Simon Brette grew up in the Auvergne region of France, the son of a carpenter, where meticulous handiwork was part of daily life. He went on to study engineering in watchmaking in Neuchâtel (graduating in 2011) and built his early career working for some of the most inventive independent marques—Chronode under Jean-François Mojon, then at MCT, and later MB&F. In 2021, inspired in part by concern for the often-invisible artisans in the industry, Brette decided to forge his own path. His first watch, the Chronomètre Artisans Souscription, was launched in 2023 in a limited edition of 12 pieces. The debut was a 39mm timepiece in zirconium, with a hand-engraved “dragon-scale” solid red gold dial, twin barrels giving a three-day power reserve and extraordinary hand finishing on both visible and hidden movement components. Letters, screws, bridges, setting levers were all attended to with artisanal care. The watch thereafter not only sold out instantly through a souscription model, but also earned the Horological Revelation Prize at the 2023 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).

Brette’s watches merge classical horology with a distinctly modern spirit. His creations draw on the traditions of marine chronometers, classical finishing and observatory-style hands, but introduce a contemporary edge through open-worked architecture and visible mechanics. Beyond the accolades, Brette practices an artisan-centric transparency, openly crediting the individual craftspeople behind each component, fostering community and respect within an often-opaque industry.

Simon Brette (Image: GPHG)

Simon Brette’s rise signals several shifting currents: collectors increasingly value craftsmanship and transparency; small makers are competing on story, quality and detail rather than scale; and tools of modern communication (social media, direct-to-collector models) are enabling independents to flourish.