SJX Watches
In-Depth: Ferdinand Berthoud Tests the Limits of ‘Hand Made’
Few brands approach marine chronometer-style wristwatches with the intensity of Ferdinand Berthoud (FB). Fewer still have the capacity to produce a watch that is truly hand made. The brand has leaned into these strengths to good effect with the Naissance d’une Montre 3, which is perhaps the most labour-intensive wristwatch ever created. Marking the third official chapter of the Time Æon Foundation’s Naissance d’une Montre project, the Montre 3 is the byproduct of a six year quest to thoroughly document the steps required to make a chain and fusee wristwatch using only hand-operated tools. While the production of the Montre 3 involves more than 80 individuals from both FB and its parent Chopard, the labour involved equates to roughly a full year’s work for five people to produce each of the 11 pieces that will be made in the coming years. Initial thoughts It’s easy to feel jaded about the smoke and mirrors of luxury watch marketing, with terms like ‘hand made’ and ‘in-house’ used all too freely, making it difficult to separate the signal from the noise. Make no mistake, the Montre 3 is, in some ways, what all traditional haute horlogerie watches aspire to be, and takes the concept of hand craftsmanship to its absolute limit. The Montre 3 is neither inventive nor complicated, but the intrinsic quality of its construction is immediately obvious and breathtaking in its own right. To some extent, the simplicity of the 44.3 mm white gold case demonstrates the ...
