There has been a flurry of new brands surfacing of late, popping up in my inbox, making it to the nominations of the GPHG, and now presenting at Geneva Watch Days. So, on the very last day of the fair, I decided to go and see what these newcomers were about, and what a lovely surprise it was.
Artime
Perhaps the biggest surprise during Geneva Watch Days was Artime. Sitting down with two of the associates, Fabrice Deschanel and Didier Bretin (there are six altogether), I asked them to start at the beginning of their story, and what a story it was. Having been friends for 25 years and having worked at all the big names in the watch industry – F. P. Journe, Greubel Forsey, Audemars Piguet, Renaud & Papi, Richard Mille, Breguet, and more – they decided to create their own timepiece. The inaugural model, the ART01, uses sapphire crystal in a new and intuitive way that flatters both the case and the incredible skeletonized movement within. It is a piece of architectural art that is surely going to get the world’s watch collectors extremely excited.
Haute Rive
I had no idea what to expect when I booked an appointment at Haute-Rive. The name sounded quite fancy, ostentatious even, but the story behind it could have been anything but. The man behind the brand is Stéphane Von Gunten, who had previously worked at Patek Philippe and Ulysse Nardin before taking the plunge into “own brand” territory. The name of the brand actually comes from the name of the workshop of his great-great-grandfather Iréné Aubry and is a tribute to his ancestor who created a patented a pocket watch with an eight-day power reserve, a feat of engineering in 1889. Von Gunten’s first watch is called Honoris and is both visually and technically impressive. Impossible to describe in a few words, I will have to come back to it in more detail, but as a little teaser, this mechanical marvel has over 1000 hours of power reserve (that’s 41 days, in case you were wondering)!
Gerald Charles
Gerald Charles isn’t a new brand as such, it was started by Gerald Genta (1931 -2011) when he sold his eponymous brand – and ultimately his name – to The Hour Glass in 1996. The company was then acquired by Bulgari in the year 2000. As Charles was his middle name, he renamed it Gerald Charles. Today, things have taken an exciting new turn with the arrival of watch designer Octavio Garcia who had previously worked with Genta at Audemars Piguet. Garcia has worked on some old pencil designs of Genta’s to create new models that are, quite frankly, gorgeous. I particularly liked the Maestro 8.0 Squelette with its avant-garde skeleton movement and unique case design with a baby blue rubber strap… in case anyone in my family is listening!
Byrne
The first time I saw Byrne watches was when the brand was just starting a couple of years ago, also at Geneva Watch Days, as it happens, and it already caught my eye then. The brand has a fascinating concept where the dial changes every time the hands pass midnight to indicate Roman numerals, Arabic numerals, indexes, and no markings. It is even possible to personalize one of the faces. For example, some American athletes have been putting the numbers of their jerseys on the fourth face. The case is in grade five titanium and finds its inspiration in the Porsche Targa 911, which works really well with the dial. This is definitely a watch to track down and have a play with.
Gelfman
Ilya Gelfman has been working on his retro-futuristic IN-16 Nixie watch for over 10 years now and he is finally bringing it to market, thanks to help from fellow Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin, who consulted on production, and Atelier Gryaznov Design, which worked on the aesthetic side. It works by using Nixie tubes from the 1950s that indicate the time through a system of ten wire mesh digits that are layered on top of each other and are sealed inside two separate sapphire crystal bulbs. When powered, the digits light up to indicate the time, the month, and the remaining battery life. The watch can be set via a computer app or using the pusher on the front of the watch. It is fascinating to play with and looks really cool on the wrist. But don’t take my word for it, check Gelfman out on Instagram.
