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拍品专文
Kari Voutilainen’s superbly conceived ‘Observatoire’ wristwatch was awarded the Grand Prix d’Horologerie de Genève 2007. Its stunning looks and incredible level of finish combine with a movement of historic precision capabilities in this Voutilainen classic.
The present platinum cased example is one of a very limited number to have been especially made with left-hand winding. Furthermore, the superb handmade dial was specifically created for this edition with an inverse layout on a gold plate with blue finish. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a left-handed ‘Observatoire’ to be offered at auction.
The ‘Observatoire’ is a very special watch even among Kari Voutilainen’s exceptional catalogue. As the name suggests, this timepiece is all about extreme timekeeping accuracy, a homage to the famous observatory chronometers entered into the precision timekeeping competitions in Geneva and Neuchatel in the 20th century. By lucky chance, Kari Voutilainen found several Peseux caliber 260 movements which had never been assembled. These Observatory caliber Peseux were originally made only for testing purposes and never commercially produced for public sale. The discovery of this group of movements inspired Voutilainen to create a very limited series of wristwatches using theses remarkable Peseux base calibers. Naturally, each movement had to be technically adjusted and tested before being finished with hand anglage and perlage to bring the aesthetic finish up to the highest levels. To quote Kari Voutilainen directly: “The surfaces of pinions and wheels were completely true and highly polished and with exceptionally even tolerances; springs were pre-tested and hand chosen, the dimensions of shafts and bearings perfectly realized. Watches such as these, created solely for accuracy and nothing else, are capable of a mean accuracy of only tenths of a second per week, something virtually unheard of in present day mechanical watchmaking.”
Kari Voutilainen Born in Finland in 1962, he completed his initial watchmaker's training at the renowned watchmaking school of Tapiola in Finland. A stint at Switzerland's prestigious international watchmaking school WOSTEP in Neuchâtel, Switzerland in 1990 led to work at the Atelier of Parmigiani, where he worked for nine years, followed by a few years of work as a watchmaking teacher for WOSTEP. Following his passion, and in order to preserve this highly prized tradition, Kari Voutilainen established his own business as an independent Artist Watchmaker in the village of Môtiers in 2002.
The present platinum cased example is one of a very limited number to have been especially made with left-hand winding. Furthermore, the superb handmade dial was specifically created for this edition with an inverse layout on a gold plate with blue finish. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a left-handed ‘Observatoire’ to be offered at auction.
The ‘Observatoire’ is a very special watch even among Kari Voutilainen’s exceptional catalogue. As the name suggests, this timepiece is all about extreme timekeeping accuracy, a homage to the famous observatory chronometers entered into the precision timekeeping competitions in Geneva and Neuchatel in the 20th century. By lucky chance, Kari Voutilainen found several Peseux caliber 260 movements which had never been assembled. These Observatory caliber Peseux were originally made only for testing purposes and never commercially produced for public sale. The discovery of this group of movements inspired Voutilainen to create a very limited series of wristwatches using theses remarkable Peseux base calibers. Naturally, each movement had to be technically adjusted and tested before being finished with hand anglage and perlage to bring the aesthetic finish up to the highest levels. To quote Kari Voutilainen directly: “The surfaces of pinions and wheels were completely true and highly polished and with exceptionally even tolerances; springs were pre-tested and hand chosen, the dimensions of shafts and bearings perfectly realized. Watches such as these, created solely for accuracy and nothing else, are capable of a mean accuracy of only tenths of a second per week, something virtually unheard of in present day mechanical watchmaking.”
Kari Voutilainen Born in Finland in 1962, he completed his initial watchmaker's training at the renowned watchmaking school of Tapiola in Finland. A stint at Switzerland's prestigious international watchmaking school WOSTEP in Neuchâtel, Switzerland in 1990 led to work at the Atelier of Parmigiani, where he worked for nine years, followed by a few years of work as a watchmaking teacher for WOSTEP. Following his passion, and in order to preserve this highly prized tradition, Kari Voutilainen established his own business as an independent Artist Watchmaker in the village of Môtiers in 2002.