In time with Time

When Steven M Holtzman set up Maitres du Temps in 2005, he described his brand as not so much a new watch company as an entirely new horological concept. Since then, he’s been showing the world what he means by working with master watchmakers to develop and craft his “Chapters”, incredible timepieces with a special “je ne sais quoi” that makes them stand out from other brands.
While a Chapter 4 is not expected this year, connoisseurs and collectors will recognise the superb artistry and technical mastery in the new versions of Chapters One, Two and Three.
“Because I have a different perspective, we don’t focus on new collections. Instead we pay attention to building on what we already have. At our assembly workshop, which is staffed by three highly qualified watchmakers, we still produce less than 150 timepieces a year,” says Holtzman, who was recently in Bangkok for the first time to introduce Maitres du Temps’ novelties together with a special timepiece designed exclusively for Thailand
Holtzman and his chief executive Christophe Viguerie spoke briefly to the press at Siam Paragon before rushing off to attend an exclusive gala dinner with a small group of Thailand’s watch connoisseurs.
This year Maitres du Temps is celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Chapter Two Original. The new Chapter Two Classique underlines the architectural aspects of the collection through its Art Deco inspired dial on which the bold indices majestically indicate the hours.
This timepiece, Holtzman explains, reminds him of his first visit to New York and his discovery of the Empire State Building. Built in the 1930s and located in the heart of Manhattan, the Art Deco architecture gives this 444-metre-tall mythical building a presence of incredible elegance. He was just 10 years old at the time and 30 years later the memory is still fresh.
The Chapter Two features an instantaneous triple calendar with a big date, thanks to the innovative high precision cylinders that makes it the most legible mechanical calendar wristwatch in the world.
The driving mechanism of the cylinders required important cognitive development and innovative techniques. The performance of the instantaneous change of the big date and the displays positioned on the two cylinders at 6 o’clock (day) and at 12 o’clock (month) proves the quality of this innovative concept.
The Chapter Two houses a Calibre SHC01 automatic winding mechanical movement, offering a 50-hour power reserve. The watch comes in a 58 mm case in 18-carat gold and six specially-shaped sapphire crystals with anti-reflective surface treatment – three on top of the case and three on the case back – offer a unique visual access to the cylinders and the movement mechanism. The intricate pannier guilloche decorating the rotor’s centre provides a noble counterpoint to the text around the rotor’s periphery that reads Masters and Their Craft—A Lifelong Pursuit of Excellence.
The Chapter Three Midnight Blue collection draws attention to the deep black colour of the dial, emphasising the classical aesthetic of the watch and the beauty of the guilloche finish. This new dial complements the choice of the existing silver and anthracite versions.
The tailor-made architecture of the movement also includes the opening and closing mechanism of the revealing dial panels. Incorporating this mechanism into the movement rather than the case allows for the complete optimisation of reliability.
This innovative and unique mechanism is patented. Using two cylinders instead of just one means that only 6 figures have to be engraved on the circumference of the cylinder and this offers the possibility for the figures to be twice as large and therefore twice as easy to read.
The ingenious mechanism of the opening of the dial has become the DNA of the Chapter Three. By pressing the pusher on the crown, the two concealed dial panels positioned at 12 and 6 are lowered then they smoothly slide under the dial thus revealing two additional and hidden time indications: a second time zone indication (also known as GMT) and a Day/Night indicator. By pressing again on the pusher of the crown, the two dial panels reposition themselves perfectly.
It is also the first watch model to have been manufactured entirely in the La Chaux-de-Fonds workshop. Equipped with manual winding mechanism movement, the 42mm case in an elegant round 18-carat gold case displays hours, minutes, seconds, date and moon phase. The hands in 18-carat solid gold and the dial boasts Roman numerals and a sunray guilloche.

BOX
Classics for the wrist
Maitres du Temps watches are distributed in Thailand by ST Dimension Watch Boutique on the M Floor of Siam Paragon.