Since 2015, the Young Talent Competition allows discovering the next generation of most talented young watchmaking apprentices in the world, supports them in their route to independence by identifying their achievements and putting them under the spotlight.
F.P.Journe and the FHH aim to perpetuate and support the art of haute horology.
F.P.Journe awards the Prizes for the third year to the winning young talents, on Wednesday, 17 January 2018, during the press conference at the SIHH in Geneva.
The Young Talent Competition opened this contest to 47 international watchmaking schools in 14 different countries. The entry requirements were as follows:
– To be an apprentice watchmaker or to have completed an apprenticeship after August 31, 2014.
– To have independently conceived and constructed a watch, a clock, or a technical construction.
– To send photos / videos of the watch, clock or technical construction
– To attach a description of the timepiece’s characteristics
The jury of the Young Talent Competition 2018 is composed of key personalities from the international horological scene: Philippe Dufour, Giulio Papi, Andreas Strehler, Marc Jenni, Pascal Ravessoud, Michael Tay, Elizabeth Doerr and François-Paul Journe. Their selection criteria have been based on technical achievement, the search for complexity in their realization, their sense of design and aesthetics.
The 2018 winners receive a diploma and a CHF 3,000 grant from Horotec, which will allow them to purchase watchmaking tools. They have the privilege of presenting their creation at the FHH in Geneva. The FHH will offer them free access to the FHH Certification (the only worldwide recognized watchmaking knowledge certification), and a dedicated horological history course.
The winners 2018 are:
Charles Routhier, France, Halley
Age 24 – Morteau – France
Graduate from Lycée Edgar Faure in Morteau – July 2017
Project
Creation of a wrist-watch inspired by astronomy and bearing the name of the renowned comet Halley.
Technical Characteristics
Case: Steel diameter 42 mm, height 13.00 mm
Movement: 28’800 V/h, anchor escapement, 14 jewels
Functions: hours, minutes
Dial: Brass golden 5N and palladium, circled by hand, Onyx cabochon and metallic pearls, comet shaped balance spring bridge at 12h.
Specificities: Baseplate and bridges conceived and made by hand, the pin of the anchor is turned over and its small shaft is displaced in order to put the pendulum and its bridge into the shape of a comet on the dial. The time setting is made of only two parts which allows for a simple milling and assembly. The movement is made of 18 machined or reworked parts, without counting the cinematic, the sets of screws and pins.
Théo Auffret – Suisse, Tourbillon à Paris
Age 22 – Boudry – Switzerland
Graduate from Lycée Edgar Faure de Morteau – July 2016
Project
Construction of handmade Tourbillon regulator chronometer “à Paris” with traditional techniques.
Technical Characteristics
Case: Silver 38 mm diameter, thickness 11.5 mm, silver clasp
Movement: 14.5 lines, maillechort and steel bridges, spiral with Phillips curve, 18’000 V/h
Escapement: lateral anchor wheel from Jaeger LeCoultre approx 1920
Power reserve: 40 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes and 60 seconds cage
Dial: Hours in fine silver, circled, polished, hands turned by hand and filed, polished and blued
Bracelet: Alligator navy blue.
Specificities: The construction was studied in roder to prepare the piece for Chronometry in the easiest way, poising, setting. The sensitive watch organs have been specifically prepared to be solid and reliable (time setting, winding, click with large recoil. The goal being to make a solid and easy to wear watch on a daily basis.
Rémy Cools, France, Mechanica Tempus Pendulette Tourbillon
Age 20 – Morteau – France
Graduate from Lycée Edgar Faure in Morteau – July 2017
Project
Creation of a little whirlwind clock set on a foundation with parts from a little L’Epée clock and on a theme related to the great eras of watchmaking.
Technical Characteristics
Display of the hour and the minutes, display of the seconds by the tourbillon, winding and time-setting by key.
Dimensions: H 30 cm x L 20 cm x D 15 cm
Movement: Diameter 110 mm, thickness 30 mm
Dial: Diameter 60 mm, diameter sanded background 45 mm, circling on the periphery i.e 7.5 mm, fixation screws identify 3h and 9h
Indication: Hours and minutes, second indications from the Tourbillon, winding and time setting with key.
Specificities: Tourbillon cage 42 mm diameter doing a complete rotation in 60 seconds.
