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I wrote this text after listening to a 1977 punk/rock track on the radio and studying an introduction to a brand new watch. The track “No Extra Heroes” from British band The Stranglers asks, “No matter occurred to all of the heroes? All of the Shakespearoes?” The track was nonetheless enjoying in my head after I learn an introductory article someplace a couple of new watch from the French model Herbelin. The identify stirred up some recollections, not of a selected yesteryear’s Michel Herbelin watch however, quite, of the model as a part of a world I began to find within the late Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s. It was an interesting universe wherein manufacturers like Ikepod, Dubey & Schaldenbrand, DeWitt, and Manufacture Royale had my full consideration. It bought me questioning what they’re as much as these days.
The watch that partly impressed this text was the brand new cushion-shaped Herbelin Newport Héritage Diver. In accordance with the model, which stopped utilizing its founder’s first identify in 2022, the watch takes inspiration from the long-lasting dive watches of the Nineteen Seventies whereas embracing the spirit of the unique 1988 Newport. That sounds a bit complicated, and it does result in a little bit of a mishmash watch. The 42mm Newport Héritage Diver appears to be the offspring of a compelled polygamous marriage between a Cartier Pasha, Panerai Radiomir, and an unknown however very familiar-looking dive watch with a day/date indication. Anyway, at the very least the watch designed, assembled, and controlled in Herbelin’s Charquemont atelier within the Franche-Comté area made me reminisce about some actually outstanding watches and fascinating manufacturers I don’t hear from anymore. No matter occurred to my heroes?
Dubey & Schalenbrand Aerodyn Duo — Picture: Analog:Shift
Watch manufacturers of yesteryear: Dubey & Schaldenbrand
Two issues fascinated me about Dubey & Schaldenbrand after I first gained an curiosity in mechanical watchmaking. The primary was the identify. How do you pronounce a reputation with a primary half that appears to be French and the second half German? It results in confusion within the mind and mouth. Let’s persist with a smooth begin and a firmer ending and pronounce it like “DOO-bay ay SHALL-den-brand.” The “ay” is definitely the French phrase “et,” and that’s as a result of Dubey & Schaldenbrand hails from the historic and UNESCO-protected watchmaking city of La Chaux-de-Fonds within the French-speaking canton of the identical identify — solely 25 kilometers away from the Herbelin workshop on the opposite aspect of the Jura.
Dubey & Schaldenbrand Spriral Rattrapante
Inventors of the split-second chronograph
The second factor that fascinated me about Dubey & Schaldenbrand was that it was based in 1946 by the inventors of the split-second chronograph, Georges Dubey and René Schaldenbrand. The 2 watchmakers created a double chronograph named Index-Cell, with a motion that includes a coil spring connecting two overlapping seconds arms. This allowed one hand to cease and catch as much as the opposite inside 59 seconds. One pusher resets each the chronograph’s seconds arms to zero. The split-second chronograph, or rattrapante, has at all times been an object of fascination and need for me. IWC’s well-known Doppelchronograph is nothing in need of a grail watch, and I additionally bear in mind the Girard-Perregaux Rattrapante ref. 9014 with a crown-integrated pusher very effectively.
Girard-Perregaux Rattrapante ref. 9014 — Picture: Tahoma Watches
The identical goes for the 2005 Dubey & Schaldenbrand Spiral Rattrapante. Other than a split-second chronograph perform, the watch contains a blue ISOVAL stability spring, and the 40mm case has, because of its cell lugs, a 46.5mm size. Not solely is the rattrapante a homage to the 1946 invention, however so are the distinct lugs that have been en vogue on the time, making the Spiral Rattrapante a lavish-looking watch with actual pedigree.
Dubey & Schaldenbrand Aerodyn Duo — Picture: Watch Gathering
The 1998 Aerodyn Duo isn’t a rattrapante, but it surely’s nonetheless engaging. It’s a dual-time watch with an Artwork Deco-inspired tonneau-curvex case. Inside it beats an automated ETA 2892-A2-based motion that powers the principle handset, one other 12-hour hand, a 24-hour indicator, and a calendar. The Arabic numerals and the way in which the model identify sits on the decrease a part of the dial are irresistibly charming. You could possibly label it a Franck Muller various, however I favor this “DOO-bay ay SHALL-den-brand.”
Hemipode Chrono — Picture: Craft + Tailor-made
Hip to be spherical: Ikepod
Sure, Ikepod remains to be up and operating, but it surely isn’t the Ikepod I as soon as knew. The model says it itself: “Identical design, new value.” When Ikepod debuted in 1994, it rapidly grew to become one of many hottest names in watchmaking. Its founding fathers are famed Australian designer Marc Newson, who in 2015, designed the Apple Watch, and Swiss businessman Oliver Ike — he’s the “Ike” within the identify, and the “pod” half stems from Newson’s 1986 design for a big, 60mm watch to be worn over the sleeve. I bear in mind being blown away by the fashionable, rounded creations that, not like the present ones, didn’t appear to be they belonged in a museum present store. As an alternative, they regarded like up to date watches that took their rightful place within the evolving world of conventional watchmaking.
Ikepod Seaslug GMT from the model’s Classic Nook
The monobloc watches have been unique and dear. Additionally they bore improbable names, like Hemipode, Megapode, and Seaslug. The creations launched a brand new design language for watches, and though design-driven collectors embraced the model, that wasn’t sufficient to maintain it. In 2012, Ikepod shut down. The present model is a 2018 reboot. The watches are extra reasonably priced than ever, however they’ve misplaced a good portion of their authentic magic. Fortunately, on the Ikepod web site, some magic remains to be obtainable within the Classic Nook.
DeWitt WX-1 idea watch
Namedropping: DeWitt, Emperor Napoléon, King Jérôme of Westphalia, and King Léopold II of Belgium
When Baselworld was nonetheless the most important watch truthful, a short lived house outdoors the massive exhibition corridor housed high-end impartial manufacturers, and two of those I loved visiting have been DeWitt and Manufacture Royale. It should have been my fascination with historical past. Let me clarify. DeWitt’s founder, Jérôme de Witt, a person with a ardour for music, arithmetic, and mechanics, is a direct descendant of Emperor Napoléon, King Jérôme of Westphalia, and King Léopold II of Belgium. Haute Horlogerie model DeWitt, based in 2003, instantly stood out with a case constructed with so-called imperial pillars across the outdoors.
DeWitt Academia Countless Drive
In true Haute Horlogerie trend, the model launched a plethora of conventional issues, in addition to one thing distinctive, the telescoping WX-1 watch, a groundbreaking mini miracle of micromechanics. However my favourite DeWitt mannequin is a later creation. The Academia Countless Drive was offered in the course of the 2018 Salon Worldwide de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH). The watch is powered by the in-house, 320-part caliber DW1653 that includes a rotating infinite screw seen on the heart of the dial, which jogged my memory of an owl’s face. The helical screw connects to the watch’s winding mechanism. Because the 59-hour energy reserve depletes, the screw rotates. If you rewind the watch, the screw shifts alongside its longitudinal axis, an interesting sight.
Right now, DeWitt’s HQ is in Meyrin-Satigny, Geneva, and it features a museum devoted to the model and its founder. In 2015, that museum was within the information as a result of it was the sufferer of a break-in. The robbers stole many of the museum’s assortment, leaving two watches in a damaged show and dropping one other.
Manufacture Royale ADN
Enlightened watchmaking
Manufacture Royale is a model with hyperlinks to the Age of Enlightenment and the well-known thinker Voltaire. I just lately cycled previous the Château de Voltaire close to the Swiss-French border. The place, constructed in Ferney-Voltaire close to Geneva between 1758 and 1766, was residence to one of the famend philosophers of the Enlightenment for 20 years. For a quick second, I considered Voltaire supporting the watchmaking ateliers within the space, resulting in the institution of Manufacture Royale in 1770, however I quickly forgot about it once more. Due to The Stranglers, all of it got here again.
Fashionable-day Manufacture Royale was revived in 2010 by Arnaud Favre. In 2013, the model was purchased by GTN Luxurious Holding SA, as introduced by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Business. Right now’s possession state of affairs is hazy since no info confirms the standing of the 2 entities past the 2013 announcement. The model does have a web site, which was launched in 2024, so Manufacture Royale should still be producing watches right this moment.
Manufacture Royale Opéra Répétition Minutes Tourbillon No. 01 — Picture: Ineichen Auctioneers
A watch like an opera home
I feel again to Manufacture Royale’s watches, sculpted creations with standout circumstances that includes tubular shafts enclosing a spherical body. Extravagant, sophisticated, and never for everybody, they have been definitely fascinating and really a lot within the spirit of the 2000s, when wild technicality and out-of-the-box designs went hand in hand. The 2017 ADN, with its 46mm-wide, 67-part case housing Manufacture Royale’s caliber MR09, its ninth in-house motion, is kind of one thing. The motion’s offset tourbillon is mounted on ceramic ball bearings and makes use of a silicon escapement wheel and pallet. It additionally shows two particular person time zones.
The Opéra Répétition Minutes Tourbillon No. 01 is even wilder. This watch, that includes the MR01 caliber developed for Manufacture Royale by the Fabrique du Temps issues atelier, has a 50mm fold-out, bellows-type case that’s nothing in need of a spectacle. And, sure, “Opera” hyperlinks to the watch’s design cue, the well-known Sydney Opera Home.
Manufacture Royale Opéra Répétition Minutes Tourbillon No. 01 — Picture: Ineichen Auctioneers
No matter occurred to the heroes? A doable rationalization
So, what occurred to my watch heroes? They appear to function within the shadows these days, not in the identical limelight that lets high-end manufacturers like De Bethune, Urwerk, and MB&F shine. That is outstanding as a result of the extravagant and exuberant creations from Manufacture Royale and DeWitt are in the identical spirit. Different components should be at play, comparable to distribution, communication, and never being a part of a robust conglomerate. Luxurious watchmaking is a subject wherein manufacturers danger shedding relevance attributable to financial downturns, rising competitors, and shifting shopper preferences. Geopolitical instability additionally doesn’t assist, nor does a scarcity of innovation or engagement with youthful audiences.
A few of my heroes of yesteryear couldn’t adapt to those structural and cultural shifts and pale into irrelevance. Ought to we make an effort to make them related once more? Do you see your self sporting a brand new model of the Artwork Deco-inspired Aerodyn Duo, as an example? Let me know within the feedback beneath, and please share a few of your forgotten heroes.
