Indie Watchmaker Simon Brette is Merging Haute Horology with High Jewelry
After winning the Horological Revelation Prize at the 2023 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) with Chronomètre Artisans, independent watchmaker Simon Brette has his eyes set on his most ambitious project yet.
You won the GPHG Revelation Prize and had your watch appear at the Oscars the same year you launched your brand. How does it feel?
I'm proud and happy. The second baby will be coming in soon. I'm so lucky. Of course, there’s pressure, but this is my job, I’ve been doing this for 12 years. I have to ensure the customer receives the watches in time at the expected level of quality. The challenge is to stay at the top. So, the next few years will be tough.
What are some new things you're working on?
The novelty for this year’s Watches and Wonders is a piece unique. It's very special to me because it explores the connection between high horology and high jewelry. The result is something quite unexpected. A friend challenged me to create a women’s piece – Chronomètre Artisans Subscription – which was quite an exercise. I find it unexpected that, oftentimes, the people who like high horology don’t enjoy high jewelry that much. So, my idea was to merge these two because the craftsmen who are making all these beautiful creations have so much knowledge. The idea behind this unique piece was to highlight the people who value both high horology and high jewelry – and we have to care about that. By doing so, we are trying to open a door for those who might not share the appreciation for these things.
What can we expect from the brand next?
I will try to give a second life to the Chronomètre Artisan – we’ll go with titanium first and rose gold after that. Every year, we'll launch a new color, dial, engraving, and material for the case. The idea is to make sure that many people can enjoy this watch. The next step will be to create a new complication by 2027. With this, we’ll do the same thing and add different colors and materials. The first Subscription – a small edition – follows the same path, but instead of 99 pieces (which was the case with Chronomètre Artisan), it will be even more exclusive – closer to 50 pieces of each variation. We also have another complication that I'm working on. We’ll try to make it in the way that we enjoy – with the best level of finishing, while also respecting and promoting craftsmanship and making our customers happy.