Maitre du Temps - Chapter One Round Limited Edition
Master Watchmaker Christophe Claret
Vision and realization occasionally go hand in hand; more often than not, however, the journey is fraught with insurmountable difficulties. Ensuring that what is seen in the mind’s eye becomes something that can be worn on the wrist is the business of Christophe Claret.
His fascination with wristwatches began at an early age, and when only sixteen, he enrolled at the prestigious Geneva School of Watchmaking. An extensive background in restoration followed, providing Claret with exposure to the finest in traditional horological craftsmanship.
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Beyond his training, Claret has the essential skills to realize designs that not only have never before been conceived but that previously would have been impossible to execute. Beginning in 1987, when he obtained his first contract for minute-repeater movements, Claret has steadily built what is possibly the world’s most sophisticated manufactory of complicated movements.
No challenge seems beyond him, from tourbillons of every conceivable variety to unusual automatic winding mechanisms via striking watches whose sophistication is without rival. His exceptional movements are as remarkable for their precision and reliability as they are for their complexity.
Claret’s manufactory at Le Soleil d’Or in Le Locle boasts a vast array of equipment that runs the gamut from a full complement of the most noble of traditional watchmaking tools to the latest computer-guided laser cutters. He has become both the first choice and the last resort for horological visionaries, whose dreams can be made real only by the deftest of magicians. In the creation of Chapter One by Maîtres du Temps, Claret plays the role of both creator and developer.
“Maîtres du Temps puts the watchmakers first,” says Claret. “It allows the client, the lover of extremely complicated watchmaking, to get to know the creators of the product, those who have designed, made, and assembled the timepiece.”
Master Watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin
For English watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin, the preferred route has always been the road less traveled. From the outset, his iconoclastic personality has expressed itself not only in his chosen profession and passion for horology but also in the way he has pursued that path.
Speake-Marin followed his talent to study horology in the mid-1980s. His skills were rapidly recognized, and he was soon given an opportunity by a prominent London antique watch dealer to establish his watch repair and restoration department. This was an invaluable experience that afforded Speake-Marin exposure to many different brands of vintage complications of the highest caliber.
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“There I fell in love with watchmaking,” he has said of his years working with these exquisite examples of the watchmaker’s art.
To satisfy his desire for adventure and to broaden his experience, he left England for Switzerland, where he had studied in earlier years. His first stop was the workshop of renowned complications specialists Renaud & Papi. He then dedicated himself to mastering the methods through which today’s increasingly audacious new horological complications are conceived. At the same time, he began work on his own masterpiece — a unique tourbillon pocket watch designed, constructed, and assembled entirely by hand.
In order for horological artistry to flourish, Speake-Marin believes watchmakers must be aware of the past and conscious of the wealth of new possibilities offered by the future. “New design and manufacturing technologies allow fresh scope for different forms that were unimaginable only 10 years ago,” he says. For Speake-Marin, Chapter One by Maîtres du Temps is the perfect medium through which to express his experience of the historical tradition of fine watchmaking and to convey his belief in its future.
Introducing Chapter One Round by Maîtres du Temps
Maîtres du Temps presents Chapter One Round, featuring a bold, architecturally-inspired round case housing Chapter One's groundbreaking combination of complications. The interplay of the multi-level concentric circles of the case and dial entices the viewer's eye inward to the majestic amphitheater of the indication-rich dial. There, attention might first alight either on the kinetic ballet of the sublimely finished tourbillon or on the eye-catching red of the counterpoised chronograph second hand, both in contrast to the backdrop of the dial’s dark brushed-satin finish. However, it isn't long before the clear legibility of layout impresses with its elegant and functional design.
The circles within circles are perfectly balanced by the juxtaposition of the rectangular forms of the two roller indications showing the day and moon phase, which curve down from the top of the muscular case like buttresses and seamlessly integrate the lugs for the strap. Large polished chamfers running the full length on each side of the case catch and dynamically reflect the light and provide a foil to the brushed finish of the vertical elements.
Developed by a collaboration of world-renowned master watchmakers, Christophe Claret and Peter Speake-Marin, Chapter One Round features a world-first combination of complications: tourbillon, mono-pusher chronograph, retrograde date, retrograde GMT, and two rolling bars indicating the day of the week and phase of the moon.
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A tour of the highly legible dial reveals central coaxial hours, minutes, and chronograph 60-second counter; tourbillon and day of the week roller at 6 o’clock; retrograde GMT at 9 o’clock; 60-minute chronograph counter and precision moon phase roller at 12 o’clock; and retrograde date at 3 o’clock. Stylish ergonomic correctors with a slide-to-unlock feature make adjusting the calendar indications a tactical pleasure.
“After working on Chapter One for nearly two years, I was struck by the strength in the design of this round version: it is far stronger in character and presence than I dared hope for,” says Peter Speake-Marin.
Actualizing the sophisticated case of Chapter One Round comprising 96 individual componentsrequires the precision and care of an artist. The hand-polished and brushed-satin finishes of the three main case elementscentral body and two lugsdemand meticulous exactitude to ensure that all of the finishes line up precisely so that the lines flow smoothly. The development of the case alone required a full year of research and development.
“Maîtres du Temps continues to diversify the Chapter One collection by offering timepieces with sophisticated design and technical mastery. This latest round-case version offers a sculptured structural feel with distinguished technical features,” says Steven Holtzman, founder of Maîtres du Temps.
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Steven M. Holtzman
The ease of both reading and adjusting Chapter One’s indications disguises the fact that Chapter One is an incredibly complex timepiece crafted from 678 finely finished and beautifully decorated components. Chapter One Round stands as an enduring testament to the skill, patience, and dexterity of its world-class creators.
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Chapter One Round – the Details
The bold architectural form, innovative indications, and ergonomic functions of Chapter One belie the incredible complexity of its unique movement and the structural sophistication of its case.
Chapter One’s master watchmakers have come together to craft a horological work of art, both inside and out. Alternating finishes play with light around the case, imparting a sense of strength and majesty without leaving a trace of the complexity involved. The ease of both reading and adjusting Chapter One’s many indications disguises the fact that this is a world-first combination of complications crafted from 558 components.
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No wristwatch before Chapter One has ever featured a tourbillon movement incorporating a mono-pusher column wheel chronograph, retrograde date, retrograde GMT, and phase of the moon and day of the week indications displayed on their own distinctive rolling bars. Efficiently transmitting power 90° to the two rollers and ensuring that they work simultaneously with the time, date, GMT, and chronograph was an immense technical challenge. That the challenge was met and surpassed is further testament to Chapter One’s enormously talented team.
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A tour of the dial reveals central coaxial hours, minutes, and chronograph 60-second counter; tourbillon and day of the week roller at 6 o’clock; retrograde GMT at 9 o’clock; 60-minute chronograph counter and precision moon phase roller at 12 o’clock; and retrograde date at 3 o’clock.
Meticulous attention to every minute detail throughout the design and execution of all facets of Chapter One’s development has resulted in a timepiece of exceptional presence and refinement. The harmoniously integrated rolling bars, for example, had to be both large enough to be easily read and small enough to be ultralight and homogeneous with the case. Scintillating, laser-pierced moon and stars on the outer roller of the moon phase indication add to its stellar elegance.
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Myriad details make Chapter One a timepiece that richly rewards a closer look, from the small window between the day roller and the tourbillon, which allows a unique view of the superbly finished gyrating tourbillon cage, to the contrast of the hands against the brushed-satin finish of the multi-strata dial. Even the locking corrector pushers are formed from curves running concentrically to perfectly follow the graceful flow of the circular case.
The story of Chapter One Round is one of glorious complexity in celebration of the men behind it.
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Technical Specifications
Model: Chapter One Round - C1R.55.2E.22-2
Limited Edition of 11 pieces
Manual-wind mechanical movement, one-minute tourbillon, mono-pusher chronograph, retrograde date indicator, retrograde GMT indicator, day of the week indication on roller, patented precise moon phase indication on roller
Displays
Central hands indicating hours and minutes
Central chronograph counterpoised second hand
60-minute counter at 12 o’clock
Retrograde date at 3 o’clock
Retrograde GMT at 9 o’clock
One-minute tourbillon at 6 o’clock
Day of the week indication on roller at 6 o’clock
Patented precise moon phase indication on roller at 12 o’clock
Functions
Two-position winding crown: pushed in to wind the watch; pulled out to set the time
Chronograph: start/stop/return-to-zero function activated by single pusher in the crown
Correctors
Date corrector at 2 o’clock
Day of the week corrector at 4 o’clock
Moon phase corrector at 8 o’clock
GMT corrector at 10 o’clock
Caliber SHC02
Dimensions: 51 mm x 32 mm
Number of components: 558
Number of jewels: 58
Power reserve: 60 hours
Tourbillon rotation: 60 seconds
Balance frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
Case
18K 5N red gold
Number of components: 96
Dimensions: 62 mm x 59 mm x 22 mm
Sapphire crystals with double anti-reflective coating
Display back: sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
High polish and satin finishes
Correctors with integrated locking system
Dial & Hands
Number of components: 24
Multi-faceted and beveled with brushed and velvet surface finishes
Diamond-cut facet applied markers with Super-LumiNova
Red counterpoised chronograph hand
Diamond-cut facet hands for chronograph counters, hour, minute, date, and GMT
Rollers
Day roller: matte anodized Anticorodal finished aluminum
Moon phase roller: anodized Anticorodal finished aluminum inside a matte anodized cover with laser-pierced moon and stars
Window between day roller and tourbillon
Strap
Hand-sewn alligator strap with 18K 5N red-gold deployant buckle
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