Highlights: Independent Watchmaking at Marteau & Co
After its successful indie-focused First Strike auction last October, upstart auctioneer Marteau & Co is back with The Echo, an online-only auction that opens at noon Geneva time on March 12 with a focus on independent watchmaking. Marteau & Co was founded just last year, and one of its cofounders is Arthur Touchot, an industry veteran who spent several years as a journalist followed by a stint at a prominent auction house. Now all-in with Marteau, Mr Touchot brings his insider’s to Marteau, explaining its unique position in the market. The Swiss auctioneer sets itself apart with its intriguing “Maker’s Fee” concept, which rewards the maker of the timepiece with 3% of the hammer price for each watch sold, allowing a brand to benefit from the appreciation of its products. While artists’ resale rights, or droit de suite, is far from a new concept, and has been codified into law in the European Union and United Kingdom, Marteau & Co’s approach is the first instance of its application in watchmaking. Lot 1 – Daniel Roth Chronograph Ref. 2147 When Daniel Roth launched his eponymous brand in 1988, after helping revitalize Breguet, he also created the genre of independent watchmaking we know today, preceding even Franck Muller and F.P. Journe. With his double ellipse case design Roth pioneered the idea of building a brand around a single strong design language, a contrast to the menagerie offered by other high end brands of the time, an approach later followed by ot...
Time+Tide
