SJX Watches
Stéphane Pierre’s Inaugural L’Impétrant is Bi-Retrograde
A new independent voice emerges with the L’Impétrant, the debut watch from Stéphane Pierre, combining a bi-retrograde time display with an architecturally distinctive movement. Put together by an all-star roster of specialists, the L’Impétrant is a fresh take on a familiar format. Initial thoughts The central question with any debuting independent is whether ambition matches execution. Stéphane Pierre’s L’Impétrant is quirky and eccentric - and just as importantly seems well made thanks to the efforts of some 20 contributing specialists across fields such as movement construction, machining, electroplating, stamping and finishing. Given the evergreen popularity of the high-end, time-only format, it may well find its audience. The L’Impétrant’s visual staple is a set of enormous 19 mm retrograde hands - one for the minutes and the other for the hours. The bi-retrograde complication is no longer uncommon, but The L’Impétrant’s overlapping arrangement of the hands, and the luxurious construction of the mechanism, is unusual, helping it stand out within this niche. The mastermind behind the L’Impétrant has had an unusual career. Stéphane Pierre originally trained as a mechanical engineer and, intriguingly, has spent time working for both the Swatch Group and in the military sector. The L’Impétrant is essentially a very high-end time-only watch, and as such it enters a crowded market. However, rather than just developing a basic time-only watch...
