Romain Gauthier

“Romain Gauthier Logical One” (HYPERLINK TO DEDICATED PAGE)
“Romain Gauthier INSIGHT MICROROTOR” (HYPERLINK TO DEDICATED PAGE)

Romain Gauthier hails from the Vallee de Joux in Switzerland. The Vallee de Joux is a heart of Swiss watch tradition. Traditional craftsmanship of the Vallee de Joux is identified by characteristic decoration and traditional fine finishes of mechanical works of art. In the Vallee de Joux it is a point of great pride to be recognized as a true craftsman, just from a glance at finished work under a glass. Romain Gauthier has strived to bring this tradtional qualities to his own brand with the skills and toil of years in the watch industry.

Romain Gauthier’s skills as a micro-engineer have led him to develop his own calibre. The calibre was in development over the course of six years. An admitted perfectionist, Romain Gauthier wanted to realize all of his ideas for his calibre to the fullest, prior to offering the calibre as a complete product. The first watches were realeased as a series enititled “Prestige”. Indeed, this style of Haute Horology screams prestige. The watches feature unique manufacture calibre with bespoke engine turned guilloche dials. All finished to perfection and presented in a hand made custom machined steel and glass cylinder. Mr. Gauthier was also proud to offer a later version of this watch, known as the “HMS”. The HMS features dials that are layered and apportioned partially in squelette. The style allows the wearer to view the fantastic and rare design, machine and finish work through both the front of the watch and through the sapphire display on the rear. A rare treat for any lover of fine horology.

The calibre itself is basically very traditional in architecture. Mechanically, it does feature a fairly unique feature in modern horology, a “Backwinding” operating crown. In terms of finish, their are few other watch makers or firms in the world that produce a watch with calibre finished as artisianally as Mr.Gauthier has chosen to render his calibre. The wheels in this movement must be seen to be believed. There is no one on this planet, that I have seen that makes wheels as they are in this calibre. In fact, I have witnessed no fewer than five master watchmakers, that produce their own watches, marvel at the finishing work of Romain Gauthier. The absolute highest compliment and praise in the horological world is to have ones true colleagues and peers marvel at your product.

The next watch, Logical One.

The majority of machines run on constant force: Cars and planes don’t start running more slowly as fuel runs low and machines receive the same voltage no matter how much electricity is produced. Yet, the power that runs and regulates most high-precision mechanical timepieces varies greatly according to the state of wind of the mainspring.

Constant force, or constant torque, is one of the holy grails of horology and with Logical One, Romain Gauthier has reinvented the chain-and-fusee − one of the oldest methods of supplying constant force to a horological movement − making it more reliable, more effective… and more constant.

Logical One’s pioneering, multi-patented in-house movement features Romain Gauthier’s 21st-century reinterpretation of a traditional chain-and-fusee style constant force mechanism, on display to the left of the hour-minute subdial.

Gauthier’s invention contains an innovative snail cam connected to the mainspring barrel by a ruby-link chain. With the snail cam and mainspring barrel configured so they are ‘flat’ – i.e. on the same plane – force is transmitted in a straight line for an ultra-efficient transfer of energy.

The relatively short length of the chain allows it to contain strong, generously sized links in steel featuring rollers made from low-friction, hard-wearing synthetic rubies. The chain is joined together via a smart snap-clip system.

To eliminate potential uneven friction within the mainspring barrel, Gauthier has placed the mainspring between synthetic sapphire plates. Sapphire has a low coefficient of friction with steel making it the ideal material to use.

The Insight Microrotor:

Insight Micro-Rotor’s hour, minute and small second indications are powered by a beautifully hand-finished, in-house calibre built from the ground up and boasting bidirectional micro-rotor made from 22k solid gold. This compact oscillating weight – visible dial side and through the display back – turns fluidly and noiselessly between two bridges, each fitted with a friction-minimising, wear-resistant ruby bearing.

However subtly and in whichever direction the micro-rotor swings, it is working away, winding a double mainspring barrel that, when fully wound, offers a generous 80 hours of power. The two barrels are in series for more constant power to the regulator, meaning the movement’s rate holds up whatever the state of wind.
It is not just the mechanical efficiency that is elegant: Insight Micro-Rotor’s open dial is a harmonious picture of details, depth and mesmerising animation.
Sweeping around the centre are the small seconds surrounded by the hour-minute subdial at 12 o’clock, beating balance at 6 o’clock and, at 9 o’clock, the swaying micro-rotor, framed within a remarkable void created by a circular cut-out in the mainplate. A plaquette with Romain Gauthier logo provides a smart visual counterpoint to the micro-rotor, while the curvaceous, hand-bevelled bridges evenly spaced around the periphery glint in the light, their arcs marrying with the inner contours of the case.

In a neat design touch, the bombé sapphire crystal covering the dial gradually rises towards 12 o’clock before steeply dropping again. And the case’s modest 39.5mm diameter ensures that Insight Micro-Rotor sits very comfortably, even on slimmer wrists.

The observer is treated to more views of the movement through the display back. Here the micro-rotor continues to steal the show as it sets the visible train of gears in motion, starting with the reversing gear that lends the mechanism its bidirectionality. The gears and ratchets stand out for their circular arms that feature eye-catching bevels. Meanwhile, the bridges are decorated with hand-made, hand polished bevels and jewel countersinks and are fixed in place using Romain Gauthier’s signature screws with aesthetic S-slot. The sinuosity of the bridges is superbly counterpoised by the four linear plaquettes adorning them.

“C” by Romain Gauthier

Romain Gauthier-C by Romain Gauthier reflects Romain’s creative freedom with a modern and youthful design. This new timepiece is the result of more than 16 years of know-how acquired through the development of the brand and the Manufacture.

Technical in nature, casual in style and free in spirit, the Freedom collection has enabled the creation of this piece, which represents a true continuity in space time, a vision of the future and opens the doors to new horizons for the brand.

During its creation, it was clear to Romain that the case had to harmonize with the movement. It had to be contemporary and uncluttered. But not only that – comfort, ergonomics and the choice of materials also contributed to the design of this case made entirely of Grade 5 titanium. The dial, also of Grade 5 titanium, adds to the consistency of the piece and evokes a sense of continuity, as no circle completes the time indication.

Inspired by the finger bridges style, the design of the movement follows the watchmaking history of the Vallée de Joux, with a modern approach, reflecting Romain’s vision of the evolution of tradition.

Romain has endowed C with a stop-seconds – or hacking seconds – mechanism, allowing the wearer to set the time exactly according to a reference time.

Like many stop-seconds mechanisms, a brake is placed on C’s balance wheel when the crown is pulled out. But instead of using a straight or L-shaped balance stop lever to halt the balance, Romain has opted to employ a snail cam that performs a double function: It touches and stops the balance wheel when the crown is pulled out and, when the crown is pushed back in, the snail cam makes a turn, with its increasingly wide form giving the balance an impulse to help it start beating again.

Those familiar with the brand will know Romain has used the snail cam’s unique shape in his past creations: It appears on the watchmaker’s acclaimed Logical One.

In-house movement where design and decoration meet modernity

The themes of modernity and continuity carry over to the manual-winding, in-house movement, which is gloriously on show through the display back.

I am proud to own and represent this fine work for a long time now and it is from the very soul of the creator and the Vallee de Joux.

For more information : http://www.romaingauthier.com

“Logical One” (HYPERLINK TO DEDICATED PAGE)

“C” by Romain Gauthier, on titanium bracelet

$49,500