If you were to visit the workshop of Vianney Halter, without even meeting the man himself, it would quickly become apparent that he is no ordinary watchmaker. On the shelves, you can find scattered photographs of astronauts, dramatic science fiction film posters and intricate clocks dating back hundreds of years. Sitting on a hanger, you’d find his watchmaker’s apron, stitched with the profile of a cartoon character from the television series Futurama. Above it all, Halter has suspended a broken airplane, which he once flew through a storm and crashed, after being struck by lightning.

Existing somewhere between the past and the future, between reality and fiction, Halter has created watches over two decades which challenge our traditional notions of what horology should look like. This began with the Antiqua, in 1998, which split up the traditional perpetual calendar complication into separate subdials, united by a futuristic, steampunk aesthetic which was markedly different to anything else being made at the time. Though he has only produced a handful of watches throughout his career, his inventive and whimsical approach will likely have a far-reaching legacy. Having long been admirers of the watchmaker and his work, we thought we’d look back on his path, creations, and contribution to the field. Get your time machine ready.

The approach that Vianney Halter brings to horology is far from conventional, and the way he entered his profession certainly reflects that. Born in 1963 in Suresnes, France, into a family devoid of watchmakers, he claims that his fascination with watches and clocks began at a very young age. “I would say that before the age of ten I was already playing with clocks,” Halter tells us. His father was a train conductor, which helped to fuel Halter’s passion for all things mechanical.

He began studying at the Ecole Horlogère de Paris, at the age of fourteen, which was one year earlier than other students were typically allowed to enrol. Due to his clear passion for the subject and the difficulty he was experiencing at his more traditional school, they allowed him to leave a year early, and begin his journey into watchmaking. Halter describes the difference between the two establishments as “night and day”, not only in terms of enjoyment, but also engagement.