The motto of Ateliers Hervé Schlüchter, which is born out of mentorship of Philippe Dufour, is “to create to last.”
It is out of love and respect for the traditional art of watchmaking that Hervé Schlüchter founded his eponymous atelier. While it was officially born over the weekend, the brand has been talked about since late last year, with his first edition of 10 watches already selling out.
At his own pace, mindful of the heritage, the independent watchmaker has begun to design and manufacture individual timepieces that express who he is and what he believes in. The atelier’s motto is creare durare, or “to create to last,” and this is the primary design principle it lives by.
After nearly twenty-five years with prestigious watchmaking companies, the Biel-based watchmaker Schlüchter decided to forge ahead at his own pace, with a total freedom of expression. He wanted to give his creativity free rein, nourished by the experience, standards and skills acquired over the course of a career that intuitively prepared him for this new chapter.
To realise contemporary classic watchmaking by imagining what the great Master Watchmakers of the 18th century would create today is one of Schlüchter’s goals.
He wants to place the human dimension at the heart of a new, perhaps even more refined space of expression. It is not about making or doing “less”; it means taking the time it takes, without constraints, to think differently… to return to the essentials, both mechanical and aesthetic, and find the perfect balance.
Built up patiently throughout his career, the array of tools and old machines in the Ateliers Hervé Schlüchter workshops follows through in a straight line from the excellence that characterizes the work of Philippe Dufour, Schlüchter’s mentor.
Art and tradition
The hallmarks of Ateliers Hervé Schlüchter: long springs with ample curves, pronounced inward and outward angles, perfect mirror polishing, rounded edges, and ample yet slender contours. An authentic tribute to the great eras of classical and artisanal watchmaking.
Mastering the materials, materialising his vision of life, time, the world, the watch and expressing his art—it may seem that this is about creating a watch marque. In reality, Ateliers Hervé Schlüchter is the natural, logical continuation of an intimate artistic process that began several years ago.
Being a steward in the continuing story of watchmaking, of keeping the truest tradition alive, is at the core of Schlüchter’s approach.
Quite naturally, and with the intimate and profound sense of giving back for all he has received, he set up shop in the cradle of the craft, in Bienne. Here, by the Suze River, on the first floor of the historic Renfer Park villa, he began to conceive, design and manufacture the first watch to bear his name.
Introduced by subscription to a select community of international collectors, this first watch—which the atelier has defined as “refined and sophisticated, offering only the illusion of simplicity”—will hold high the values that Schlüchter has chosen as his life path: independence, freedom from pressure and haste, absolute creative liberty.
For more information, visit herve-schluchter.ch.
Banner: Photo from @herve_schluechter on IG
