way, ‘particularly in increasing reliability, power reserve and the energy efficiency of the movements, allowing for ever smaller mechanisms and components,’ explains Jean-Pierre Musy, the brand’s technical director. The need to tackle purely mechanical challenges continues to inspire radical solutions. TAG Heuer, which recently developed a watch that replaced gears with microscopic drive belts, has developed the MIKROTIMER Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph, which throws down the gauntlet to electronic timekeeping. It has long been held that no mechanical device can match electronics’ speed and precision. For decades, the most critical timing has been managed using computers, optical sensors and other aids lacking springs, gears, levers and bearings. This did not stop TAG Heuer from attempting something previously possible only with electronic devices: to produce the world’s first-ever mechanical chronograph capable of measuring and displaying one thousandth of a second – making it 125 times more accurate than most existing mechanical chronographs. Quartz may have dealt a serious blow to the mechanical wristwatch back in the Seventies, but the patient recovered and is in robust health, as these developments show. Now, when will the industry point out how much more environmentally friendly mechanical watches are than those powered by batteries?

Words Ken Kessler

IWC Portuguese. Engineered for navigators.

Portuguese Perpetual Calendar. Ref. 5032 : One thing at IWC always remains the same: the desire to get even better. Here is one of the finest examples, with the largest automatic movement manufactured by IWC, Pellaton winding and a seven-day power reserve. The perpetual calendar has displays for the date and moon phase as well as the year in four digits until 2499. In short: a watch that has already written the future. Mechanical IWC-manufactured movement | Pellaton automatic winding system | 7-day power reserve with display | Perpetual calendar | Perpetual moon phase display | Antireflective sapphire glass | Sapphire-glass back cover | Water-resistant 3 bar | 18 ct red gold | IWC. Engineered for men.

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beaumonde | ultimate boutique

what’s in store Watches exclusive to Harrods’ new Fine Watch Room include, from far left, the Zenith El Primero Striking 10th; Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine; Blancpain Carrousel Sapphire; and IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Hand-Wound Squelette

Room at the top As beﬁts its motto ‘All things for all people, everywhere’, Harrods this month launches the world’s largest retail space dedicated to luxury watches

If you’re in the market for luxury watch shopping, a stroll down Bond Street does the job efficiently – it is the UK HQ for many watchmakers, and their boutiques are a cog’s throw apart. However, for the convenience of finding the top names under one roof, including unique brands and dedicated boutiques, head for the Brompton Road. Harrods has doubled the size of its previous departments to make two new dedicated haute horology and haute joaillerie rooms covering more than 1670sq m – the world’s largest such retail space. The Fine Watch Room offers a well-curated selection of innovative, interesting and covetable timepieces in a contemporary environment designed by Eva Jiřičná, and there are 13 own-brand boutiques, among them UK firsts for Vacheron Constantin, IWC, Panerai and Richard Mille. In the centre, three circular counters display more high-end names, including those already at home in Harrods, such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chopard and Boucheron. In the Fine Jewellery Room, meanwhile, a Piaget boutique opens later this month. ‘We’re making a distinction between the two spaces,’ explains Abigail Rainer, director of accessories and fine jewellery. ‘Although both sell watches, the Fine Jewellery Room focuses on brands whose creativity draws on a high-jewellery heritage and the Fine Watch Room on the “purist” watchmaker, for whom technical innovation is paramount.’ The addition of new arrivals John Isaac, Philip Stein, Bremont, Frédérique Constant and Roger Dubois

takes the number of brands to 35. They take in the gamut of the world’s best watches from the classic to the innovative to the futuristic, with more complications, tourbillons and other bells and whistles than either a casual enthusiast or a connoisseur could shake a rotor at. To mark the opening, several limited-edition pieces have been created. Vacheron Constantin has produced 10 of its Patrimony Contemporaine watches with an engraving of the Harrods building on the reverse and, similarly, there are just 10 of Zenith’s El Primero Striking 10th in platinum. Eight of IWC’s 25 skeletized and hand-decorated Portuguese Tourbillon Hand-Wound Squelette in red gold will be available at Harrods. Other exclusives include Blancpain’s Carrousel Sapphire in tantalum and Breguet’s Queen of Naples on a ruby-set bracelet. Corum, meanwhile, has created a new Golden Bridge Automatic in rose gold and Jaeger-LeCoultre will showcase a number of limited-edition high complications. As Harrods is a theatre of retail, expect a few multidisciplinary events: ‘While watchmaking is a serious subject, we want our clients to have fun,’ Rainer says, ‘Our new Fine Watch Room is located above the wines, spirits and cigars departments. I can foresee clients combining an evening viewing of new watch collections with a wine tasting or bespoke dining experience.’ It’s a one-stop shop of the highest order. harrods.com words Joanne Glasbey

20 beAumonde | CouTuRIeR WATCHeS

GRAnd deSIGnS The mechanical and style credentials of dior’s Chiﬀre Rouge A02 chronograph should satisfy any man

Fashion forward With men’s timepieces that now boast a host of genuine watchmaking credentials, fashion houses have upped their horological game

It strikes me that even the most metrosexual of European gents seem somewhat shy about wearing a fashion-house wristwatch, preferring to stick with more manly dial names such as Rolex, TAG Heuer, Omega and so on. In other parts of the world, however – notably South East Asia – males are proud to sport a watch adorned with a name that might seem more at home on the lining of a well-cut suit. The reason for their enthusiasm is that they have cottoned on to the fact that the term ‘fashion watch’ no longer refers only to those tinpot, battery-powered, badge-engineered eﬀorts that emerged from the bad old days when licensing agreements were ten a penny. Nowadays, the best fashion watches have genuine horological credentials. The brands are well and truly back in charge and, with standards to uphold, they ensure that their timepieces are made in Switzerland, not China; that they contain mechanical movements, not quartz ones; and that they are not just about fashion but innovation and imagination, too. Look, for example, at the Hermès Temps Suspendu, which features a mechanism that appears to suspend time; Dunhill’s Black Diamond Classic with a meteorite dial, and Ralph Lauren’s daring Slim Classique Square,

leading the way in the return to small-sized men’s dress watches with a case just 27.5mm wide. Louis Vuitton, too, has upped its horological ante with its stunning Voyagez and Volez men’s chronographs in round Tambour cases, while the latest tailoring firm to get its name stamped on a wristwatch dial is Ermenegildo Zegna, which has joined forces with the revered house of Girard-Perregaux to create the new Monterubello collection in ‘three-hander’ and chronograph guises. I would not be ashamed, either, to don one of Chanel’s hugely successful J12 watches, originally designed by the brand’s late artistic director Jacques Helleu. The line’s Marine dive watch that appeared last year is entirely covetable – and wearable – as is this year’s J12 Chromatic, with a shimmering, metallic case made from the new, diamond powderpolished material ‘titanium ceramic’. Strangely, however, it is the brand that might be regarded as having the most feminine agenda that is offering some of the most interesting – and masculine – men’s watches. I refer to Christian Dior, or simply ‘Dior’ as its watches are labelled. Frankly, I do not know many blokes who would not shy away from wearing the Dior name on their wrists but, if you can cast macho prejudices aside, you will find a range of interesting products. The watch line was introduced back in 2004 when Hedi Slimane was the brand’s artistic director. He created the first Chiffre models, which were available as a simple, time-only automatic; a chronograph with an ETA movement; and the range-topping Irreductible, powered by one of Zenith’s superb El Primero movements. The latter gave the pieces instant kudos, and Slimane’s design signatures, such as asymmetrical cases and mismatched push-pieces, were interesting and genuinely original. The Chiffre Rouge collection has been a strong seller for Dior ever since and has grown to include a nifty dive watch, white and yellow gold versions of the Irreductible and, introduced last year in an edition of 100 examples (which quickly sold out), the T01, an extremely clever time zone watch with a revolving satellite subdial that enables local time and those in eight different cities to be read simultaneously. This year, the limited-edition party piece is the Chiffre Rouge M01 in which the automatic winding weight, usually found at the back of a watch, forms part of the dial. This time, 200 will be made, costing £5,700 apiece. The entry-level man’s watch from Dior, meanwhile, remains the simple, £2,000, 36mm automatic, which is now available with a variety of dial colours, including a pleasingly retro shade of ‘golden sand’ – although, for £1,200 more, you could have the 38mm A02 chronograph in deep blue. The question is, are you man enough to wear such a stylish timepiece? dior.com Words Simon de Burton

EL PRIMERO by Zenith, inventor of the high-frequency self-winding chronograph

EL PRIMERO TOURBILLON

ZENITH, THE PIONEER SPIRIT SINCE 1865 www.zenith-watches.com

22 BrUMMell | woMen’s watCHes

WOMAN IN WHITE There is nothing quite like a touch of white to brighten up a winter wardrobe. These sparkling women’s watches will make a statement this season, pure and simple photography Bruce Anderson styling Pop Kampol

pale & interesting Clockwise from near left: J12 29mm, £6,725, Chanel; chanel.com. Women’s 38mm GraffStar, price on application, graff; graffdiamonds.com. H Hour PM, £5,600, Hermès; hermes.com. Léman Moon Phases, £18,590, Blancpain; blancpain.com. Possession, £8,050, piaget; piaget.com stylist’s assistant Fay Lamchaiprasert

About FAce This picture and centre: SalonQP brings together enthusiasts with industry professionals. Bottom: Daniels London is one of many UK brands gaining long overdue recognition

Show and tell Celebrating its third year with a bigger venue and many more brands, watch fair SalonQP is more than just a meeting place for the horologically minded Imagine the world’s best watch shop. It would sell not only the obvious brands, but smaller, more esoteric ones too. There would be no pressure to buy – in fact, looking around would be more like visiting an expertly curated exhibition of the latest models. And it would not just be a chance to check out some fantastic new tourbillon in a glass case – the man who designed it would be there to tell you all about it. When James Gurney launched QP magazine in 2003 – it has just celebrated its 50th edition – he did so to provide the UK with a marketleading specialist title all about watches. ‘But that intention – to capture as much as we can about what’s exciting in watches – can only go so far. We wanted to deliver that in a live

experience,’ says Gurney. So they have. SalonQP, now in its third year, is a horolophile’s dream. As an indication of demand, 2009’s inaugural event saw some 26 brands show their wares, drawing 2,000 visitors; this year, 42 brands will be there, with 6,000 visitors expected. Having outgrown its original location at Number One, Marylebone, the event is hosted this year at the prestigious Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, SW3, between 10 and 12 November, and presents the latest from the sporty likes of Panerai and TAG Heuer, and revered masters such as A Lange & Söhne and Jaeger-LeCoultre, as well as offering a platform to intriguing young brands – Meccaniche Veloci and Nomos Glashütte, for example. It seems SalonQP is right on time. ‘There wasn’t enough interest a short while ago to warrant such an event, but in the UK that interest has blown up over the past decade,’ explains Gurney. ‘Before then, a watch was far less meaningful than it is today. You would meet someone wearing great shoes, a fantastic suit and a plastic watch. You don’t see that often now. It’s partly self-fulfilling: there is more media interest, more shops and so on. But it’s also because people are generally much more interested in what they consume.’ The UK industry has changed too, Gurney says. Traditionally anonymous, the people behind the timepieces – Roger Smith, George Daniels and other great British watchmakers – are now applauded. As the industry has grown, smaller niches have also become viable, with better, more accessible technology allowing new brands to emerge. Making its debut this year, SalonQP’s new independents’ gallery reflects this, showcasing brands such as the young English company Schofield. ‘The fact is, there is a lot more to say about watches now: the craft, the extreme technology, the designs, the brands, the history,’ points out Gurney. ‘There’s so much about watches to be interested in.’ This also provides a range of entry points for those looking to get into the subject. SalonQP may draw serious collectors – they are the ones poring over the exclusives the event often features, from last year’s unveiling of Cartier’s iD One concept watch to a new piece from hot British brand Bremont. But, with exhibition, lecture and watchmaking masterclass components, it also serves as an educative experience for the casual enthusiast ready to upgrade his plastic timepiece. One thing visitors may not want to try on for size is John C Taylor’s Chronophage clock – ‘an engineering marvel’, says Gurney – which will be on display. It is a pendulum-driven clock with a silicon brain that allows the clock to slow down, stop and even run backwards, although quite why this is desirable might only be appreciated by hardcore watch buffs. The top of the clock is also home to a giant, fanged insect that appears to eat time. Yes, it is crazy. It is also three metres high. And who has the wrist for that? salonqp.com words Josh Sims

John Quintero; Ken Kessler

24 beAumonde | wAtch FAIR

26 beAumonde | After the city

time With the fAmily Nick English (left) and brother Giles put careers in the City behind them to create great British watches

Brand of brothers As they take on the world’s watchmakers, Bremont’s Nick and Giles English are ticking all the boxes Words Sarah Deeks Photography Ivan Jones

In an industry dominated by centuries-old Swiss craft, an English luxury watch brand launched less than ﬁve years ago is a rarity. Even more unusual is the success and cult following that Nick and Giles English, founders of Bremont, have quickly garnered. ‘We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved,’ says younger brother Giles. 'I opened up The Sunday Times a few weekends ago to see a big interview with Hugh Laurie, and I suddenly realised he was wearing a Bremont. He hadn’t been given it – he must have gone into a shop and bought it. That was lovely to see.’ Founding a British watch company was never originally part of the brothers’ plans. A plane crash in 1995 killed their father, Euan English, and left Nick with more than 30 broken bones. This horrendous accident served as the

catalyst for the business, as Nick and Giles decided to leave their City jobs to pursue their shared lifelong passion for watches. ‘It’s easy to get on the Tube every morning and go to work, and before you know it find that four or five years have gone by,’ says Nick. ‘It can take something of real magnitude to push you over the edge, and make you take a risk,’ adds Giles. ‘I think we both realised that we weren’t going to go any great distance in the City, so it wasn’t a difficult decision to leave our jobs. But it was a big jump.’ Nick, who worked in accountancy at PwC, and Giles, who was in corporate finance with Williams de Broë, still talk about their time in the City with some reverence. ‘Working in finance was a very good background for setting up our own company,’ maintains Giles. ‘The professionalism and discipline is incredibly valuable. It’s a bit like doing National Service!’ After five years in development, Bremont launched its first watch in 2007, as the industry sat up and took notice of a British brand that specialises in mechanical watches. And although they cannot claim a watchmaking heritage, engineering is in their blood. ‘The mechanics of a watch are what fascinate us,’ enthuses Giles. ‘Our father was an aeronautical engineer, and he spent his life building things. As children we spent six months living on a boat he built, and we still fly a plane he built, too.’ They also have a thing or two to say about so-called Swiss tradition. ‘The Swiss watch industry is powered by marketing,’ says Giles. ‘A lot of watch brands haven’t been around for 300 years. They were around for 200 years, defunct for 90, then resurrected.’ Nick asserts that this was never the path for Bremont. ‘We could have bought a brand name, and said we’d been around since 1782. But anyone who knows about watches would see straight through that. We didn’t want to create a bogus history; we wanted to be ourselves.’ The English brothers have certainly done that. Bremont watches have become firm favourites with those in the know; not only for their aviator-inspired style and carefully selected materials, but also for the level of engineering and development that goes into making them. A labour of love indeed. bremont.com

The Regent Beau Brummell

Titanium set with ideal cut diamonds

113A Jermyn Street, Mayfair, London, SW1Y 6HJ www.backesandstrauss.com

A QU EST FOR D EPTH.

ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE DIVER Designed and developed for deep-sea exploration, the Royal Oak Offshore Diver is equipped with a dedicated divingscale on an inner rotating dial ring and meets the demanding criteria of the Swiss watch industry diver’s watch norms. Water-resistant to 300 metres. Stainless steel case. Proprietary selfwinding calibre 3120, all parts finely decorated; oscillating weight engraved with the AP monogram as well as the Audemars and Piguet family crests.

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LEOPARD

For a list of Hublot stockists in the UK, please telephone 0207 343 7200 or e-mail info@timeproducts.co.uk Hublot TV on: www.hublot.com

COLLECTABLE WATCHES | BRUMMELL

Time keepers Presenting the cornerstones of a classic gentleman’s wristwatch collection Words Nick Foulkes

Collecting watches is not a hobby. It’s a hunger, and if you’re not careful it can become an obsession. I don’t call myself a collector as the word carries such a cultural payload, implying intellectual rigour and academic study. So while Charles Saatchi is a collector, I am not. But buying a timepiece need not be as daunting as curating your own horological Saatchi Gallery. The big beneﬁt of watches over art is that you can wear a watch – while you can go swimming in your Rolex I wouldn’t recommend taking a dip with a Tracey Emin strapped to your wrist. On the following pages is a purely subjective wardrobe of masters old and new…

32 BRUMMELL | COLLECTABLE WATCHES

FACE TO FACE Clockwise from top left: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak; Hublot King Power Oceanographic 48mm 4000; A. Lange & Söhne Double Split; JaegerLeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931

Rolex Vintage GMTMaster 1675

The Levi’s 501 of watches, just like the classic denims, a Rolex gets better with age and there are plenty of styles to choose from. Personally, i would always go for a vintage sports model, but other aﬁcionados tick the boxes with an Explorer ii with orange second hand aka the ‘Steve McQueen’, or a ‘Paul newman’ daytona. given that this is Rolex, it’s excusable to go for a bit of bling and take a gold watch on a gold bracelet – try an early gMT 1675 in 18-carat gold (watch the beginning of Easy Rider very carefully and you’ll see a prototype example gracing Peter Fonda’s wrist). interested? danny Pizzigoni of Watch Club (watchclub.com) on Royal Arcade, just oﬀ Old Bond Street, will sort you out. rolex.com

AUdEMARS PigUET Royal Oak The octagonal profile of the pumped up Royal Oak Offshore models has become a familiar sight wherever playboys gather, from Costa Smeralda to St Tropez. But the original Royal Oak was a thin two-hand watch on a steel bracelet and next year it celebrates its 40th birthday. It’s a hugely important watch in that it started the trend for the oversized luxury steel sports watch with integral bracelet that now typifies the top end of sport-luxe timekeeping. It is supremely wearable too – if you’re after a watch that can take you from beach to boardroom, this is it. audemarspiguet.com HUBLOT King Power Oceanographic 48mm 4000 Hublot watches are functional but fun, and this combination of technicality and good-times styling comes from Jean Claude Biver, an industry

legend who first revived Blancpain, then revved up Omega and now finds himself running Hublot. Coining the mission statement ‘the art of fusion’, Biver has made Hublot the reference point when it comes to rugged horology that makes use of the latest tech in materials. With this model, he also holds the current depth record with a piece that can withstand the pressures of life 4,000m underwater. hublot.com A. LAngE & SöHnE double Split In 19th-century watchmaking, Lange was a name to drop alongside the great houses of Switzerland, but the DDR years rather dented its reputation for high-quality timepieces. Undaunted, after the Wall’s fall, the founder’s great-grandson Walter Lange picked up where his forebears had left off. Today A. Lange & Söhne (A. Lange and Sons) is the reference for high-end German watchmaking and its

quality ranks it alongside the best in Switzerland. The Double Split is a great watch that can time two separate events that might start simultaneously but end up to half an hour apart. Truly a superior timepiece. alange-soehne.com JAEgER-LECOULTRE grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 The watch that can be flipped over on the wrist was a typically functional product of the Art Deco period. Inspired by polo players whose fragile watch glasses kept breaking, this was the watch behind the spectacular revival JaegerLeCoultre enjoyed in the late 20th century. Today there are dozens of different iterations in the Jaeger line-up, including some very ritzy complications, but for a watch that looks as good on the wrist as in a museum you’ll find it hard to beat this year’s 80th-anniversary model. jaeger-lecoultre.com

ALT1-C/CR

Born in the air, deďŹ ned in the cockpit, created in England, realised in Switzerland: Bremont mechanical chronometers are made by professionals to exacting standards... for the rest of us.

bremont.com | facebook.com/TestedBeyondEndurance | twitter.com/BremontWatchCom

34 BRUMMELL | COLLECTABLE WATCHES

OnES TO WATCH Clockwise from top left: Patek Philippe CaIatrava 5119; Breguet Classique 7137BA/11/9V6; Girard -Perregaux Tourbillon with three gold bridges; Vacheron Constantin Historique 1954 Aronde

RichaRd Mille RM 017 Extra Flat Tourbillon

Richard Mille is one of the people who defined the direction taken by luxury watchmaking in the 21st century: a futuristic aesthetic executed in avantgarde materials – carbon nanofibre is something he’s particularly fond of. Although Mille is best known for the tonneau case shape, it’s his straight-sided RM 017 that is particularly appealing – extra flat, as is the trend these days, and available in titanium, white gold or red gold. richardmille.com

PATEk PHiLiPPE Calatrava 5119 In the watch world, the Calatrava cross that is the mark of this storied familyowned brand arouses the same sort of passions as Ferrari’s prancing horse. Its legendary ‘You never own a Patek Philippe…’ ad campaign and domination of auction rooms’ upper reaches have made its watches investmentgrade products – if only the world’s ﬁnanciers had invested in Pateks, perhaps we wouldn’t be in such trouble today. If you don’t quite have the $800,000 or so needed to start the bidding on a ﬁrstseries 2499 from the late Fifties, why not start with an elegant Calatrava 5119, with a clous de Paris bezel? patek.com BREgUET Classique 7137BA/11/9V6 Breguet’s rise marked the culmination of the 18thcentury tradition that saw watchmakers not as creators

of mechanical toys, but as scientific researchers. If there was a problem to do with timekeeping, Abraham-Louis Breguet, also a master salesman, could be relied on to come up with a raft of solutions. Breguet popularised the tourbillon, but it is guilloche engraving that is its most recognisable visual signature, and this watch features a lovely example. breguet.com giRARd-PERREgAUx Tourbillon with three gold bridges Girard-Perregaux is one of those recherché brands that makes only 20,000 or so watches a year and is seen on discriminating wrists only. In 1992 the firm was taken over by Luigi ‘Gino’ Macaluso, who was a towering figure in the watch world – an architect and former rally champ, too. Alas, he died in 2010, but his legacy is the portfolio of classic watches that bear his name. This model is based on

a 19th-century pocket watch, and as well as a technical tour de force is that rare thing: a watch that can be recognised across a crowded room. girard-perregaux.ch VACHEROn COnSTAnTin Historique 1954 Aronde Vacheron Constantin has always been there – in 2015 this ﬁrm will be an incredible 260 years old. Vacheron can minute-repeat and tourbillon with the best, but for heritage, its back catalogue is second to none. In recent years the brand has taken the commendable step of revisiting its past, and this watch from the Fifties, a surprisingly racy period in watch design, is a true beauty. If you are after a big statement then cross this oﬀ your list – this is a recondite, individual and sophisticated timepiece that demands similar qualities from its wearer. vacheron-constantin.com Nick Foulkes is the editor of Vanity Fair On Time

Pocket Watch VINTAGE PW1 Wristwatch VINTAGE WW1

49 mm 45 mm - Alligator strap

Information: Bell & Ross UK +44 207 096 08 78 . information@bellross.com . e-Boutique: www.bellross.com

a raCiNG MaCHiNe ON THe WriST

Caliber rM 021 â&#x20AC;&#x153;AERODYNEâ&#x20AC;?

Manual winding tourbillon movement Baseplate of honeycombed orthorhombic titanium aluminide / carbon nanofiber Power reserver: circa 70 hours Torque indicator Power reserve indicator Function selector Variable inertia, free sprung balance Fast rotating barrel (6 hours per revolution instead of 7.5 hours) Winding barrel teeth and third-wheel pinion with central involute profile Barrel pawl with progressive recoil Modular time setting mechanism fitted against the case back Free sprung balance with overcoil Wheel based time setting system (back of the movement) Closure of the barrel cover by excentric screws Ceramic endstone for the tourbillon cage Central bridge in rigidified ARCAP Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the bridges and case

www.richardmille.com

GREG NORMAN | BRUMMELL 37

DRIVE MASTER Years before his aggressive game earned him the ‘Great White’ tag, Greg Norman was taking lessons from sharks in his native Queensland, Australia

Water hazard Greg Norman earned his ‘Great White Shark’ nickname on the golf course. But does he have the nerve to go nose to nose with his namesake? Words Robert Ryan

At one time, golfer Greg Norman had two nicknames: one he liked and one he could have lived without. He relished being known as the ‘Great White Shark’ and flinched when people called him ‘Unlucky’ Greg Norman. Both nicknames have their origins on the pro golf circuits that were his trophy-hunting grounds for more than 30 years. The phenomenally gifted Norman certainly doesn’t think he has been dealt a bad hand by fate. ‘Listen,’ he says, ‘I was born lucky. I was brought up in paradise, although I maybe didn’t appreciate that at the time. We lived on the edge of the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef. There were white sandy beaches, clear coastal waters and pristine rainforest. We rode bareback along the beach with the dogs, surfed and camped out under the stars. Life was about having fun. It was there I had my first encounters with sharks, in Nelly Bay, when I was spearfishing and they would come over to take my catch. If you have a two-metre shark coming towards you, you let it eat whatever is on the end of your spear.’ So how did he get named after the fish that used to steal his lunch? ‘The Great White Shark thing started in 1981 when I was leading The Masters,’ he says. ‘The media didn’t know who I was or anything about my background and started asking questions about the unknown, blond-haired Aussie with an

aggressive style of play who used to swim and dive with sharks. Headlines along the lines of ‘Great White Shark To Win The Masters’ suddenly started appearing in the press. And the name stuck.’ Not that he minded: a decade later, he created and copyrighted the shark logo that has been his trademark ever since. Does he still dive? ‘You bet. We live in Florida now, but I probably go back to Australia three or four times a year. I always try and get up to the Barrier Reef and go out with the family on a boat. We all do it; in fact, my daughter is a qualiﬁed divemaster. I have only really got into trouble once, at Riding

WHITE KNUCKLE RIDE Clockwise from above: Great White meets great white; Greg Norman on the boat to Australia’s Neptune Islands; Omega’s Seamaster Ocean Chrono; Norman in action on course

Rock, one of my favourite spots in the Bahamas. I had damaged part of the regulator on an outcrop and my air ran out. I was 25m down. You mustn’t panic. Kick slowly. Don’t rise faster than your bubbles. I got the minor effects of the bends, but I didn’t have to go through re-compression. Nothing like that has ever happened to me since. But you have to respect that things can go wrong down there.’ That realisation did not cause a moment's hesitation, however, when we asked Norman to go nose to nose with his namesake – Carcharodon carcharias, to give it its full scientific name – to test Omega’s new Seamaster Planet Ocean Chrono watch. ‘We went to the Neptune Islands in South Australia’s Marine Conservation park,’ he says of the trip, ‘where some of the footage of real sharks in Jaws was filmed. There are only a couple of dive outfits you can go with nowadays, because the great white is a protected species, as it should be. And it has certainly recovered strongly – we had six or seven circling us, big ones, too.’ Did he regret his mission at any point? ‘Absolutely not. Even though I’d seen great whites up close before, it’s still a pretty

astonishing feeling to be in the water, face-to-face with them. I was very lucky to get that opportunity.’ There is that word again. The alternative nickname came from a string of near-misses and unfortunate breaks on the greens (such as his cruel 1996 defeat at the US Masters by Nick Faldo) and there is a feeling that he never quite achieved his full potential out there. In fact, he still appears in top-10 lists of unluckiest sportsmen. Ask him about it now, and he is sanguine. ‘Obviously, there are some things I wish had gone diﬀerently. But, like a shark, you have to keep moving forward.’ Remember, this is a man who has won 91 professional titles (including two Open Championships and 20 wins on the US PGA tour), was world number one for 331 weeks, owns a successful global golf-course design business, a clothing line, a restaurant and a thriving wine label, is reputed to be worth many millions and has former US Presidents and business moguls on speed dial. To paraphrase another high-achieving Aussie: I should be so unlucky. Seamaster Planet Ocean Chrono by Omega, CHF6,600; omegawatches.com

38 BRUMMELL | GREG NORMAN

GIRARD-PERREGAUX Full calendar Pink gold case, sapphire case back, Girard-Perregaux automatic mechanical movement. Full calendar with date, day of the week, month and moon phase indicators.

London 165 SloAnE StREEt +44 (0) 20 7752 0246 Paris 50 RUE PIERRE ChARRon +33 (0) 1 47 20 72 40 CannEs 50 boUlEvARD DE lA CRoISEttE + 33 (0) 4 93 68 47 73 www.arije.com

class of 2011 From left: Villeret Vintage Pulsographe, £30,100, Montblanc; montblanc. com. Vintage Rally collection, £2,280, frédérique constant; frederique-constant.com. Classique Retrograde in white gold, £15,600, Breguet; breguet.com. Rose gold Capeland, £12,990, Baume & Mercier; baume-etmercier.com. Radiomir 42mm in steel, £4,400, Panerai; panerai.com. Imperiale collection self-winding movement in 18ct rose gold, £14,980, chopard; chopard.com

Finest hours Classic and elegant, these luxury watches combine innovation and beautiful design for perfect timekeeping Photography Tif Hunter styling Pop Kampol

MEN’s WaTcHEs | BRUMMEll

42 BRUMMELL | hoRoLogicaL tRiBEs

Which watch are you? Fairly or not, the watch you wear says a lot about you. Through it you can express reliable judgement, claim dazzling success or suggest you’re climbing K2 next week Words Simon de Burton illustration Brett Ryder

It’s 9am sharp on a Monday and the six partners of private equity fund Lever Ridge Byatt are having their monthly get together to decide what to snap up next. The problem is, most have more or less lost interest in business – well, there’s no fun in it now, not like it was in Brown’s ‘boom not bust’ economy when everyone thought the cash would keep on flowing and it was considered dereliction of duty not to replace your Aston Martin with a new one every three months. No, things just aren’t the same, what with ‘QEII’ bumping up inflation and the feeble pound making overseas buyouts a bit pricey. And as for those silly new rules about having to tell the Revenue what you’ve got in your Swiss bank accounts… well, I ask you. No wonder everyone has looked at his watch half a dozen times by 9.10 and, distracted by their choice of timepiece, allowed his mind to drift off to a place he’d rather be. Henry is longing to be back home at his Oxfordshire pile, checking out the little beauties in his motorhouse. His collection of classic cars has proved to be one of the best investments he’s ever made, especially the four Ferraris. His personal favourite is the 750 Monza which is now worth the thick end of £2m – not a bad return on the 50 grand it cost as a basket case back in the early Nineties. He used it to take part in the legendary Mille Miglia – a 1,000-mile dash across Italy for classic cars in which every driver is given a special Chopard ‘MM’ chronograph. According to Henry’s, this bloody boring meeting has now been running for 13 minutes and 23-and-three-tenths of a second. Patrick has made enough money to be able to indulge in all the expensive hobbies he could wish to pursue - but his schooling at Gordonstoun gave him a taste for the rugged outdoors and caused him to develop a passion for mountaineering. He spends most of his time these days in central and southern Asia

among the great peaks of the world - he’s made his way up Everest, K2 and Cho Oyu and, since he’s back in Europe for a spell, thought he might have a go at some climbs in the Alps. While passing through the airport, he was rather tickled to discover the Montblanc pen company also makes some rather fine watches, so he bought the Vintage Pulsographe in rose gold to remind him of life at 15,000ft. Gary joined the fund after making a mint on the trading floors during the ‘loadsamoney’ years of the early Eighties – and he’s been letting everyone know about it ever since. Not for him the low-key approach, he believes in living the moment and flashing the cash, so he wears all the best labels, drives an acid-green Lambo and lives in a Candy & Candy penthouse. He’s struggling to keep awake in this meeting, not just because it’s so dull but because he emerged from Boujis only about two hours before it started – and the dazzling glint from his limited edition Backes & Strauss Beau Brummell wristwatch is not doing his emerging headache any favours. Maybe 347 ideal-cut diamonds is a bit over the top even for Gary in the daytime, and he should reserve it for evening wear. Clifford is the old stager among the group, having come up through the City ranks in the traditional way, reached the status of chairman and then taken early retirement in his early fifties - having, of course, secured a useful string of directorships and consultancy roles to ensure his handsome pension pot need never become too depleted. His desire to spend his latter years amid sun and sea led to him buying

No wonder everyone has looked at his watch half a dozen times by 9.10 and, distracted by his choice of timepiece, drifted oﬀ

a magnificent yacht, which he has expensively crewed with a team of six tanned and muscular 20-somethings who have brought Clifford and ‘A Minimis Incipe’ (‘From The Smallest Beginnings’) a considerable measure of success at classic races in the Med and Caribbean – at the last of which he won the Panerai Luminor Submersible Regatta wristwatch, which, as the meeting drags by, is making him long for the feel of spray on his sea-weathered face. Gordon studied engineering and always expected to end up as a small cog in a big machine, perhaps designing cup-holders for Audi or girders for futuristic buildings. But as luck would have it, his idea for a new type of lid for bottled water went down a storm with all those people who are obsessed with perpetually re-hydrating and now he’s virtually swimming in cash. He’s still fascinated by the mechanics of things, however, so his Breguet Classique Hora Mundi wristwatch and its instant-jump time-zone display system with synchronised date, day and night and city indications is keeping him pleasantly distracted from the mind-numbing proceedings of the meeting. Giles made his money at a sufficiently early age to still have enough functioning grey matter to enable him to achieve his boyhood dream of learning to fly planes and helicopters. Now, he enjoys the jet-set life to the full, with his own Robinson R44 chopper for commuting between his Battersea penthouse and Cornish manor house, plus a VLJ (that’s Very Light Jet) for the longer trips to his villa in Antibes and the chalet in St Moritz. All his aircraft are equipped with the latest avionics, but Giles would never leave home without his Breitling Navitimer watch (as promoted by plane-mad John Travolta) with its nifty circular slide rule for navigational calculations. So, instead of paying attention at the meeting, he’s got his head in the clouds trying to work out how much fuel it would take to fly the Robinson from Cannes to St Tropez at 130mph into an eight-knot headwind.

44 BRUMMELL | StyLE

hand SELEctEd This page: Ballon Bleu PG watch, £14,500, cartier; cartier.com Navy two-button suit, £2,190, Ermenegildo Zegna. Shirt, £75, and green and blue striped tie, £59, both thomas Pink

Opposite: Portoﬁno hand-wound eightdays watch, £13,500, IWc; iwc.com Two-button suit, £970, canali. Shirt, £110, hackett. Shoes, £890, angelo Galasso

The laﬆ detail The suit is sharp, the shirt crisp and the leather on the shoes burnished. Now it’s down to the ﬁnal touches, particularly the slickest of watches Photography Bruce Anderson Styling Pop Kampol

46 BRUMMELL | styLE

pockEt acEs Top: Carrera Calibre 16 Heritage Automatic Chronograph 41mm steel and gold watch, £3,450, taG Heuer; tagheuer.com Coat, £649, Emporio armani. Shirt, £195, Ralph Lauren. Cuﬄinks, £109, Brooks Brothers

Bottom: Tourbillon pocket watch RM 020 with titanium chain, £328,000, Richard Mille; richardmille.com Black tourmaline two-button suit, £1,935, Bottega Veneta. Charcoal grey waistcoat, £249,

Emporio armani. White and green shirt, £75, thomas pink Opposite: Captain Winsor watch, £6,300, Zenith; zenith-watches.com Jacket, £1,075, alexander McQueen.

Shirt, £95, paul smith. Cuﬄinks, £650, angelo Galasso. Trousers, £305, Ralph Lauren. Briefcase, £740, Bally

48 BRUMMELL | styLE

sLEEVE NOtEs Top: Millenary self-winding watch in white gold case, £23,680, Audemars Piguet; audemarspiguet.com Double-breasted suit, £895, DAKs. Jumper, £540, Alexander McQueen. Constellation T touchscreen phone, £4,300, Vertu

Bottom: Vintage BR 123 Original watch in satin steel with black dial, £1,600, Bell & Ross; bellross.com Black two-button suit, £1,120, Alexander McQueen. Red jumper, £165, Pal Zileri. White shirt, £275, Burberry.

Suit-stripe cuﬄinks, £95, Paul smith styList’s AssistANt Fay Lamchaiprasert FaShiOn STOCkiSTS DeTaiLS On page 50

Liveyour passion

wih Maxime Manufacure

Contac. Argento Fine Producs T. 020 7722 24 38 . w w w.frederique-conďŹ&#x2020;ant.com

50 BRUMMELL | BY GEORGE

BRiGHT AnD EARLY Franck Muller’s signature dancing coloured numerals now feature on this dual-time alarm clock

Second to none Famed for the ingenuity of his mechanical complications, Franck Muller is both maverick and master watchmaker

The luxury watch industry is full of eccentrics – it could be no other way. Think about it. First, there’s the money. To create a mechanical watch from scratch costs millions and there is never a guarantee you’ll make it back. Then there’s the time-consuming fiddliness of putting one together. You could write an epoch-defining novel in the time it takes to assemble and test the hundreds of tiny parts that make up a grande complication model. And for what? To make a device that tells the time, a quotidian job that was simplified years ago by the introduction of highly accurate, battery-powered quartz. Logic dictates you’d have to be slightly mad to even contemplate going into the traditional watch business, right?

Well no, in the sense that the epicurean pleasure derived from a ﬁne mechanical watch is shared by many. And yes, in that in the watch industry, a little madness (or genius, subject to the jury’s verdict) goes a long way. Among the visionary architects of the current fascination with haute horlogerie is Franck Muller, a man universally acknowledged as one of the greatest living exponents of the art of traditional watchmaking – and as one of its saviours. Muller, 53, hails from the Swiss watchmaking Mecca of La Chaux-de-Fonds, trained at the prestigious École d’Horlogerie de Genève (Geneva School of Watchmaking) and made his name in the Eighties restoring top-end complicated watches for collectors and auction houses.

At the time, the watch industry was on its knees – because of the influx of cheap quartz movements from the Far East – and watch brands were frequently going under, taking their tools, their people and their expertise with them. In 1983, Muller presented his first watches – complicated pieces that appealed to a clientele still hungry for elite craftsmanship, unsatisfied by mass-produced offerings from mainstream brands. Inspired by their success, he created ever more complex watches, inventing bizarre movements with functions no one had ever seen before. His zany Crazy Hours timepieces, for example, display the hours in the wrong order around the dial. Where an hour hand would normally progress serenely around, on a Crazy Hours watch it points to the correct time by skipping around the face. Such an unconventional watch is not for everyone, not least given the potential for confusion, but there’s no denying its unique artistry or the brilliance of the mind behind it. Because of this, Elton John once called Muller the Picasso of watchmaking, while others refer to him as the rock star or enfant terrible of the industry. He’s more commonly known as the ‘Master of Complications’. Each moniker applies – Muller’s current collection is typified by the large, fruity Arabic numerals on the dials of many of his watches (mostly in the conventional order), oversized square or tonneau-shaped cases, and the remarkable complications housed inside them. At one point, Muller’s career-defining Aeternitas Mega 4 was the world’s most complicated watch. With 36 complications, including an equation of time and a 1,000-year calendar, it cost $2.7m. Not every Franck Muller carries an astronomical price tag, mind. His dual-time travel alarm clock is one of the few Muller creations powered by a quartz movement. Featuring the familiar dancing coloured numerals on the dial and weighing enough to suggest most buyers are more likely to use it as a table clock (or ask someone else to carry their suitcases), it’s available for £2,500. Franck Muller’s timepieces are available at Marcus Watches, 170 New Bond Street, London W1; 020 7290 6500; marcuswatches.co.uk Words Robin Swithinbank

Stockists Alexander McQueen 020 7355 0088; alexandermcqueen.com Angelo Galasso 020 7584 3978; angelogalasso.com Bally 020 7491 7062; bally.com Bottega Veneta 020 7838 9394; bottegaveneta.com Brooks Brothers 020 3238 0030; brooksbrothers.com Burberry 020 7968 0582; burberry.com Canali 020 7290 3500; canali.it DAKS 0800 288188;

daks.com Emporio Armani 020 7491 8080; armani.com Ermenegildo Zegna 020 7518 2700; zegna.com Hackett 020 7939 6800; hackett.com Pal Zileri +39 04 4435 6096; palzileri.com Paul Smith 0800 023 4006; paulsmith.co.uk Ralph Lauren 020 7535 4600; ralphlauren.co.uk Thomas Pink 020 7498 3882; thomaspink.com Vertu 020 3205 1123; vertu.com

Linear-winding automatic movement, 18K red gold case with sapphire crystal sides and back. Hand-engraved gold version of the ﬁrst CORUM automatic baguette-shaped movement.

+44 (0) 1932 574 674

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info@corumwatches.co.uk

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www.corum.ch

HERMÈS SELLIER

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HERMÈS HORLOGER ARCEAU GRANDE LUNE Steel case, mechanical self-winding movement, moon phases, alligator strap Crafted by Hermès watchmakers in Switzerland www.hermes.com