Collection
In a luxury watch market often dominated by established brands, fpjl's journey with Lecomte offers a refreshing perspective on the value of micro-independent watchmakers. His detailed account highlights the unique, highly personalized experience of co-creating a timepiece directly with the artisan, a process that redefines the essence of bespoke horology. This article explores how such collaborations can restore faith in the collecting world, emphasizing the profound connection between collector and creator.
My faith in the watch collecting world has been restored. Amidst the watch world we are currently living in, it is necessary to take a breath of fresh air. As independent brands are now the center of attention in a previously Rolex-dominated market, it has been tiring trying to keep up with them.
Obviously, for many of us, not collecting is not an option. So we have to look for alternatives.. and in the past year there have been many brands that caught my attention, mainly micro-independents, usually run by one person- from watch designing, to watchmaking, photography, and marketing their products. These types of individuals are usually over-looked, until it’s too late. Getting exposure into these micro-brands, meeting the people behind them, and getting the privilege to experience buying a watch from them, would have not been feasible if not for many friends I have encountered during my path for an “alternative”, not knowing that the alternative could take the place of the original.
One of those micro-independents that has taken my breath away, is Lecomte. I have never, ever, had a better experience working on a project with a person as I did with Mr. Florent Lecomte. We have been corresponding for months, on a daily basis, updating me on major and minor progress my watch is going through, from the day of design inception, till the day the way has been completed. Here is a picture of how it started:
We originally agreed on creating this time piece with a sandblasted dial. Little did I know, Florent had a lot up his sleeve. I woke up every single day to messages of him sending me “new ideas”, ideas I could never have asked him to make because of how beautifully creative they were. The fact that I asked him for a basic watch, basically anything with his name on the dial, and he kept on challenging himself to make me the best watch possible, constantly reassuring me “I have to make you the best watch you deserve”- and he did.
Attached are some of the images of the process:
After a long phase of making the parts, roughly finishing them, and tweeking the ideas..finally, it was time to assemble, before finalizing the design and finishing each of the components by hand, this was the result:
"- and of course, being a fan of Journe, Akrivia, Breguet, and many more, I had to love hand-hammered dials. As soon as I showed my appreciation for hand-hammering, he sent me this:
You are one lucky collector. Really excellent work!
this is a great piece! Thanks for sharing the experiences as well.
...he is obviously a class act...
What an incredible work of art. The rendering gives almost no indication of how beautiful and layered this construct will be. I'm sure you are more awe-struck looking at the realisation than I can possibly be just looking at pictures. Congratulations!
🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿 You did very well my friend. Huge congratulations. I’m afraid that I’m too late to the lecompte game 😞
And loved your post a lot. All I can say is I agree 100%. He is a fantastic guy and indeed a pleasure to deal with. Knowing him since a couple of years now and having visited his home 2 months ago I know how friendly and passionate he is. Enjoy your watch I know you will ! And it’s been a pleasure from the start to talk about this watchmaker and other brands via Instagram and WhatsApp.
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