Results for Bradley Taylor

Canadian Watchmaker Bradley Taylor Introduces the Ardea

Introducing - The New Bradley Taylor Ardea, With Retrograde Seconds Indication

Our search for the most intriguing artisanal, independent watchmakers takes us to the far corners of the world. While the majority is still in or around Switzerland, we regularly take virtual excursions to Japan, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and beyond. Back in 2021, we introduced you to Bradley Taylor, an upcoming, talented watchmaker based in Vancouver, […]

Canadian Watchmaker Bradley Taylor Returns with the Ardea

A Vancouver native who studied watchmaking in Switzerland, Bradley Taylor spent the last four years working on his own movement, an endeavour that is has finally in the Ardea. Manually wound with three hands, the Ardea is powered by a hand-made movement made by Mr Taylor, who incorporated a retrograde seconds, setting this apart from the high-end time-only watches that are now common. Mr Taylor made his debut with time-only watches that were powered by high-quality, but essentially stock, Vaucher movements. The Ardea, in contrast, is of his own making. He fabricated his own movement by building on the vintage Omega cal. 30T2 architecture and then making most of the watch himself, right down to the guilloche dial and solid gold wheels of the gear train. Mr Taylor’s attention to detail extends to surprising aspects of the watch, like the platinum applied numerals in a custom typeface. Initial thoughts The Ardea, and especially its movement, is the product of substantial manual craftsmanship. From milling to filing to drilling to polishing – Mr Taylor does almost all of it himself and has documented the process with many photos and videos. As a result, the Ardea is more artisanal than other recent indie creations that are engineer-conceived timepieces, and Mr Taylor deserves credit. Tapping the main plate Applying guilloche to the dial ring with a hand-cranked rose engine Mr Taylor’s choice of movement construction is not surprising, since the Omega cal. 30T2 architectu...

Introducing: The Bradley Taylor Ardea

What We Know Bradley Taylor, a Canadian independent watchmaker working out of a 1,000-square-foot workshop in North Vancouver, has released the Ardea, his third watch and first with an in-house movement. Taylor, a rising talent in the space, trained in Le Locle under Henrik Korpela, earned a Patek Philippe Level II service certification in Geneva, and produced two sold-out series before beginning work on the Ardea in late 2023. The Ardea is offered in stainless steel or platinum 950 and measures 37.8mm in diameter with a 46.4mm lug-to-lug and a thickness of 10.9mm, including the crystals. The sapphire caseback is very slightly domed for wrist comfort, and the watch is rated to 5 ATM.  The dial is 925 sterling silver, engine-turned on a rose engine that Taylor estimates is roughly 120 years old, and he restored it over three months. The pattern is a 36-scallop rosette with a progressive phase shift between each concentric pass, producing a characterful swirling texture. After the engraving, the dial is depletion-gilded, a silversmithing process that involves repeated heating and acid treatment until the dial's surface is pure silver. It is then sealed with Zapon lacquer. The text and markings are pad-printed on a Tampoprint machine that Taylor also restored himself. The applied numerals are machined from solid platinum and hand-polished to a spherical shape. The dial lettering and wordmark were designed by Ian Brignell, a Toronto typographer whose work includes the Paramou...

Canadian Independent Bradley Taylor Debuts the Lutria

Having learnt the trade in Switzerland before stints at brands like Patek Philippe, Bradley Taylor eventually returned home to Canada and began a new career in independent watchmaking. His inaugural venture was a partnership, but last year he went solo under his own name and debuted the Paragon. A small-run limited edition that’s already sold out, the Paragon was classically styled and Vaucher-powered, which also describe the Mr Taylor’s next watch, the Lutria. Although executed in a similar manner to its predecessor, the Lutria opts for fancier dials in striking colours – including  “salmon” and a blueish-green inspired by the ocean view from Vancouver – that are decorated with traditional guilloche. Initial thoughts A formula that works especially well in independent watchmaking is simplicity done with finesse, which is what Mr Taylor’s work is all about. Both the Paragon and Lutria rely on top-shelf suppliers for the dial and movement, while also incorporating design characteristics unique to his brand, namely the typography that was developed by a fellow Canadian. So if you liked the Paragon, you’ll probably feel the same about the Lutria. The two share the same case and movement, but are quite different. The Lutria is paradoxically simpler yet more elaborate: it reduces the hour markers and does away with the seconds hand but adds colour and engine turning into the mix. The reduction in dial furniture complements the dial decoration, which is entire...

Watchmaker Bradley Taylor Debuts with the Paragon

Young Canadian watchmaker Bradley Taylor has just made his debut with the Paragon. Having trained as a watchmaker in Switzerland, as well as gaining Patek Philippe and Hublot watchmaking certification, Mr Taylor’s eponymous brand grew out of his earlier venture, a two-man partnership similarly focused on a concise, well-executed watch. Very much a made-in-Canada wristwatch, the Paragon is a classical time-only that’s assembled and partially finished by Mr Taylor in his home workshop. Mr Taylor produces the hands himself, while most of the other components are produced by specialists in Switzerland, including Comblémine, the dial maker owned by Kari Voutilainen. But Mr Taylor has been careful to incorporate local details into the watch. Canadian graphic designer Ian Brignell was responsible for the Paragon’s Arabic numerals, and even the square-slot case back screws are Canadian in origin. The Paragon in purple and pale blue Initial thoughts There are times when it feels like the luxury-watch has become too successful for its own good – endless waitlists and steep price premiums for the hottest watches, as well as astronomical results at auction. At the same time, consumers often seem more concerned with resale value rather than the intrinsic value of craft. So it’s heartening to see the rise of niche independent watchmakers in the US$20,000-ish price range, such as Kikuchi Nakagawa, and now Bradley Taylor. Their work reminds me what watchmaking can be – the...