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develop that piece,’ says Smith, who makes around 10 watches a year.
‘When the time comes I sit down and design a complete watch from
start to fi nish, including a new mechanism, case design – every aspect.
One client told me the reason he wanted [a bespoke timepiece] was
because he knows he’s the only man in the world with that watch.’
Even in the grandes maisons of horology, watchmaking is a volume
game, and creating one-off pieces a resource-draining, uneconomic
enterprise. It can be diffi cult to track down a watchmaker that will
create something bespoke. But there are degrees of one-off . Just as with
tailored suits, a step down from custom-made comes customised. In
this area brands are often highly active, if rarely talkative on the subject
– this is a behind-closed-doors world in which requests will be
forwarded by dealers or made to the brand directly. Cartier, for
instance, has departments responsible for processing special requests,
which may range from particular engravings or jewel arrangements to a
watch in a special confi guration of materials and colours. Th e premiums
paid will vary according to the job, but may be substantial, with a
six-month minimum for completion.
One esteemed name that creates both unique watches from scratch
– around one exceptional piece per year – and customised models is
Vacheron Constantin. Its Atelier Cabinotiers department has around 40
projects on the go at any one time, ranging from simple embellishments
of existing models to the creation of massively complex bespoke pieces.
For example, last year it produced a watch, the Vladimir, on commission
for a private collector, with 17 complications, 890 components and dials
on both sides of the watch. Its case is embellished with beautifully carved
Zodiac signs. Its price is undisclosed, but certain to be in the millions.
Th is watch took four years to produce. Another will take twice that.
Th e Atelier Cabinotiers was launched in 2006, though the company’s
made-to-order services existed before this. ‘Vacheron Constantin has been
creating bespoke watches since its foundation,’ says the company’s artistic
director, Christian Selmoni, who points out that every project the atelier
undertakes must be approved by the brand’s ethical committee and the
CEO, Juan-Carlos Torres. ‘Our brand has always been close to collectors and
watch afi cionados and, in this respect, the atelier makes, we believe, total
sense.’ Total sense – as long as you’re prepared to be very, very patient.