A new adventure
Hazemann and Monnin's origin story is especially charming: they met during their first year of watchmaking school, at the Lycée Edgar Faure Morteau. Quickly becoming inseparable friends, they went on to work on their school watches as a joint project, with Hazemann winning the prestigious F. P. Journe Young Talent Competition in 2023.
Both come from families steeped in watchmaking — Hazemann fondly recalls being enamoured with a prototype Parmigiani watch his father once brought back home, while Monnin speaks proudly of his great-grandfather and grandfather’s eponymous brand and its connection to Heuer, and they each intend to carry on the torches of their family histories. It is unusual to see two watchmakers collaborating on their school watches, but it speaks to Hazemann and Monnin’s friendship and working relationship that they have managed to play to their strengths and deliver two astounding first watches.
The watch
Both watches share the same movement, featuring a chiming jump hour complication, but express their individual personalities through different dial aesthetics. The movement they initially used for their school watches was the LJP 6900 Calibre by La Joux-Perret, but with their Subscription pieces, they create each movement in-house. Featuring beautiful, frosted plates and a simple yet elegant placement of the bridges, the pair draw inspiration from traditional French aesthetics.
Monnin’s design pays tribute to more traditional styles, adding a layer of intrigue with its varied stone textures. Opting for an artistic expression, the watch favours a pared-back style, allowing the hues of pearl and green to stand out against the brushed grey tones of the base plate. The sub-dials overlap slightly with the main dial with arrow-tipped hands to mark the indications, and the circular gong runs around the outer section of the dial. Monnin's signature can be found on the inner side of the gong in cursive script, with the number of the watch placed asymmetrically on the outer side.
The way the gongs in both watches are tuned is especially notable, as the sound emanating from the watches is particularly clear and bright. These gongs are typically made from very hard tempered steel, and the sound is adjusted according to the individual watchmaker's ear. The Montre École Souscription watches feature a single component at the centre of the watch which performs multiple functions. This central snell wheel is referred to as the “grande bascule” by the pair. According to Hazemann & Monnin, “It accumulates energy by arming the striking hammer, and then releases the tension when the cam drops, once per hour.” This strikes the gong, producing a “clear and resonant sound that lasts around 3 to 4 seconds.”
Our story
We are excited to introduce this new collaboration between A Collected Man and Hazemann & Monnin. Intrigued by their vision and ambition, we look forward to seeing how they develop their innovative perspective.
A Collected Man is an authorised retailer for Hazemann & Monnin. If you would like to express your interest in either Montre École Souscription editions, please get in touch with one of our specialists.
If sold within the United Kingdom, this Hazemann-Monnin Montre École Souscription will be subject to 20% VAT
