It’s remarkable that, up until now, there were no feature-length explorations of contemporary watchmaking. That’s all set to change with the premiere, later this week, of Keeper of Time, a movie that showcases the personalities, the work and the wonder of independent watchmaking on the large screen.

A project of passion and directorial debut by film industry veteran Michael Culyba, Keeper of Time features the story of four famous independent watchmakers; Philippe Dufour, Roger W. Smith, François-Paul Journe and Max Büsser. But beyond telling the tales of these incredible watchmakers, Keeper of Time also explores the world and culture around the watches, speaking to prominent figures like Audemars Piguet’s Head of Complications Michael Friedman, renowned collector and dealer Eric Ku and author and enthusiast Gary Shteyngart, along with many more. What makes this documentary great is that Culyba goes beyond timekeepers and explores the meaning of time itself, gaining an historical perspective of time, speaking to academics, experts and theoretical physicists to make sense of the ticking of seconds.

Or, in the words of Culyba; “Within these objects lies mankind’s unending pursuit for precision, our need to create exquisite beauty and our quest for the divine. They are timeless instruments crafted as mesmerising mechanical art that represent the very best of our finite lives.”

The film premieres on April 28, at 5:45 Eastern Time (US), both physically and through livestream. The livestream will be replayed four times on April 29, to allow various global timezones to watch. The premiere will also include a Q and A moderated by Hodinkee’s Jack Forster and including alongside the director a range of featured personalities, including Benjamin Clymer, Michael Friedman, Gary Shteyngart, Antiquarian Horologist Brittany Nicole Cox.

Find out more, and purchase tickets at keeperoftimemovie.com