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Prime
Time
Bespoke watches may be nothing new,
but in the last few years, a one-off
timepiece has become the last word
in luxury, says Timothy Barber.
Illustration by Helen Musselwhite
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IN 1783, ABRAHAM-LOUIS BREGUET BEGAN WORK ON
a timepiece that would seal his reputation as history’s fi nest watchmaker.
It was commissioned as a gift to the French queen, Marie Antoinette, a
great fan of his work. It was to be the most spectacular piece of horology
ever created, but by the time the watch was completed, both Marie
Antoinette and Breguet himself were dead: the job took 45 years.
Today things are a little diff erent. Roger Smith, a modern-day maestro
who works with a small team in his atelier on the Isle of Man, is able to
create a bespoke piece in a relatively sprightly two or three years – although
clients will spend seven years on his waiting list before work even starts.
You should set aside a decade – and a minimum of £200,000 – if you have
your heart set on one of his bespoke masterpieces. And masterpieces they
are: since his mentor Dr Charles Smith passed away last October, there are
many who regard Smith as the fi nest watchmaker in the world. His unique
talent is that he can produce every element of a watch – from the tiniest
cogs and pinions to the decorated dial and case – in his studio.
‘First of all we have to work out a basic specifi cation for the watch,
and I go away, sketch out some ideas and come up with a basic price to