Personalities
What The World’s Watchmakers Think of the Swiss
The United States of America, Chase Fancher, Founder of Oak & Oscar
Since 2015, Chase Fancher has been the driving force behind Chicago-based Oak & Oscar, an accessibly priced brand making utilitarian, casual and well-made watches with a local touch. For Fancher, this means numerous trips to Switzerland, and a unique perspective on the global watch industry.
Finland, Stepan Sarpaneva, Founder of Sarpaneva Watches
Stepan Sarpaneva is proud of the fact that his watches are not for everyone. After a stint working for some of the best Swiss names in the business, Sarpaneva moved home to Finland and set up shop in Helsinki in 2003. Since then, he has refined his own unmistakable aesthetic. But still, Switzerland is unavoidable.
France, Pascal Coyon, Watchmaker
In 2012, Pascal Coyon, a watch and clock repairer based in Bayonne, in the southwest of France, started developing his own chronometer, made in the classical style. The calibers, based off the Unitas 6498 but so extensively and beautifully reworked as to be unrecognizable, have been tested at France’s Besançon Observatory. And while France has a rich tradition of watchmaking, Coyon is quick to note that the past does not reflect the current reality.
Australia, Reuben Schoots, Watchmaker
Australia is very low on the list of watchmaking countries, but that hasn’t stopped Reuben Schoots from following in the footsteps of George Daniels and making his own tourbillon- powered pocket watch, completely by hand. As anyone familiar with the concept of the tyranny of distance can imagine, it’s a task with unique challenges.
The Netherlands, Bart Grönefeld, Creator of Grönefeld: The Horological Brothers
Brothers Bart and Tim Grönefeld are third-generation watchmakers who have put the Netherlands on the horological map. The talented brothers spent their time in Switzerland, notably at Renaud et Papi, where they mastered the skills that would come to define their own watches, before returning home to found first a workshop and later, in 2008, their eponymous brand. But Switzerland, as Bart Grönefeld explains, will always be special.
“We knew as we didn’t have the Swiss Made ‘stamp’ on our dials we would be at a disadvantage. At the Baselworld fairs in 2010–2011, many customers asked if our watches were Swiss Made. If we said, ‘No sir, we are a brand located in the Netherlands,’ they just kept on walking to the next booth. We put a lot of effort into finding an aesthetic movement style when designing our second timepiece, the One Hertz. That style was well accepted by the collector community and we made it our own.”