Profile Archives - Revolution Watch

The Collector’s Perspective with Nop Srinara (@nopstar83)

Revolution — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 14:39:04 +0000

In the maiden episode of our new series — The Collector’s Perspective, Constant sits down with Nop Srinara to share a conversation centred around their shared passion for watch collecting.

Besides starting his micro brand, Vilhelm Watches, Nop is also the founder of The Octo Club, an appreciation club for the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo. The prolific watch connoisseur has a penchant for aggressive designs with a touch of sophistication for his personal collection. Let us know what you think about his watch collection!

Follow Nop on Instagram here.

The post The Collector’s Perspective with Nop Srinara (@nopstar83) appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Building the WatchBox Brand

Wei Koh — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 08:50:22 +0000

Building the WatchBox Brand

Having placed his company on a successful growth trajectory, co-founder and CEO Justin Reis is now ready to focus on expanding the brand’s global reach and creating awareness of and investing in watchmakers, with the aim of uplifting the industry.

Interviews

By Wei Koh

Jun 15, 2023

Justin Reis, WatchBox co-founder and CEO

For his friends who grew up with him in Singapore, Justin Reis has always been the perfect student. Says Matteo Mango who went to high school with him, “He always got the best grades; he was amazing at math; he was always the guy that we knew would succeed. At the same time, he was always humble, soft-spoken and understated. Even at that age, he was the consummate gentleman.” Reis went on to a successful career in finance before he, along with Danny Govberg and Singaporean retailer Tay Liam Wee, founded WatchBox when they identified that the pre-owned or secondary watch market was potentially larger than the primary market. But after a few years finding their feet, it was clear that WatchBox needed some dynamic impulse to truly kick over into high gear. That happened when Reis was appointed the company’s CEO and moved to the company’s headquarters in Philadelphia.

Says Lee Chong Min, one of WatchBox’s board members and early investors, “WatchBox really became successful and accelerated when Justin moved to the U.S. and began working closely with Danny [Govberg]. They are incredibly complementary and, together, they took the visionary stance not simply to be a pre-owned player but to dominate the high-end category and become key tastemakers and communicators.” It was in Philadelphia where Reis demonstrated his capacity to learn, assimilate and innovate with extraordinary speed and efficiency. Soon, WatchBox was not just a key secondary market player, but had a decisive role in championing independent watchmakers like François-Paul Journe, H. Moser & Cie., Greubel Forsey, and more.

In 2021, they unveiled an even more ambitious strategy with the announcement by their parent group of the acquisition of De Bethune. Within a short time, they had demonstrated the power of WatchBox by transforming the brand into one of the hottest properties in the horological stratosphere. Such was the rising collectibility of De Bethune watches that they surged dramatically in price on the secondary market. But even more impressively, Reis and WatchBox demonstrated what no one had thought of — to harness the power of the secondary market to empower the creation of a new mini group. Sitting down with Reis, the biggest takeaway for me was his sincerity in creating true value for the watch industry and, in particular, for the collectors that comprise the WatchBox community. The fact that he has done so while still retaining a remarkable sense of humility and understatement — as an example, his office is on the floor amongst his staff and is no larger than anyone else’s — affirms that he is indeed the perfect gentleman.

Partners in building the brand — Danny Govberg and Justin Reis

How did the investment in De Bethune come about?

As you know, I didn’t start in the watch industry. So, when I got involved, I started looking at the various operators and entities that sit within the industry. I immediately found the independent watchmaking sector very interesting. The majority of them are actually quite handicapped by where they sit in the watch ecosystem, given their general lack of marketing and financial resources; hence, it is harder for them to succeed. Unless they really hit it out of the ballpark to begin with, it is a struggle for them. A lot of this has to do with the fact that most of them don’t have adequate starting capital. As such, they are unable to market their brand powerfully, and they don’t have the infrastructure to distribute globally. When they are able to find distributors, these distributors often dictate terms that are unfavorable to them. Basically, the watch world is not really set up for independent brands to succeed.

Our focus became finding really interesting brands and watches for our clients. At WatchBox, we are surrounded by a team that really loves watches, which Danny leads admirably, and we eventually landed on the independent watchmakers. This segment really resonated with me, as I have always liked to support the underdog. I wanted to find a way to help promote them so they would be as respected and recognized in the same realm as the leading watch manufacturers. We asked ourselves, how can we be supportive of the category, bring great product to our audience, while also creating much greater awareness for these brands and watchmakers? Well, the first thing was to identify what was truly great. That was when we recognized how special De Bethune and Denis Flageollet are. De Bethune is such an incredible brand with unique DNA, and we felt we could help it reach its full potential with support building global awareness and help architecting a more effective distribution model.

Interestingly, this was never part of our original strategy when we started WatchBox. But it became clear there would be great synergy if we invested. We provided them the capital they needed and connected them with our family of customers. We have no intention of disrupting what they do; we just wanted to give them our support and shoulders to sit on.

De Bethune DB25 Perpetual Calendar in platinum with rose gold toned dial

There were initially some skeptics when the acquisition was announced last year. How do you think people regard it now?

Of course, there were naysayers when we first announced our investment, but we have always believed in letting our actions speak to what we do. And so, the doubt was short-lived. What we’ve really tried to do is help build the brand’s profile and their credibility in the market where they were underrepresented and introduce them to collectors they don’t normally speak to. What we have seen is that this is a really strong, mutually beneficial relationship. I think that their CEO Pierre Jacques has done a phenomenal job, and he and Danny work really well together. We’ve seen the success for the brand in the United States now in terms of awareness, collectibility and also the considerable increase in secondary market prices — though I would put this more as a correction in their secondary prices, as there was a period where their watches were very undervalued. However, many of the strongest brands also had periods of vulnerability; they just took the requisite steps to ensure the market correctly reflected the true value of their watches.

I am sure what everyone wants to know is, how does WatchBox rapidly increase the secondary values of watches from brands like De Bethune?

WatchBox as a company, and as individuals, does not dictate the market value; however, we do contribute to the environment in which these watches are sold. If you look at independent brands, they are in general set up to produce a relatively small number of watches a year.

Frankly, none of us want this to change—it is important to keep the quality and rarity of their watches intact. It has been challenging for independents like De Bethune in the past, in that they have to spend a lot of time and energy to form a management team that is out there selling their watches. If you want to use the analogy of a sporting event, what WatchBox does best is fill the seats in the stadium; we create the buzz and the energy which allows the independent watch brands to do what they do best — to create extraordinary watches that make us dream.

So, this is really an easy partnership. We work on two things: The first is creating awareness and bringing real content creation to the brand; the second thing is helping them bring economics back to themselves to create a strong sustainable brand for the future. Putting them on a stronger footing lets them be able to negotiate the best win-win arrangement with retailers. The brand is no longer worried about selling its watches for immediate capital return; now they can think of how to place their watches in a way that best strengthens their brand equity.

De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk V1 in two iterations

So, a big part of it is educating the customer about the appeal of a brand like De Bethune?

Yes. The increased awareness we create about the brand means greater demand for the watches. This greater demand means that the brand is able to get the pricing (both primary and secondary) that they deserve. Because discounting is the death of brand equity. Once you have this strengthening of pricing, the result is an increase in brand equity. Then their relationships with their retailers change, because the retailers essentially act now as allocation experts, placing the watches with the best collectors, which in turn only strengthens the credibility of the brand. So, you could say we support the uplifting of the brand equity of independents, and everybody wins in this scenario.

Danny has spoken about the changing dynamic of a traditional retail network in today’s climate…

We launched WatchBox just five years ago, and the changes we have witnessed in this relatively short period have been monumental. Given the strength in today’s market, the brands don’t actually need the retailers to sell their watches. However, I also recognize that there is a lot of loyalty built up over the years between brands and their retail partners, who tried to support them when things were more challenging. I respect this loyalty. I admire this and, of course, support the brands also wanting to respect this loyalty, even though the power dynamic has now changed — for example, for De Bethune.

My approach has always been to approach what we support with total sincerity. When we began to support Journe, it was because we truly loved the watches. We recognized that he was a genius and considering their relative rarity, we felt the watches were undervalued. It’s the same thing with De Bethune; what we strive to do is introduce the brand and their watches to our entire network of collectors. But what is of paramount importance here is that our collectors trust us. We’ve had relationships with many of them for years. We partner with them in their collecting journeys. That is the foundation of the trust between us. Because they know we are discerning, that when we recommend something like De Bethune, it is because the watches are genuinely extraordinary and the work of a living genius who is Denis Flageollet. To us, that trust is the most important part of our business.

You mentioned when you support a brand, it’s a win for everyone. Please elaborate.

Yes, it is absolutely a win for everyone. The watchmaker no longer has to worry about keeping the lights on at his factory and can instead focus on creating the most beautiful watches possible. Because we’ve done our job introducing the brand to our clients and creating maximum awareness and educational content, the demand for the watches increases. This means that the retailers can focus on the often-difficult task of placing the watches with the right clients. Because secondary prices are so strong, there will not be discounting on primary watches, and this is the ideal situation for a brand. This also ensures their continued success in any market condition, when times are good or bad. They are insulated because demand for what they create will exceed the supply they are able to generate. And the client also wins because he is able to purchase a watch that is truly a work of art backed by amazing authenticity. And as an asset, he’s seen the value of his watch appreciate, oftentimes quite considerably.

In the past, many independents created beautiful watches but were so undercapitalized that they couldn’t communicate their value, and so demand was low. This made them desperate to sell their watches, which in the end were discounted by retailers and all this created poor secondary values for them. The end result was damage to their brand equity.

The result was the Dream Watch 5 Tourbillon ‘Season 1’ pictured here

Swizz Beatz presented a challenge to De Bethune

When we spoke last year, you had 300 million dollars in annual revenue and double digit EBITDA margins. How do you get such amazing margins on pre-owned watches?

We spent the first three years really investing in the infrastructure to support a business of this size and bigger. That is so that we didn’t have to incur high variable costs as we expanded. This investment was significant because we have to be able to authenticate, service where needed, and polish every watch that comes to us before putting it to market. For many secondary businesses, they allocate a lot of energy to finding watches. For us, because we were able to grow our customer base, the super majority of our inventory actually comes to us through end customers. That’s given us a huge advantage in being able to source great product from great collectors that trust us.

We also knew that we had to price watches competitively in order to keep customers returning, so our pricing strategy is a very transparent one. The most important thing for us was to focus on the high value collector who is making watch purchases in the range of 20,000 US dollars and above. One of the key factors in this was building a portfolio of inventory that really attracted that customer. If you focus on buying inventory that retails for between 3,000 and 5,000 dollars, that’s where your business will be. We took a riskier approach by investing in inventory at a much higher price point.

When we first started, we definitely covered all spectrums in terms of price. But looking at us today, you can see that our average price point is 25,000 dollars. A few years ago, that was 8,000 dollars, so we made a concerted effort to refocus on the high end. We pay very close attention to anyone that is purchasing anything from us at a higher category, but at the same time, we welcome and love collectors at every price category. Because for a lot of people, they start their collecting journey with something more accessible but can also grow very rapidly from there. We like to act as advisers to our clients throughout their journey. As a company, we have been very disciplined in terms of where we put our energy and resources. We recognize that the high-end client was in fact under-served and set out to make WatchBox the primary destination for them. We wanted to become the dominant player in this segment.

Greubel Forsey Signature 1 Unique Edition

H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Tourbillon with Cosmic Green fumé dial in the ultra-minimalistic “concept” design

Justin Reis with WatchBox investors and friends: Marc Lasry, Milwaukee Bucks owner and CEO of Avenue Capital Group (left); and Michael Strahan, Super Bowl champ, entrepreneur and host of Good Morning America

You have recently attracted investment from some real legends, such as Michael Jordan. How did this come about?

From the very beginning, we wanted to build our community around the passion for watch collecting. When I came over to WatchBox, it became very clear to me that we didn’t want just transactional customers. What we wanted was to convert these customers into real collectors. We spend a great deal of time studying customer buying behavior, and what you can see is when someone becomes a true collector, their engagement is at a totally different level. We recognized that many of these customers were coming to us from sports and media. Now when we built the company, we did it differently from others. We built it in an inverse way compared to traditional venture capital companies. What they normally do is build a brand very quickly, then build the infrastructure over time. You allow the customer to come in and then pivot to a profitable business. We did the opposite — we built the infrastructure, focused on profitability and then built the brand.

It is always challenging to acquire the customer when the brand comes last. So, one of the KPIs we set ourselves was to build the WatchBox brand over the last 24 months. I moved to the United States because that was a lot easier to do here. One of the things I realized was, all these famous names that we know and respect were actually accessible to us because these individuals were our customers and genuinely loved watches. Once we made the connection with these guys, it was really easy to strike up a conversation because of the passion we shared. Once they learned more about the business, for them it wasn’t even about the investment; they just liked the association with the company and our platform. One relationship led to another. With this most recent fund raise [in November 2021, it was reported that WatchBox had raised 165 million dollars in equity capital to support its expansion plans], it was really rewarding to bring on board a group of investors that became friends. I would like to stress none of these are pay-to-play relationships. They were just there to invest and be genuinely helpful to the company. We are super fortunate to have this.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since you co- founded WatchBox?

I didn’t come from the watch industry, so it has been an education for me. One of the first things I learned was that the brands are all very much intertwined in a systemic relationship. But one surprise is that the industry can be very political. It is sometimes not the friendliest relationship between the various participants compared to other industries I’ve been involved in. What I try to promote is my firm belief that there is plenty of space for everybody. When I meet brands or watchmakers, I like to express that we should be an inclusive community. If there is any one thing that I hope changes in the industry is this mentality of traditional competition. We should be helping each other because we as an industry will benefit tremendously if we scratch each other’s backs a little bit more. To believe that the watch business is a zero-sum game is not correct. We have seen that the growth in this business has come from the massive increase in new customers coming to watches. I firmly believe that we are still in the beginning.

An ultra rare collection of early F.P. Journe watches with 38mm platinum cases, yellow gold dials, and brass movements, representing the foundation of the brand

Why are watches different from other luxury products?

You see, we were surrounded for so long by commoditized luxury. But people behave very differently when you put a watch in front of them. Because here you suddenly have an object that goes far deeper than something purely material. People in this hobby are driven by knowledge, and you can see when knowledge passes from one group to another how quickly its spreads.

Let’s use De Bethune as an example. Once the first group of our customers understood how innovative, unique and amazing it was, the passion for the brand spread quickly and organically, and that was awesome to see. Our responsibility is to cultivate this emotion and passion in this space. The truth is that men are looking for something to latch on to, but they will never find anything as unique as a watch. We as male consumers use it as a point of connection. If I see someone in a Berluti store wearing an F.P. Journe, I’ll go over and talk to him. We recognize a shared philosophy as human beings— we want to build positive connections through what we love. But at the same time, the watch is a better self-expressive device than anything else — more than cars, houses, art, boats. It is so transportable; you take it with you everywhere. It’s so personal because you wear it on your wrist all the time. It endures forever. So, there is nothing else like a watch.

Why has watch collecting spread so fast to the general public?

There has never been a better time to be a watch collector, because firstly, the knowledge is available everywhere online and on social media. The key to being a great collector is empowering yourself with knowledge. That’s what we like to promote at WatchBox, and today there are innumerable sources for that information. What is amazing is on social media you have guys who are 15 years old to 80 years old, all speaking the same language. That’s very rare today and will only lead to a more vibrant, dynamic world for watches.

Community has been central to the WatchBox strategy since the company’s 2017 founding. Pictured here is the Hong Kong Collector’s Lounge, an environment dedicated to collectors and community

What does the future hold for WatchBox?

I feel that we shouldn’t pigeonhole ourselves. To have the freedom to invent and reinvent ourselves is one of our greatest assets. How I look at it is like this: At WatchBox everything begins with the customers and the community. If we start to build keeping this in mind, it helps to define our trajectory for the future. If we always keep in mind our collectors and what they are looking for, everything becomes much clearer. Then we can see the opportunities that allow us to build WatchBox into a much larger business.

For example, we recognize that even in the age of online and social media, we still want to have a physical connection with our community. This gave rise to the idea of our Collectors Lounges. These are mini–Soho Houses where our community can gather and have fun. It’s an inclusive environment where you feel really connected to your friends, and it’s all centered around watches. Because the intention is to set these up in key capital cities around the world, when you travel, you can go to any of these Lounges and you immediately feel you are at home, that you are connected to people there. At the same time, it strengthens the public’s bond with watches. Imagine if a friend brings you to one of our Lounges. You would say, “What is this community? This is really fascinating that people are all bonding over watches.”

Regarding investing in brands, we will continue to do so but on the condition that we recognize something special in them that we want to bring to our collectors’ community. That is a value add for all participants. We also think we can strive more to build greater media. We believe in building education into everything we do in a fun and enriching way. Finally, we would love to bring our collectors closer to Switzerland to give them the possibility to see where these amazing watches are created. We just want to be a key part in enabling and building this global community with the greatest passion and authenticity. We care and want to support the Swiss watch industry in the sincerest way.

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FROM THE SHOP

Sold Out

Angelus

ANGELUS x REVOLUTION CHRONODATE "ANGELS' SHARE"

$23,800.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding caliber A-500; 60 hours power reserve
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date
Case	42.5mm; titanium; water resistant to 30m
Dial	Salmon (6N gold plated) with gené or frosted area; Super-LumiNova filled Arabic numerals
Strap	Ballistic gray rubber; titanium folding clasp

The post Building the WatchBox Brand appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Simon Brette Makes His Debut with the Chronomètre Artisans Souscription

Cheryl Chia — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 21:00:22 +0000

Although the independent horological universe has expanded in diversity and scope since the turn of the century, moments of true epiphany in the field remain quite a rarity. While the pursuit of excellence in any aspect of modern watchmaking, be it technical, aesthetic, artisanal, conceptual, or technological, may yield new breakthroughs and benchmarks, a watch ultimately must strike the perfect balance of mechanics, aesthetics, and craftsmanship in relation to price for it to come alive and sing. Today marks the debut of French independent watchmaker Simon Brette, who has introduced a watch that is right on the mark – the Chronomètre Artisans Souscription.

The name Simon Brette might be unfamiliar to most, but the 35-year-old watchmaker has spent a decade behind the scenes at some of the most creative independent watch companies in Switzerland. Right after completing his engineering studies at Haute Ecole Arc Ingénierie in Le Locle, Simon joined Jean-François Mojon’s movement conception and development company Chronode where he spent next five years as a technical constructor working on some of the most ingenious calibres in modern watchmaking. Thereafter, he became a project manager for the avant-garde and now-defunct watch company MCT, where he was responsible for turning the brand’s time display innovations into a reality. He was soon hired by MB&F and was put in charge of overseeing and putting movement concepts into practice from R&D all the way through to production.

Simon Brette

But despite his involvement in developing progressive, high-concept movements throughout his career, the Chronomètre Artisans Souscription takes a different approach by featuring a beautifully traditional construction that is both aesthetically original and meticulously designed from the ground up to demonstrate an unbelievable level of hand-finishing. This is because back in 2020, against a backdrop of headlines about independent watchmaking hitting record highs at both retail and resale, Simon noticed that individual artisans within the industry were floundering and made it his mission to safeguard their craft. In 2021, he decided to start a business that is centered on these independent artisans, with himself as the movement designer. The Chronomètre Artisans Souscription is the culmination of skills and crafts from numerous artisans and watchmakers across the industry including the likes of Luc Monnet, who served as a prototypist at Greubel Forsey, Anton Pettersson, a watchmaker who worked on the Greubel Forsey Handmade 1, as well as specialists in decoration and anglage, Barbara Coyon and Nathalie Jean-Louis.

Chronomètre Artisans Souscription

Aptly sized for a watch of this style, the case measures 39mm in diameter and 10.5mm high inclusive of crystal. The subscription series will be produced in zirconium while subsequent production models will be executed in more traditional metals. The watch pictured here is a prototype that is made in titanium. Zirconium is rather uncommon in watchmaking as it is challenging to machine and polish, but it has several advantages. It is significantly lighter than steel, more durable and corrosion-resistant than titanium, and has exceptional hypoallergenic properties.

In a tribute to his carpenter father, a rose gold dovetail insert that resembles the joint his father often used in his carpentry work is embedded in the left side of the caseband

What’s almost immediately apparent from the get-go is Simon’s acute sense of aesthetics, which is particularly rare among fledgling independents. Consisting of five distinct parts, the case is notably complex, with each lug secured to the case middle via internal screws, allowing for the case to be finished to the same degree as the movement. It features satin-brushed flanks and top surfaces, which are separated by a distinct concave, polished bevel, echoing the most immediately striking elements of the watch, which are the beautifully polished, concave screwheads. An attentive aspect of the design is that the tapered lugs feature two sets of drilled holes that can accommodate both curved as well as straight spring bars, allowing for two distinct strap styles to be used depending on your preference. The slightly oversized crown features the same polished concave surface, and in a nod to his father, a skilled carpenter, embedded in the left side of the caseband is a small, rose gold dovetail insert that was crafted to resemble the joint his father often used in his carpentry work.

While the movement was designed with symmetry in mind, the dial has been asymmetrically open-worked, revealing the hour wheel, third and fourth wheels on the left and the keyless works in the opening on the right

The satin-brushed flanks and top surfaces of the case are separated by a distinct, concave bevel

With symmetry as the key consideration during its construction, the movement of the watch stands in contrast to the dial, which has been asymmetrically open-worked to reveal the hour wheel in the motion works, the third and fourth wheels as well as the keyless works of his own design on the right. The hour, third and fourth wheels are held in place by beautifully black-polished and rounded titanium bridges. The wheels themselves are remarkably well-finished with wide, polished bevels and sharp internal angles.

To minimize the parallax error and ensure optimal readability of the seconds, the small seconds hand made of blued steel is positioned on the same plane as the frosted sapphire sub-dial. Additionally, contrast is enhanced through a clever use of colours and decoration techniques across the main plate, bridges, wheels, dial and hands to further improve readability. The attention to detail is striking. All three hands are not only mirror-polished and rounded but each has its own hub that is bevelled and polished. The central hour hand is reminiscent of the Urban Jurgensen observatory hand designed by Derek Pratt but has been modified with a pointed tip, featuring an interior angle. While its cross section has a brushed finish, the top surface of the hand’s open section is mirror-polished, offering further evidence of the tremendous level of attention paid to the minutest detail.

The wheels are finely finished with beveled, polished spokes and sharp internal angles

Even the most rudimentary part of the watch, the hand-setting mechanism has been transformed into a work of art. The levers and spring have been black-polished while the concave, polished screws are embedded in gold chatons

The hand-setting mechanism, consisting of the setting lever, clutch lever, and detent spring, has been cleverly refined into a single mechanism that is visible through the opening on the right. While it is the most rudimentary part of every watch, here it has been finished to a remarkable degree. The levers and springs have been black-polished with bevelled edges and a sharp inward angle while the screws, which are also concave and polished, are embedded in gold chatons. The intermediate wheel next to it also features a large, black-polished concave screw.

The dial itself is made of solid red gold and showcases a magnificent textural mosaic pattern, which Simon has likened to dragon scales. It was executed by Yasmina Anti, an independent engraver based in the village of Le Pont in the Vallee de Joux. The way in which the irregular, three-dimensional surface of the dial reflects light is quite unlike anything in person. It is bordered by an opaline chapter ring with five-minute numerals and a recessed frosted sapphire ring with minute markers.

The beautiful flame-blued hour hand with a black-polished top surface

Visible through the sapphire case back, the beautifully constructed movement features two parallel barrels which offer a three-day power reserve and replicates the formula adopted in marine or observatory chronometers to obtain balance power by incorporating an extra-large balance wheel that has a traditional beat rate of 18,000 bph, or 2.5Hz. The movement was designed such that the escape wheel appears to be mysteriously disconnected from the gear train. While the center wheel is visible between the barrels, the rest of the going train before the escape wheel are hidden beneath the base plate, enabling them to be exposed on the dial. Notably, it features an in-line, or sideways lever escapement that is more commonly adopted in tourbillons as a space-saving measure. The lever and escape wheel are supported at both ends of an elaborate C-shaped bridge with black-polished steel caps. For precise time-setting, it also incorporates a hacking mechanism that stops the balance wheel with an S-shaped brake lever when the crown is pulled out.

The Caliber SBCA featuring double barrels installed in a parallel configuration, a grande sonnerie-style winding click and a massive 2.5Hz balance wheel

Held in place by a black-polished and rounded titanium bridge, the balance wheel is free-sprung, featuring four turnable weights with a cut-out design such that one end is heavier, enabling inertia to be increased or decreased by pointing the heavier end outwards or inwards respectively. The overcoil hairspring is attached to a traditional kidney-shaped stud piton that has also been black polished and bevelled on its edges like the rest of the movement.

The free-sprung balance held in place by a beautiful mirror-polished and rounded titanium bridge while the escapement beneath is supported by a C-shaped bridge with polished steel caps

The base plate and three-quarter bridge are made in ruthenium-treated brass and feature a finely frosted finish, enabling greater contrast with the black-polished steel parts. Echoing the layout of the barrels, the three-quarter bridge is beautifully shaped to create four interior angles. The jewels for the centre wheel and balance staff sit deeply within mirror-polished gold chatons while the screws, like those on the front, are concave and mirror-polished. But perhaps the most distinctive and unusual features are the crown and ratchet wheels which feature wolf’s teeth, an anachronistic but appealing detail rarely found in modern movements. Particularly attractive is the crown wheel which is equipped with a pair of integrated, winding click springs that resemble those found in grande sonneries. The crown wheel is designed with internal teeth that is locked by these springs, serving as the winding click. The ratchet wheels themselves are strikingly finished with a brushed surface followed by a deep polished recess.

Ultimately, what the Chronomètre Artisans Souscription does exceptionally well is demonstrate the symbiotic relationship between movement design and finishing, emphasizing the importance of each in elevating the other to the level of art. As a debut watch, it is deeply impressive. As you might have guessed from the name, the Chronomètre Artisans Souscription is sold on a subscription basis. It is limited to 12 pieces with a price tag of CHF 50,000 and at the time of writing, all of which have already been spoken for. A production version will be unveiled at the end of the year. The fact that the watch pictured here is a prototype and is already so remarkable reinforces the point that Simon is one to watch.

Tech Specs

Movement: Hand-wound caliber SBCA; power reserve of 72 hours; 2.5Hz or 18,000vph
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Case: 39mm x 10.5mm; Zirconium
Dial: 5N Red gold; engraved by hand; flame-blued hands
Strap: Textured calfskin and a folding clasp, as well as one with a tang buckle
Price: CHF 50,000 before taxes
Availability: 12 pieces, all allocated

The post Simon Brette Makes His Debut with the Chronomètre Artisans Souscription appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Pharrell Williams, Creative Director of Louis Vuitton Menswear and Richard Mille fan

Andre Frois — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 19:00:03 +0000

13-time Grammy Award-winning artiste Pharrell Williams (known to most simply as “Pharrell”) has been hired by Louis Vuitton’s new CEO Pietro Beccari to helm the artistic direction of its menswear designs.

“Louis Vuitton is delighted to welcome @Pharrell as its new Men’s Creative Director,” Louis Vuitton tweeted at 2am Singapore time on February 15, 2023.

The photo Louis Vuitton posted on Twitter to announce Pharrell's new appointment

Pharrell started bands like The Neptunes and N⋆E⋆R⋆D with friends like Chad Hugo and Shay Haley in the early 1990s. It’s not so commonly known that he is cousins with Timbaland and formed a short-lived band with him too. The Neptunes and N⋆E⋆R⋆D didn’t get much love from radio stations, but garnered immense cult followings among the too-cool-for-school set.

Today, younger listeners might know Pharrell by his number one hits like Blurred Lines (with Robin Thicke and T.I.), Get Lucky (with Daft Punk), Drop It Like It’s Hot (with Snoop Dogg) and Happy. He is also a judge on the reality TV show The Voice.

Pharrell is no stranger to fashion either. His early ventures include Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream footwear, which he created with A Bathing Ape founder Nigo in 2005. Pharrell’s first partnership with Louis Vuitton was announced in 2008 when he co-designed eyewear and jewelry for the maison.

Pharrell and his RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams

The owner of one of the biggest rare and vintage luxury collections in the world, Nigo would embark on endeavors in music and fashion similar to Pharrell’s. A fan of watch brands like Cartier and Audemars Piguet, Nigo would go on to become Kenzo’s current creative director and partner with Virgil Abloh to create a capsule collection for Louis Vuitton in 2020.

2020, Nigo partnered with Luxury brand Louis Vuitton alongside Virgil Abloh to create a capsule collection. The Teriyaki Boyz member released a solo full-length album named I Know Nigo! in 2022, which featured A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert, Tyler the Creator and Pop Smoke (R.I.P.).

Over the years, Pharrell has collaborated with the who’s who of fashion brands like Adidas, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Moncler and Tiffany & Co.

Today, the baby-faced Pharrell (who turns 50 this April) too has reached the height of his fashion and musical career. In 2017, he held a Louis XIII cognac-sponsored listening party for only 100 people, then buried that record in the ground. In a bid to raise awareness for climate change, this record will only be dug up in 2117, and will be unlistenable or even have disintegrated depending on the state of pollution.

With his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Carbon

RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams was inspired by the Mariner 9 spacecraft left Earth for Mars when Pharrell was a child

In the same spirit, he released “The Pebble” in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, a portable utensil set that consists a knife, fork, spoon, straw and chopsticks. This brightly colored set was designed by Otherware, a collaboration between Pharrell Williams’ creative brand I Am Other and sustainable design company Pentatonic, and was made from recycled CDs in a bid to reduce single-use plastic and encourage people to eat at home to reduce COVID infection rates. Pharrell is also slated to open a designer hotel in the Bahamas next year, in partnership with hospitality entrepreneur David Grutman.

Pharrell’s dazzling watch collection

In 2019, Richard Mille debuted the 30-piece limited edition RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams that was priced at USD 969,000. Inspired by Pharrell’s memory of the Mariner 9 spacecraft that went on a mission to explore Mars in the early 70s, this watch was designed in collaboration with Pharrell, a Richard Mille diehard.

Wearing his RM 88 Smiley to the 2023 Grammys

He has been seen wearing models like the RM 011 Lotus F1, an automatic chronograph that bears the colors of British F1 Team-Romain Grosjean; the RM 58-01 Tourbillon World Timer, which was inspired by the jetsetter lifestyle of former FIA President Jean Todt; the RM 056 Tourbillon Sapphire, which is a see-through and five-piece limited edition tourbillon chronograph; the RM 70-01 Tourbillon Alain Prost, which is an asymetrical 30-piece limited edition tourbillon; the RM 52 Tourbillon Skull that is themed on memento mori, and, most memorably, the RM 25-01 Tourbillon Adventure Sylvester Stallone while volunteering at a homeless shelter.

Both Nigo and Pharrell have previously been spotted wearing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Carbon, which is a tourbillon watch with linear chronograph minute counter, function selection indicator and power-reserve indicator. Pharrell has also been seen wearing Jacob & Co. watches like the Jacob & Co. Rainbow Tourbillon and the Jacob & Co. Five Time Zone watch, which brand founder Jacob Arabo launched in 2001 and became the choice bling of celebrities in New York City in the early noughties.

Big shoes to fill

Pharrell has, for three decades, reigned as the King Midas of cool. Today, Pharrell joins one of the most sought-after brands in the world, succeeding the inimitable Virgil Abloh who passed away in November 2021. Louis Vuitton has strengthened and legitimized its watchmaking capabilities when it acquired La Fabrique du Temps in 2012, which culminated in Louis Vuitton winning the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Audacity Prize for its Tambour Carpe Diem and the Diver’s Watch Prize for its Tambour Street Diver in 2021.

Pharrell and his long-time collaborator and contemporary Nigo comparing drip

“I am glad to welcome Pharrell back home, after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton, as our new Men’s Creative Director,” remarked Louis Vuitton Chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari. “His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”

Williams’ first Louis Vuitton collection will be shown in June during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.

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Cool Britannia – Ben Dunn of Watch Brothers London

Ross Povey — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 19:31:08 +0000

In this instalment of Cool Britannia, we head in a new direction and talk to a UK-based watch dealer, Ben Dunn. Dunn is the founder of Watch Brothers London and a dealer with an eye for special watches with the common theme of quality, quality and quality. A collector at heart, Dunn’s first foray into the industry was through extensively researched articles on his website. Quickly realizing that he couldn’t collect all the watches he wanted to buy, he made the decision to buy and sell them to enjoy, if only briefly, wearing them. And brief these wearings were, as his stock sells as quickly as he can list them on his site or share them on his Instagram page.

Ben Dunn

I’m a curious collector at heart, with the sad and very common reality that I can’t experience and collect them all,” he explains to me. “After furiously dropping significant amounts of money into what was lovely collection at the time I just couldn’t stop the itch for the next even though my bank account had given up long before! I have a strong design interest and a passion for the details so I built my own website and began to write and publish about different variants via reference guides, the first few were on the AP 14790 and PP 3940, and from here the idea of buying and selling to fund what is really an addiction began to emerge. “

Ben Dunn’s first watch was a Mondaine, gifted to him by family for his 21st birthday: “I think total wrist time for that Mondaine has far outweighed anything I’ve worn since, it was on the wrist everyday regardless of activity!” An encounter with a watch very close to my own heart though, truly sowed the seed of horological passion for him. “It was my partner’s father’s two-tone Daytona; he rocks that thing everywhere from the beach, to the pool, fixing his car, you name it he’s wearing it! After one family holiday drooling over it daily the fever had set in and my interest in watches took off.”

Once he made the decision to become a dealer, there was no turning back. It wasn’t all plain sailing though. “You know to be honest it was scary as hell. The reality of trying to sell as a new dealer was that there was a significant lack of trust, and fairly so, from buyers. Also, the reality check that often prices you see pieces listed for are not what they sell for. This hurt even more, as I was selling off my collection piece by piece to reinvest into the business. It took me a long time to build a solid base of trust to deal from, I approached this exactly how I wanted to be treated back when I was collecting and buying for my collection; I had to be personable, transparent and responsive – the three things I push for everyday and I hope my clients feel this reflects in the service they receive.”

1985 Audemars Piguet Quantième Perpétual 25558BA

Deciding on a niche or direction as a dealer can be difficult and is a conversation I’ve had a number of times over the years with different guy. How does Dunn decide on his stock? “I only buy what I like and this links back to why I started dealing in the first place, I want to wear and experience all the watches that catch my eye. This approach has gradually positioned WBLDN with an interesting niche, somewhat based around neo-vintage complications but also off beat sports models such as the Rolex King Midas or the first generation VC Overseas. One thing to call out here is that the market, currently, for these types of pieces is significantly smaller than say your typical modern market. However, its growing rapidly as more scholarship comes to light. Connecting and providing value to collectors in this era of watches is where I spend a significant amount of time and I invest very happily in this. The friendships build and connections made are the true joy to buying and selling, it’s a community that I’m proud and humbled to be a part of.”

My experience of dealers is that they all have the one golden moment that sticks in their mind, when they found a special piece that can’t and won’t be repeated. What is Dunn’s? “It’s a bitter-sweet one, as I’ve recently sent it in for service, after enjoying it for over a year, to get it ready to list for sale. It is a Vacheron Constantin Perpetual Calendar in yellow gold, skeletonized with a diamond bezel for that added pizzazz! It’s a reference 43532 and this watch ticks absolutely every box I personally look for in a watch. I stumbled across this gem via an ancient listing eight pages deep on Google images, whilst researching an article on these models. I messaged the dealer who was in the US, the watch wasn’t with them currently and the pictures weren’t great so I left it. Months later I came across the conversation so reached out again and luckily it was back in their shop! After some payment complications it was on my wrist and has remained my number one find, a combination of rarity, price and taste cementing the top spot!”

1994 Vacheron Constantin Perpetual Calendar 43032 Platinum

Circa 1978 Rolex King Midas Cellini 4315

As a modern dealer, is the internet the best way to find watches, as opposed to the more traditional methods of auctions, dealer-to-dealer and local finds? “I’d actually say my preferred way isn’t so much to do with the hunting ground but more the approach. The key to me is patience, a skill I’m still learning the hard way. I have to say, however, that buying from dealers and collectors does add a second outcome to the transaction, which is relationship, often overlooked but incredibly important and for me very fulfilling.” Sticking with the collector community, what watches or style of watch are your clients most excited about at the moment? “In terms of models and types of watch, it’s very varied however the era is very much mid 80’s-2000. There is a lot to enjoy here, often undiscovered by the relative masses, and they can be found at multiple price points with some markets still very early in scholarship and discovery. This is great for both myself and clients, as the value proposition is very strong across multiple axis – history, production numbers, craft and price; especially compared to modern offerings.”

1993 Breguet Classique Perpetual Calendar 3057

1990's Breguet Chronograph 3237

What is your view of the current watch market?

One thing that is without question, is the fact that the watch market has changed significantly over the past twelve months. From the stratospheric highs of 2021, to a more reasonable position at the end of 2022, what does Dunn feel is the current state of play? “For me it’s buying season, lots of opportunity in the current leveling off. It’s vital to be calculated, not necessarily cautious, and buy intentionally with clear and consistent curation. Neo-vintage is all the rage, still grossly undervalued compared to modern offerings in both rarity, historical importance and craft. Complications such as perpetual calendars are in and sports watches are out with a strong shift to strap models at 36mm or even less. It’s a scary time to be holding modern but a wonderful time to be exploring timeless designs and comps from brands such as VC, Breguet and Blancpain. Green dial steel sub from Rolex, or a 90’s ultra thin yellow gold perpetual calendar from Vacheron? I know where my moneys at and I like to advise my clients the same. Now is the perfect time to explore models beyond your comfort zone, spend time researching, learning and connecting with others and you might just find something out there that you’ve never seen or considered that has everything you’re after.”

AS a UK-based dealer, has Brexit had an impact on you? “Yes, it has had a significant impact on both the buying and selling. It has been a steep and drawn-out learning curve figuring out how to import/export with VAT correctly, but interestingly I’ve found it can give a USP in terms of the pieces you can stock if you’re willing to learn the correct process and do the extra work as you’re then no longer limited to buying in the UK market. However, there are of course a number of cons with the most significant being the confusion for UK buyers looking at my stock, why some pieces exclude VAT and some do not. This extends further to EU buyers as previously these watches would flow seamlessly around the European Union. All of this has been a bit of a headache but now thankfully finding a good rhythm.”

1989 Blancpain Minute Repeating Perpetual Calendar 5335

Finally, I was interested in who inspires Dunn, both from a business perspective and on a personal level. “Business wise, I’m actually not going to reveal the dealers name but I will say we don’t really know each other, it’s more that I admire the way he works from the sidelines and I hope to replicate it in my own way over the years to come. This dealer appears to be a one-man band or at least a small unit, running his own operation exactly how he wants. It goes without saying he lists some of the most interesting, rare and top condition pieces I’ve seen. He is based in the UK but aside from his site, Instagram account and glowing comments from those who know him, I can’t actually tell you anymore than that! Personally, my late Grandad in the form of a printed A6 poem that has been at my side for over 10 years with the core message, ‘think that you can and you will’. The most valuable 16 lines I’ve ever read and something I think about before most big decisions and opportunities.”

Thanks to _Oxwatch for portrait images supplied for this story

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Revolutionary of The Year 2022: Rexhep Rexhepi

Wei Koh — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 10:00:11 +0000

It has been a phenomenal year for the watch world. To round off 2022, we are celebrating the hits, the wonders, the visionaries and all the people in watchmaking who have made it so memorable in our annual Revolution Awards and Power Lists.

Today we celebrate one of the most exciting young watchmakers working today. The revolutionary Rexhep Rexhepi, founder of Akrivia.

It is almost unbelievable to me that the young watchmaker with the greatest disparity in terms of the number of watches he is producing each year and the number of people that want to buy them, did not sell a watch for the first two and a half years of his brand’s existence. How things have changed and the timepiece that changed everything for him was the Chronomètre Contemporain, the first watch emblazoned with his name on the dial and unveiling his classical interpretation of a men’s watch.

The Chronomètre Contemporain II launched this year features a star-and-flirt dead seconds mechanism and the sexiest lugs in existence

But the marvelous thing about Rexhepi is that he is never content to rest on his laurels — he has tracked down and convinced case-making legend Jean-Pierre Hagmann to join his operation, unveiling the jaw-droppingly beautiful Chronomètre Contemporain II, featuring a star-and-flirt dead seconds mechanism and the sexiest lugs in existence.

Chronomètre Contemporain

Rexhepi’s brand continues to ascend to the pantheon of the horological Valhalla as he steadily builds each new chapter of his brand with masterful assurance.

The post Revolutionary of The Year 2022: Rexhep Rexhepi appeared first on Revolution Watch.

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