Ateliers DeMonaco Poinçon de Geneve, or Geneva Seal.
MORE THAN TEN YEARS AGO, WHILE WORKING AS THE CHIEF WATCHMAKER AT FRÉDÉRIQUE CONSTANT, PIM KOESLAG DREAMED ABOUT DEVELOPING A MINUTE REPEATER. WITH THE ENTHUSIASTIC ASSISTANCE OF THE GENEVA FIRM’ S CEO PETER STAS, KOESLAG SPENT SEVERAL YEARS ON THE PROJECT, EVENTUALLY CREATING A REPEATER WITH A TOURBILLON. STAS THEN SUGGESTED THEY CREATE A NEW WATCH BRAND DEDICATED ENTIRELY TO EXCEPTIONAL HIGH-END TIMEPIECES.
That brand was Ateliers DeMonaco. Since its founding in 2008 the small maker of high-end, complicated timepieces has thrived. With Koeslag as its technical director, the company has developed very specific manufacturing techniques that allow Ateliers DeMonaco to punch well above its weight among its peers.
The firm, which only produces about 150 watches each year, regularly includes tourbillons, flyback chronographs and repeaters in its range of offerings, all intricately finished to haute horology standards. Indeed, one collection, called Poinçon de Genève, boasts its namesake Geneva Seal certification right on the dial.
Since its debut timepiece in 2008, the Ateliers DeMonaco manufacture has developed these four patents:
A look at the back of the Ateliers DeMonaco Poinçon de Geneve, or Geneva Seal. The firm’ s Freebeat Regulation System permits the length of the hairspring to be easily adjusted.
PERPETUAL CALENDAR WITH“ EAZY ADJUST” SYSTEM The firm’ s Quantième Perpétuel collection is made with an in-house developed perpetual calendar with an EaZy adjust system allowing to set the time, date, day, week, month and( leap) year by just using the crown.
THE“ EXTREME PRECISION 1 MINUTE” TOURBILLON The Ateliers DeMonaco tourbillon collection is made with an in-house developed eXtreme Precision one-minute tourbillon, an unusually accurate tourbillon movement.
FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH WITH DIRECT RETURN TO ZERO MECHANISM The chronograph is directly activated by the unusual 4 o’ clock pusher. Its flyback hammer is programmed to action and disengage the chronograph clutch wheel, engage the brake, and turn the chronograph’ s second and minute wheel all at the same time.
GENEVA SEAL WITH‘ FREEBEAT’ REGULATION SYSTEM The patented Freebeat regulation system allows Ateliers DeMonaco to regulate the length of the hairspring with an adjustable crémaillère( straight bar with teeth on one edge, allowing it to be fixed at different length) rendering obsolete the need for the regulation pins. This avoids interference.
Appointed Ateliers DeMonaco CEO last year, Koeslag added an entirely new list of responsibilities to his work at the firm. iW caught up with this busy watchmaking CEO in New York recently as he commenced a U. S. tour with his latest collections.
How does your work at Frederique Constant differ from your role as CEO of Ateliers DeMonaco?
For Frederique Constant, my work is more on the technical front. There I focus on technical research and development. I work to plan the future technical developments for the brand, as well as day-to-day technical operations with the manufacturer in Geneva. I am also responsible for the industrialization process there.
Ateliers DeMonaco Tourbillon Grand Prix de Monaco 1966
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