David Candaux, an independent watchmaker and member of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) since 2019, is thought to be some of the gifted creators in up to date horology. To know and respect his work, it is very important keep in mind his skilled journey and the philosophy that infuses his timepieces with distinctive character, and the DC1 Titanium Inclined Tourbillon we’ve had the pleasure to deal with, his newest creation, is a watch that exemplifies Candaux‘s modern spirit and technical prowess.
Who’s David Candaux, and a have a look at his work
Born right into a lineage of grasp watchmakers within the Vallée de Joux, David Candaux started his formal coaching in 1994 when, at simply 15 years previous, he commenced an apprenticeship with Jaeger-LeCoultre whereas finding out on the Technical Faculty of the Vallée de Joux (ETVJ). Throughout that point, he met with Günter Blümlein, then a towering influence in the watchmaking world back then, and Henry-John Belmont, then CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, a passionate chief. Each formed Candaux’s strategy and impressed his “Le Coeur et l’Esprit” (“The Coronary heart and Thoughts”) philosophy, a steadiness of technical excellence and soulful artistry that defines his work.
Upon finishing his research in 1998, Candaux naturally joined Jaeger-LeCoultre, the place he started his profession within the restoration of vintage timepieces. By 2001, he was main the coaching division, and in 2004, he went to the Technical Workplace to give attention to growing and finishing grand issues. Throughout this era, he contributed to a number of necessary JLC creations, together with the Reverso Grande Complication à Triptyque, the Grasp Minute Repeater Antoine LeCoultre, and the Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie.
After 17 years with Jaeger-LeCoultre, he left the corporate in 2011 Candaux to start out working as an unbiased with different esteemed manufacturers alongside a couple of companions, together with his father, Daniel Candaux – with whom he continues to work immediately. Among the many notable initiatives he contributed to had been the Van Cleef & Arpels Poetic Want, that includes a five-minute repeater mechanism, and the Fonderie 47 Inversion Precept, which mixed a leaping hour, retrograde minutes, and a tourbillon escapement. He’s listed as an inventor for Bovet‘s Dimier 1738, Chronometrie Ferdinand Berthoud, whereas his most publicized contribution is his work on the MB&F HM6 Space Pirate.
Throughout his “freelance” years, David Candaux met Philippe Dufour, a legendary figure in the world of horology and a close to neighbour. In Dufour’s workshop, the 2 mentioned watchmaking, and the dialog proved transformative. “I spotted I needed to create my very own watch – the one I had been envisioning for years,” Candaux recollects.
This revelation culminated in 2017 with the debut of the DC1, the first watch under the eponymous David Candaux brand. A chunk of originality, the DC1 featured a particular “magic” push-button crown positioned at 6 o’clock, a 30-degree inclined flying tourbillon at 9 o’clock reverse the hour-and-minutes subdial, and what’s believed to be the world’s first motion incorporating titanium elements.
The DC6 sequence adopted in 2019, notable for its intricately guilloché-decorated dial. In 2021, Candaux introduced the DC7, with a extra conventional central hour and minutes palms and the tourbillon at 12 o’clock. Anticipation is constructing for the discharge of the DC12, which might be launched in 2025. Within the meantime, let’s take a more in-depth have a look at the not too long ago unveiled DC1 Titanium, an up to date model of the inaugural mannequin and a watch that displays the watchmaker’s coronary heart and soul.
The brand new David Candaux DC1 Titanium
The 65-gram-only DC1 titanium, the mannequin’s newest iteration, is housed in a particular basin-shaped case crafted from grade 5 titanium, a fabric David Candaux considers supreme for contemporary watchmaking. Its properties – resistance to ageing, corrosion, and injury, in addition to being antimagnetic, thermally steady, and light-weight – make it a pure selection for his creations.
The case design is something however standard, with an uneven silhouette outlined by a large, sloping bezel, a harmonious mix of curves and angles, and Candaux’s signature magic crown at 6 o’clock. This retractable-by-push crown, comprised of 31 elements, is a centrepiece of the design for each motion and the watch general. Although its performance is fundamental – winding and time-setting, the crown’s ingenious design invitations interplay as if it holds a secret ready to be found. In a approach, it does – its magic lies within the artistry and precision of its mechanics.
The DC1 just isn’t a small watch, measuring 43.9mm in diameter and 12.9mm in thickness, but its curved lugs (one piece for the left and one for the appropriate aspect, affixed by screws) assist it to sit down comfortably on the wrist. The interaction of matte or satin finishes and hand-polished surfaces provides a contact of refinement, whereas the titanium building enhances sturdiness and class.
Beneath the asymmetrical sapphire crystal with tinted anti-reflective coating, the dial – a considerate mixture of textures, supplies, and particulars – slopes from high to backside, a design selection meant to “improve the consolation of studying the time by optimizing the wearer’s visual field.” This strategy evokes the practicality of a driver’s watch, decreasing the necessity for wrist motion to test the time.
The primary dial floor, held in place by two seen screws, is crafted from 3N 18-carat yellow gold, hand-grained to create a refined, textured end. At 3 o’clock, the time show is a domed, upside-down saucer-like subdial product of luminous white opal. This subdial includes a crisp sprint minute monitor and hour markers organized as a mix of outward-pointing, arrow-shaped white-gold indices on the cardinal positions, with the remaining hours marked by pad-printed Arabic numerals. Warmth-blued white-gold syringe-shaped palms guarantee clear legibility, and a elegant ring encircles the subdial, including a body to the composition.
The identical ring we discover framing an aperture at 9 o’clock, the place a single-axis, titanium bi-plan flying tourbillon with steadiness inclined at 30 levels in relation to the blued titanium cage, a signature Candaux’s aspect which since introduction in 2017 has been a part of each mannequin the watchmaker launched, comes into view. Within the dial’s centre, the big, blued seconds hand, made by stamping from bronze, reaches out to the sting the place the seconds monitor is, and the hand is coupled on to the ending gear for easy operating. On the high, a small, framed sector-like window is for the ability reserve indication. One thing we can not see, however it employs a conic camshaft system, and the ability is delivered through a double-winding barrel, which supplies 55 hours of autonomy.
The DC1’s sapphire caseback gives a surprising view of the impeccably completed motion, with its titanium bridges inclined at 3 levels. These bridges are adorned with the model’s signature Côtes du Solliat stripes, their sharp bevels catching the sunshine with a radiant shine. A gold medallion that includes the model’s emblem—a bear’s head, a tribute to Candaux’s Vallée de Joux roots which additionally seems on the crown and dial—is affixed with two screws.
In line with the inclined bridges, the wheels are additionally tilted at 3 levels, reinforcing the watch’s technical concord. Different beautiful particulars embrace a gold plate engraved and grained with the watch’s quantity, gold chatons, polished countersinks, and masterful chamfering and anglage ap plied for a rare visible impact.
The caseback is engraved with the markings “Tourbillon 30°,” “David Candaux,” and “Waterproof 30M.” Throughout the bridges, the inscriptions “D. Candaux” and “Le Solliat” additional emphasize the watch’s origins and craftsmanship, finishing the evident creative and technical brilliance.
Spending time with the DC1 Titanium, it turns into clear that the case completely enhances the distinctive dial design. It’s exhausting to think about such a configuration working in a extra standard timepiece. Probably the most gratifying facet of this watch is its give attention to the basics – regardless of the technical marvels of the magic crown and the inclined tourbillon, the attention is of course drawn first to the time show – a tribute to the first operate of a watch and a testomony to Candaux’s considerate design philosophy.
The David Candaux DC1 Titanium is obtainable on a home made brown alligator leather-based strap, closed with a folding clasp in titanium and gold, with an engraved David Candaux emblem. It’s a restricted version of 24 items; the value is to be confirmed but count on round EUR 210,000. Whereas certainly not a watch for everybody to buy, it has a number of considerate attraction to admire its creator´s imaginative and prescient. For extra, go to DavidCandaux.com.
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