Creativity and liberty among the independents ·· .. · . · . The organizers of the Salon International de la Haute Hor/ogerie did not initially want it that way, but the great attraction of their event transformed Geneva into a veritable capital of Haute Hor/ogerie for an entire week in mid- January. Nearly fifty brands decided to orga- nize their own exhibitions during the dates of the SIHH, with most taking place in a handful of luxury hotels along the lakeshore in Geneva. Good idea, since it seems that a large number Since 2002, Pierre-Michel Golay has been of visitors took the time to visit these small responsible for R & D at Franck Muller. The man shows. These same visitors-agents, distribu- obviously has a lot of experience under his tors, and journalists-who normally would belt. Originally from the Vallee de }oux, he has arrive in Geneva after an exhausting week in complicated timekeeping in his blood, and we Basel, clearly came with a more open mind and owe him the very famous Grande Sonnerie GRANDE SONNERIE WITH PERPETUAL CALENDAR by Pierre-Michel Golay the desire to see the creativity and fresh with Perpetual Calendar created in 1996 for approaches offered by independent watch- Gerald Genta, with whom he had already been number of the brand's watchmakers to leave, makers-qualities that are often lacking with working since 1973. After a stint at the Geneva forcing Golay day to start afresh. In 2005, Didier brands that are subject to the stringent Watchmaking School (where he was responsi- Decker, then executive director of the group demands of their shareholders. ble for the Poinr;on de Geneve), Golay was (and now with Harry Winston) asked Golay to The shrewdest of them all, Franck Muller, orga- hired by Franck Muller to work on a minute design a watch "with the maximum number of nized the first WPHH of the year in the brand's repeater, one of his specialties. hands." This was the beginning of the adventure Watchland headquarters. It was the first The infamous "war of the chiefs" that tore the of the Aeternitas, and then the Mega, a truly because the group of Vartan Sirmakes decided Franck Muller group apart in 2003 caused a spedacular piece featuring an automatic move- to organize three events this year: one in paral- ment, Westminster carillon, minute repeater, lel with the SIHH; one after BaselWorld; and and a power reserve of 100 hours. one in August, which will be devoted specially Pierre-Michel Golay then accepted another to the brand's Mid-Eastern clientele who like to challenge: design from scratch the first Franck spend a part of their summer in Geneva. Muller automatic chronograph movement. While it would be impossible to talk about all Four years were necessary to develop this cali- of these independent events, we will however bre, conceived from the very beginning with its take a brief look at a few particularly inventive industrialization in mind. Everything-or and creative brands, as well as the presenta- nearly everything-was done within the tion by Franck Muller of its "first homemade" group, which demonstrates the brand's pro- automatic chronograph movement. gressive verticalization efforts with a view to its autonomy. Brass and steel items were made in will propose a dozen or so different move- a unit owned by the group in Meyrin, near ments this year. Most will be tourbillons, Geneva; cutting and milling were done at designed on a base that he himself calls a Another" hard and fast" watchmaker, who is Watch land; dials came from Linder, a company "tractor" -a calibre with a power reserve of in his own way respectful of the canons of in the Jura, also a part of the group. eight days, small seconds hand, and Cotes de historical timekeeping while being fiercely The escapement (21,600 vib/hour) with its Geneve finishing. innovative, is Denis Flageollet, founder of De steel escape wheel produced with the The architecture of his movements-of which Bethune along with David Zanetta. Mimotec process, was designed in-house, we were able to see some prototypes-is In Flageollet's mind, chronometry is an while the balance, collet, and balance-spring superbly classical in nature, with, notably, the essential part of timekeeping. It is what stud came from outside (Schaffhausen). Very rare detail of the gold jewel settings in relief. inspired the "Ancients". Yet, in his quest for compact and well structured, this automatic Other features include the complete date in a perfect chronometry, he is following a more movement, the Calibre FM 3210, intentionally window, a mysterious tourbillon, perpetual cal- contemporary path, illustrated, for example, called Freedom, with a wink, is equipped with endar, minute repeater, and flyback chrono- by the DBW1, inspired by his recent Dream a traditional column wheel and vertical cou- graph with the hour counter in a window. Watch One. pling with flyback function. Never have we seen a "new" brand launch "Between the workbench on which we can Its original winding system of "bielle-maniv- with such a great number of high flying perfectly adjust a movement from 0 to +6 sec- elle" (crank and rod) is visible between the watches. Well, it certainly took someone like 0nds' then put it into its case, and then wear it, bridges and the plate. The movement has also Golay to pull it off, or rather two Golays since there is necessarily a certain amount of varia- been finished in a lovely artisanal style (Cotes Pierre-Michel is assisted by his cousin, Jean- tion that will occur. This can be as much as -10 de Geneve, circular-graining, chamfering, Pierre Golay. to +30 seconds. But if well adjusted, a watch rhodium-plated). In addition, it features a Let's hope that the Franck Muller group will be will always maintain its regularity. Variations in semi-instantaneous display of the date and a able to provide, which alas has not always time occur as a function of the wearer, that is, small seconds hand at 9 o'clock. Once it is been the case for all the brands under its they will depend on his level of activity and made totally reliable, it will take its place in the umbrella, this new brand with the excellent whether he is often outdoors or not, and they concert of automatic chronograph movements. distribution network that it deserves a hundred will occur according to a variable average. We In parallel, Pierre-Michel Golay is launching, times over. The offer signed Pierre-Michel can affect this variation and the wearer is in within the group, his own brand, which carries Golay is truly complementary to that of the the best position to do so. I therefore designed his name. A lover of the most traditional time- other brands in the group, crowning it with its a system of adjusting the seconds. Bya simple keeping (he is more than 70 years old), Golay classicism without compromise. push on one of the two push buttons, either + or -, on the back of the watch, its owner can adjust it as a function of his lifestyle thanks to a system of gear-down arms and levers." This attention to the pure functionality of the watch-but also to its comfort, readability, and ease of use-is also found in the thought process behind his DB Tourbillon, In this case, Flageollet adapted, to a wristwatch, his tour- billon made entirely of silicon and titanium, without a carriage or pillar, with its silicon bal- ance and thermo-compensating plate. The fre- quency of this manual-winding calibre is 36,000 vibrations per hour, a frequency that is truly high-performing since the silicon does not presented a special edition of the famous along these lines. They intend to present the require lubrication. As we know, lubricating a UR103-the UR103T, with the 'T standing CC1 in the near future. We invite you to have a traditional calibre that oscillates at 36,000 for "Tarantula." look at the photo and try to guess how this vibrations per hour involves a number of prob- The central cross of the classic UR103 has been "cobra" mechanism works. lematic issues. replaced by a structure in the metal alloy Finally, Urwerk presented an artistic piece in With this type of innovation, De Bethune is ARCAP that, like a tarantula, wraps around the collaboration with the engraver, Jean-Vincent positioning itself as one of the true labora- four hour satellites. Only the satellite displaying Hugenin. This artist, who loves the solitude of tories in the realm of haute hor/ogerie. On top the exact time, the premium, travels along the his atelier along the shore of Lake Neuchatel, of this, the design of its pieces, largely inspired arc of the minutes. During this time, the three uses his powerful burin to demonstrate how by David Zanetta, is totally modernistic while other satellites each make four turns of 1200 engraving can be a perfect ally to the most never compromising on readability or on their own axis, This unusual display vibrantly modernist piece. He composes vigor- ergonomics, undoubtedly requires an exceptional precision ous lines, cutting deep grooves resembling Art Interestingly, David Zanetta is also thumbed during machining. Deco styling, which glorify Urwerk's timekeep- his nose at the large brands by creating his To add an exotic touch to the exhibition, the ers even more by adding an original poetic vibe. own automobile, an incredible prototype that watch, as black as the spider itself, was pre- was showcased during the exhibition, "The sented in a vivarium where it was placed grand watchmakers are all fighting to place the alongside a real live tarantula.