Bringing Experience to the table
Having worked in the watchmaking industry for over 20 years before starting his brand, Sylvain Pinaud’s experience is extensive as it is colourful, with his independent workshop simply the culmination of his creative and technical watchmaking journey so far.
His experience is evident in his watches, demonstrating mastery of craft and a sharp focus on carefully chosen details. The Origine is the second watch from Pinaud, following up on his Chronographe. It inherits several aesthetic cues, such as the semi-openworked dial, and industrial, yet contained style he has developed. What makes this watch especially remarkable is the innovative rearrangement of the movement to put the balance wheel at the front of the dial, evidence of his ability to turn the tables on convention. Pinaud mentions that bringing the wheel to the front of the movement was tricky, as it required him to rethink and redesign the gear trains which connected to the time telling functions.
According to Pinaud, the watch is named “Origine” not only because he drew inspiration from the early days of watchmaking, but it was inspired after spending some time with his father in his hometown – he wanted to remember his roots, where he came from, and “that everyone has an origin”. His method of design is also especially unusual, as his focus is on the design of the watch first, before working on the movement and figuring out how to bring his ideas to life.
The Origine won the Horological Revelation Prize in 2022 at the GPHG Awards, in recognition of his talent as an emerging independent watchmaker and his remarkable watch. This edition is part of a special collaboration with A Collected Man, featuring a unique colourway and more minimalist appearance.
A Collaborative Conversation
This unique piece is the first of five separate examples commissioned by A Collected Man, with each piece having a slightly different approach to Pinaud's distinct style.
"What drew me in from the beginning was that A Collected Man came with a clear vision, an aesthetic direction that was subtly different. It didn’t break with the design DNA of my watch, but it brought something distinct and recognizable. These five pieces share a common spirit, yet they clearly stand apart from the other Origines," Pinaud says. "I truly appreciated that the team remained true to their ideas, while always engaging in a constructive dialogue to find workable solutions. It challenged me and the team to approach this first piece differently, and I have no doubt we’ll face similar challenges for the next four, I’m genuinely looking forward to it."
The Case
The case is constructed from platinum, which Pinaud has reserved for special orders and unique pieces. Measuring 40mm in diameter, the case is polished to a mirror finish. The bezel has rounded edges, while the lugs extend from the midcase and curve gently downwards. The reverse of the case has “Sylvain Pinaud” and “Artisan Horloger” engraved, as well as a mark that indicates that it is constructed from platinum.
The Dial Side
This dial is the first example to be made entirely in-house at Pinaud's workshop. The aim was to create a classic configuration in terms of colourway, paring back certain elements and highlighting Pinaud's singular style of finishing. A bi-chromatic colour scheme was chosen – rose-gold and grey – to give the watch a more modern appearance, while some elements have been further shifted for a minimalist effect. Pinaud mentions that one of the references used was a watch from the early 19th century. "At that time, dials were of great simplicity, designed for legibility, with a discreet elegance and without artifice," he says. "This is exactly what I'm looking for in a watch: a balance between function and form, where every detail has a meaning, without ever yielding to excess."
Special attention has been paid to achieve the perfect shade of grey and texture of the matte finishing. These contrast beautifully with the polished elements, and circular brushing has also been applied throughout – the first time that Pinaud has publicly used this type of finishing on one of his watches. Overall, the techniques are grounded in tradition that stretches back centuries, applied to a modern context.
A recurring circular motif can be found throughout the dial, within the refined appearance of the nestled outlines of the dials juxtaposed against the exposed, mechanical forms of the balance wheel and escapement. The shape of the bridges is reminiscent of 18th or 19th century French watchmaking, where some watches featured the escapement on the front, as well as the combination of straight lines and circles.
The dial is mostly asymmetrical, with the time-telling register on the right and a subsidiary seconds slightly overlapping it on the left. Both are slightly raised, with alternating textures on the main dial, and Pinaud deftly plays with perspectives, as the sub-seconds is the same size as the inner section of the main dial. The typical placement of the signature has shifted to below the sub-seconds, in a discrete engraving of Pinaud's name, as opposed to printed on the dial.
The three-armed balance bridge is secured to the Breguet overcoil hairspring below with a central jewel, while black polished twin bridges and accompanying pins sit below. Each component visible in the lower half of the dial is finished to an extremely high standard. The opening, cut into the baseplate itself, is bevelled and polished, while anglage is used throughout, and is executed to a very high level, with several inner angles and polished countersinks. The balance bridge itself is black polished to a gleam, mirroring the polished parts of the dial and the screw. Meanwhile, the escapement bridge is matte polished, in an echo of the finish found on the other parts of the dial.
The Reverse
Turning the watch over reveals a three-quarter plate crafted from rose gold. Present are finger bridges and a small glimpse at the steel wheels, as well as cut outs that put the gear train and balance support on display. Given that the centrepiece of the movement has migrated to the dial, Pinaud gives us a more restrained and elegant reverse, with fewer things to focus on. In place of where the balance wheel would traditionally be, is the recessed plate that supports the balance wheel on the dial. In this space is engraved “Sylvain Pinaud”. The watch is also engraved with "Piece Unique" closer to the top of the case.
Pinaud refers to the style of matte finishing he uses on his watches, marked by a softer appearance suited to the dial as well as movement sides, as “grainage”. This grainage provides a muted backdrop for the rest of the components to come together harmoniously, blending more naturally with the rounded shapes across the rest of the movement. This style of finishing is notoriously difficult to execute on a large surface because the size makes achieving a homogenous texture challenging. When paired with the rose-gold, this has an especially soft, textured appearance.
A Collected Man is an authorised retailer for Sylvain Pinaud. If you would like to register your interest in this brand, please get in touch with one of our specialists.
If sold within the United Kingdom, this Sylvain Pinaud Origine Pièce Unique will be subject to 20% VAT
