Atelier de Chronométrie has made its debut at the Only Watch auction, presenting an absolutely stunning handmade timepiece to raise funds for Duchenne muscular dystrophy research. The AdC21 model is not part of a collection and was specifically designed for the charitable Only Watch auction. Like other watches by this independent brand, it evokes the vintage design of the 1930s-1940s with an elegant two-tone sector dial and a pink gold case. This exquisite unique watch, powered by a heavily reworked vintage Omega 283 caliber, is expected to attract significant interest at the auction.
With its French name, you might mistake it for a Swiss or even French watch brand. However, Atelier de Chronométrie is a Spanish company. Founded in 2014 in Barcelona, Atelier de Chronométrie creates unique handmade watches using artisanal methods and restored vintage chronometer mechanisms. Just two years after its inception, the independent brand released the AdC1 model - an Observatoire Chronométre chronometer certified by the Besançon Observatory in France. This chronometer was the first in Spanish watchmaking history to receive such a certification. In 2020, the AdC8 model, the brand's first split-chronograph with a beautifully restored vintage Venus 185 case, was nominated for the GPHG. The meteoric rise of Atelier de Chronométrie is the work of a small team led by creative director Santiago Martinez, a vintage watch dealer. Eduard Mercadé and Moebius Rassman are watchmakers with a decade of experience in watch restoration, while Victor and Helio Gonzalez are case-making masters.
PINK GOLD CASE AND SECTOR DIAL
Participating for the first time in the Only Watch exhibition, Atelier de Chronométrie wanted to create something symbolic to represent human warmth and the noble purpose of the auction. The team decided that the best metal to convey warmth was pink gold. The handcrafted case made of 18-carat pink gold has a modest size of 37 mm and features elegant stepped lugs in a vintage style, a concave bezel, and a case back. The large pink gold crown is also handmade, as is the clasp. The contrasting matte and polished surfaces enliven the silhouette of the watch.
The combination of warm pink gold with a two-tone pink dial creates a "pink on pink" palette - another nod to vintage watches. The sector-style dial without numerals, with precise concentric geometry, exudes sophisticated minimalism. The leaf-shaped hour and minute hands in pink gold are handmade, with the minute hand elegantly curving to point to the darker minute track. The central second hand is made of blued steel and also curves at the tip to point to the outermost second track.
UPDATED VINTAGE CALIBER
The AdC21 Only Watch is equipped with caliber 21, a reworked vintage Omega 283 ébauche, with the addition of a central second hand (also known as an indirect central second hand). To match the warm pink gold case, the bridges are coated in pink gold and polished by hand. Silver accents, created by the rhodium-plated wheels, polished teeth of the crown, and ratchet wheel, contrast with the pink gold bridges in an undisputedly simple yet beautiful mechanism. Other exquisite hand-finishing techniques include anglage, perlage, colimaçon, polished countersinks, and black polishing. Four 18-carat pink gold weights regulate the pace of the free-sprung steel balance wheel. The manually wound movement, operating at a frequency of 18,000 vph/2.5 Hz, provides a power reserve of 43 hours.
Established in 2005, Only Watch is a biennial event raising funds for muscular dystrophy research - Association Monégasque Contre les Myopathies (AMM). The watches for the 9th edition, organized under the patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, will be auctioned at Christie's on Saturday, November 6, 2021. More information is available at www.onlywatch.com.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS - UNIQUE PIECE ATELIER DE CHRONOMÉTRIE ADC21
Case: 37 mm diameter - 18-carat pink gold, matte and polished - stepped lugs, concave bezel, and case back - handmade 18-carat pink gold crown - sapphire crystal front and back
Dial: two-tone pink sector dial - handmade 18-carat pink gold hour and minute hands, blued central second hand
Movement: caliber 21 based on heavily modified Omega 238 ébauche - manually wound with indirect central second hand - 18,000 vph - 43-hour power reserve - 18-carat pink gold-coated bridges and rhodium-plated wheels - free-sprung balance wheel regulated by 4 pink gold weights - hand-finished throughout
Strap: brown and black leather straps - handmade 18-carat pink gold clasp
Availability: unique piece for Only Watch 2021
Price: Estimated CHF 35,000 - 55,000 (~38,000 - 60,000 USD)