History

History
Yosuke Sekiguchi,
a quintessential Watchmaker

One day in Tokyo, a young Yoskuke Sekiguchi found a watch movement that needed repairing. Ever since, his fascination for watchmaking has never gone away.

Years later, while most of his friends were starting their careers in corporate life, Sekiguchi had only one thing in mind, a pipe dream of sorts: going to Switzerland to optimize the self-taught watchmaking skills he had patiently developed over the years.

The learning journey was as much about horology as it was about real life.

Opening case backs proved to be a much easier process than dealing with the numerous administrative obstacles an aspiring watchmaker from the other side of the globe has to jump over. However, the latter didn't deter a young man driven by a strong sense of destiny determined to pursue this path. Although his visa status did not enable him to join a watchmaking school, Sekiguchi's talent didn't go unnoticed. He was hired by the La Joux-Perret company where he worked on split-seconds, "foudroyante" and "tourbillon" chronograph movements. Later, he joined Claret.

There, he made "Maestoso" wristwatches with a traditional detent escapement, a mechanism usually designed for a perfectly stabilized position. A feature the watchmaker would further develop when crafting his first ever watch, Primevere.

Primevere, "primrose" in French, evokes the blossom which comes at the beginning of a new season. Even though this was his first watch as an independent watchmaker, the seeds for its creation had been planted a long time ago. They were now finally ready to sample the light of day. Thus, echoing the movement of nature. When one speaks about a watch, it's typical to focus on its various parts. As far as the Primevere is concerned, it would be more pertinent to talk about the unique sense of unity the watch offers a voyage into the creator's singular and organic vision. Primevere sees hundreds of years and thousands of miles blend, as if irascibly drawn to each other by the gentle and yet unstoppable force of Yosuke Sekiguchi's watchmaking soul.

The smoothly curved 39.5 mm case englobes the grand feu enamel dial, while its delicate but firm spade-shaped hands and the perfectly proportioned small seconds sub-dial. The case back, unsurprisingly, is the most captivating window into Sekiguchi's world. It seamlessly complements the movement's effortless architecture.

The finishing is almost as remarkable by its artful mastery as it is by its restraint. From the plate, wheels and bridges made by Sekiguchi himself, all forms of excessive decoration are removed, making way for the most minute and essential strokes.

[Alex Grouet]

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