SJX Watches
Yosuke Sekiguchi Debuts with the Primevère Wristwatch
The latest watchmaker to strike out on his own as a one-man operation is Yosuke Sekiguchi, a Japanese watchmaker who has spent his entire career in Switzerland. Based in Le Locle, Mr Sekiguchi spent several years at well-known complications specialists before starting on his namesake brand. His debut watch is the Primevère, a wristwatch that is uncompromising in its adherence to tradition, both in style and substance. Powered by a finely finished movement, the Primevère was inspired by the 19th century “Le Locle” style ebauche that LeCoultre supplied to several brands, most notably Jules Jurgensen. In fact, Mr Sekiguchi modelled the Primevère on an 1871 Jurgensen pocket watch that he restored and then re-cased into a wristwatch. Initial thoughts Mr Sekiguchi is one of several Japanese watchmakers working in Switzerland. Like a few of his compatriots, Mr Sekiguchi’s background is in complications and restoration. His reverence for high-quality Vallee de Joux movements of the 19th century is equally obvious in the eminently traditional layout of the movement. Mr Sekiguchi has done such a good job of recreating the original that the movement is difficult to distinguish from a 19th century calibre in both aesthetics and finishing at a distance. But up close the Mr Sekiguchi’s movement reveals a higher level of finishing and decorative extras than a 19th century original, which were often robust and workmanlike – the very qualities that drew Mr Sekiguchi to the...
