A new release from independent makers Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat, this time-only example is their first uncomplicated watch focused entirely on developing their design and aesthetic identity.

When you imagine a watch, it’s likely that the image that first comes to mind is a simple three-handed example. How to make a memorable example in a sea of references from the past and present?

Quintessential and ubiquitous, the freedom from technical restraint also presents the greatest challenge. The pair mention that there were almost 25 potential shapes for the movement, and it was a long process to discover the best one, with an extended dialogue with their designer and many iterations before the final shape was determined.

Above all, their work is connected to and sits comfortably alongside shapes of the past. “The thing we say to people is that we’ve worked on a lot of beautiful watches, but so many of them don’t have open casebacks,” Petermann says. “But today, we have the chance to showcase the movement. We ask ourselves: if watchmakers from 200 years ago had the chance to create watches with open casebacks, what would they choose to show?”