Hervé Schlüchter
Hervé Schlüchter was born in the Jura, in the western part of Switzerland, close to the French border. He attended the watchmaking school in Porrentruy and spent much of his career, between 2000 and 2016, working for the Bovet brand, becoming director of Dimier.
2016 was the turning point: with the death of his father and the birth of his first child, he decided to change his life, become independent and have his own workshop. But before going ahead, Hervé needed to learn more about classical watchmaking, finishing and decoration with Philippe Dufour.
It was a deeply emotional moment, and I realised that I wanted to change my life and free myself from the great pressure of everyday life.
After a meeting at Dufour's workshop in the Vallée de Joux, arranged by a mutual friend, Philippe agreed to share with Hervé some of the secrets that have made him one of the leading figures in today's watchmaking world.
He has a very distinctive personal style in the way he carries out watchmaking work. It is not like a copy of an old Swiss watch; it is really something new, and for watchmaking in general, said Dufour.
At the age of 44, Hervé finally became independent and opened his workshop in Bienne.
With a philosophy slightly different from that of his larger, more automated neighbours, Hervé seeks artisanal perfection in his watches, which are sometimes made with the help of century-old machines. All of this takes place in a 50-square-metre building at Villa Renfer.
“Now I make watches with respect for history, in my own studio; I am finally living my dream”, said Schlüchter
Schlüchter and his team, made up of one full-time employee and one trainee, created the first watch of his brand. The brand's concept is linked to the “Tree of Life”. This first model, named L'Essentiel, has a 39mm case, a 24-hour disc and a day and night indication. Inside, it houses the calibre HS-02. This movement took 11 months to make and has 235 components, the great majority of which are made and finished in his workshop.
Some say that Hervé already stands alongside Philippe Dufour and Kari Voutilainen.
The first piece is L'Essentiel, which has a diameter of 39mm and a 24-hour disc. 25 L'Essentiel watches will be made in steel, priced at 78,000CHF.
Most incredible of all, all 25 L'Essentiel watches have already been sold, with buyers paying at least half of the price in advance. It is a system the industry calls “souscription”, or subscription, which was used in the 17th century by Abraham-Louis Breguet. A gold version will follow, also limited to 25 pieces.
It is now expected that 2024 will see the launch of the “Father” watch, the 41mm L'Essentiel tourbillon in steel, priced at 184,000CHF. The seconds indication will be combined with a tourbillon, with a power reserve at 9 o'clock.
In 2026, the “Grandfather”, L'Existence in steel, will be launched for 345,000CHF.
Schlüchter has applied for a patent for his complication, Quantieme de Vie, which consists of a large hand on the back of the watch that makes one small jump per year on any chosen date, completing a full circle in 100 years. The watch also features 13 traditional complications, including a perpetual calendar; a precision moon phase; an equinox calendar; a sidereal zodiac, based on the position of the Sun in relation to the constellations; and sunrise and sunset times for a given location.
We eagerly await this forthcoming work of art.
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