Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Weekly Watch Photo: Julien Coudray Competentia 1515
Weekly Watch Photo is back, only to show you some beautiful watches and nice photos, for the sake of the art. We’ve already presented you the entire collection of Julien Coudray 1528, including this Tourbillon. And we told you; this watch is a masterpiece of traditional watchmaking. So we’ve been to the manufacture, visited the workshop and grabbed one of their watches, that adorned one of our contributor’s wrists during Baselworld. So sit back and relax. Here is the Competentia 1515 in Red Gold.
The work of Fabien Lamarche and his team had already amazed us during Belles Montres but when we had the opportunity to pay him a visit before the watch madness – so-called Baselworld – he gave us a Tourbi just to play with it, enjoy it on a daily basis and of course (try to) take some nice photos. The beauty of the watch comes from multiple details that create a very unique piece, baroque, precious and however timeless. The dial made of partitioned translucent enamel (a technique called ‘plique à jour’) is an eye-catcher.
For you to understand; a normal day in Baselworld is mainly meeting brands and meeting other journalists – and yes, if you want to know, we talk about watches all day long. Wearing this exquisite timepiece on the wrist for several days, MOST of the people we met, and who see timepieces all day long, couldn’t resist asking about this Julien Coudray. It’s all about details: the enamel dial, both white and translucent, the partially blued hands, the colour scheme made of red gold and brown. Even our dear Editor in Chief, FG, couldn’t resist borrowing it for a diner out. You know him when it’s about Haute Horlogerie and independent watchmaking…
The level of details visible on the bridges, through the sapphire crystal in the case back, are absolutely fabulous. Its movement is made of red gold and completely hand engraved. Using the same material for the case AND the movement, is a specific feat of the brand’s DNA. And of course, everything is made in-house and every part is hand finished, even the one that you’ll never be able to see.
No more words. The watch and the photos are talking for themselves.
2 responses
Have you ever seen a tourbillon carriage/cage finished with perlage instead of a nice mirror-polish? I have, but only at Chinese makers! The carriage and other steel parts are not even hand-chamfered, etc. I think the overall finishing quality is quite poor, especially in respect with the ridiculous price tag.
@Mike, the one you can see here is the first prototype of the tourbillon. Finishing is not identical to the serial versions that are, believe us, extremely well finished. (look at the photo here http://cdn.dreamchrono.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/julien-coudray-competentia-1515-dial.jpg)
And for having visited the manufacture, this is one of the best tools available in Switzerland and a real Haute Horlogerie Manufacture. Every parts of a Julien Coudray’s watch are hand finished, trust us.