REPORT: Handcrafted Time 09

[Watchuseek Admin]

Handcrafted Time 09
by Elizabeth Doerr

Thomas Prescher and Martin Pauli go way back. As such, these two creative members of the independent watchmaking community often jointly search for ways to draw more attention to the scene they are so vitally involved in. One of the fruits of their labors took place this past weekend, from June 18 through June 21, in Pauli’s Time Gallery in Bern: Handcrafted Time.



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The twelve-brand-strong exhibition included a large variety of artists. A.H.C.I members Prescher, Aniceto Pita, and Bernhard Lederer of Blu were all on hand to show some of their mighty creations and talk to visitors. A.H.C.I. co-founder Svend Andersen had some of his unique timepieces on display, but was not personally in Bern. Le Sentier-based wunderkind Romain Gauthier—a particular favorite of the modern collector scene—was also on hand to explain his particular brand of originality. Jean-François Ruchonnet, currently debuting his unusual creation Cabestan on the scene, stood side-by-side with indie brands Louis Moinet and Hautlence—both respectively represented by their creators Jean-Marie Schaller and Renaud de Retz.

Kinetic specialist Miki Eleta displayed three wall clocks, which were placed in the Time Gallery’s spacious premises alongside sensational newcomer Matthias Fuchs, who took great pleasure in explaining his CCCX grandfather clock to astounded visitors. Its unique element is without a doubt something that has never been seen before: a removable tourbillon placed at 12 o’clock on the dial; the movement continues to keep accurate time with or without the revolving escapement thanks to its high-frequency pendulum.

The varied exhibition was rounded out by the presence of Wolfgang Matthes, an autodidactic prodigy displaying tourbillon-powered desk clocks and—naturally—host Angular Momentum with Pauli’s particular brand of handcrafted artistic specialties.

The low-key opening celebration on June 18 was accompanied by unusually warm weather, unexpected rain showers, the appealing interval chime of Bern’s famed Zytglogge clock, and attended by horological luminaries such as Daniel Haas, Martin Braun and Philippe Dufour. Haas, a renowned Pieterlen-based maker of dials using exotic stones, conversed with a relaxed Dufour about a number of the watches on hand at the Time Gallery. Both were particularly impressed by Blu’s Tourbillon MT3, a transparent triple tourbillon combining clever design with intelligent technology. Their conversation quickly turned to Louis Moinet’s Jules Verne Instrument 1 thanks to its moonstone on the dial, a particular point of interest for the mineral specialist.

Other watches on display included a visual symphony of the unique: Thomas Prescher’s Triple Axis Tourbillon, the Minimal and the Carousel by Pita, an array of unique pieces by Danish master watchmaker Andersen, some examples of the Prestige collection by Romain Gauthier and his team of eight technicians, the Cabestan, and of course a wide array of Hautlence’s HL models.



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Handcrafted Time ran throughout the weekend, ending on Sunday evening, and attracted approximately 500 qualified visitors, including local TV journalists, representatives of Swiss newspapers, and horological journalists Elizabeth Doerr and Timothy Treffry.

A televised reportage by a local Swiss station can be viewed on the Internet in German HERE .