Romain Gauthier HMS Review: Independent Horology

(This is my first 'review' – I’m a little long winded so please bear with me and forgive me if this review is deficient - i promise to improve! All watch pix taken with an iPhone , unedited.)

The road leading up to my acquisition of the HMS was an interesting one. Fresh off my purchase of the wonderful DB28 (thanks bernard!) and a PP5712, I was yearning for something a little simpler – in my words to the salesguy: ‘a nice rose gold watch with a wonderful guilloche’. So to the Breguet counter I was brought where it was a toss-up between a 7337 and - since it was there - a 7057. The 7057 is historically interesting, but the finishing was lacking and quite honestly did not smack of the quality one would expect coming from a brand as distinguished as Breguet. 

The light play off the multi-varied guilloche styles of the 7337 was ravishing – simply breathtaking on front, but disappoints at the back. The Piguet movement seemed spartan on both the finishing side of things, and kinda lacked a soul. It was like opening the hood of a Morgan and looking at a VW engine. But the dial was lovely, so  …

Now because I’m totally new to watch collecting – I’m just a few years into my journey– I rely on whatever information I can get my hands on -  on forum reviews (this site is a godsend) .  Unlike many of you, I never get invited to local watch events or gatherings even at my spend level – so I do miss out from meeting and speaking to watchmakers and thought leaders. (I attribute this to petty politics between salespeople and my stubborn loyalty to my underdog salesguy who at least bothered to cater to a clueless young punk that many years back).

 A quick check online told me that Gauthier was a ‘protégé’ of Philippe Dufour of sorts – not in the real sense of the word, but at least in terms of shared philosophy, technical and finishing guidance. I've always wanted a Philippe Dufour, but as my sales guy tells me - 'eh, you wait long long lah. Even if you manage to order now, maybe your kid will take delivery'. So I arranged to view the Gauthier HMS. And it was breathtaking.

More than any other watchmaker, I can identify with Gauthier. We're in our early 30s (he's slightly older I think), we both left stable jobs to become entrepreneurs - sheer grit, lots of hard and smart work, plenty of self education etc. Romain Gauthier was born in 1975 in Le Sentier, in the Vallée de Joux. After studying precision-mechanics, Romain gained a diploma as a constructor of precision machinery. In 1997, he started his first job as a CNC machine programmer/operator at a highly regarded horological component manufacturer in the Vallée de Joux and over the following years, Romain managed and grew the small CNC machine department into one of the best equipped and most efficient production facilities in Europe. 

Determined to create his own watch brand, Romain completed an MBA in 2002. His final thesis – passed with distinction – was the business plan for Montres Romain Gauthier. He then began work on the timepieces themselves. In 2006, after three years of working in secret - with help and guidance from Dufour - Romain launched his brand with the Prestige HM, which featured his own in-house manufacture movement.  The HM was followed by the Prestige HMS.

It gets better at the back. (apologies if the pix is full of smudges!) Gauthier's calibre 2206 movement was entirely conceived, developed, designed, produced, assembled and regulated by him. Everything is made in-house save the jewels, balance spring and mainspring. You have the Vallée de Joux style finger bridges that have some of the hardest to do sharp-corner/angle anglage that just sparkles in the light - makes one wonder how they managed to whittle down a Gentian twig thin enough to squeeze through the tight angle. It's definitely not machine polished - and through a loupe you can see where the cotes de geneve end and the anglage starts, it's ain't a laser-perfect straight line, but straight enough to know that experienced (or at least patient) hands did these. The balance wheel with eccentric weights and curved arms were made in-house - and even that has anglage in-between everywhere.The triangular pallet fork is unique, and the balance is freesprung. It's a little loud, and the click-clicks at a frenzied 28,800 can be heard, no thanks I reckon to the open-work - but it's a nice sound. After the Tread 1, everything is softer nowadays - haha.

The jewels are oversized, and do catch the light very well - higher quality conundrum that much redder than the piss-pink variety. Perlage is done in a manner that just glows and stands out, even beneath the ruthenium plate. Casework is solid, of a very high quality, and sits comfortably on my wrist. Although it measures 41mm, visually it looks smaller than it measures - about the same as a Lange 1 or 5296. It comes with a tang buckle (i'm a klutz so i prefer deployants) so I'm having an 18mm 18k deployant custom made for me.

This is obviously a base movement that Gauthier will build upon for further complications and such - there's lots of space around and beneath the VdJ bridge. Thankfully, the perlage and decorative elements use distract the eye, and as a whole it comes out very nice - i personally like how perlage of 3 different radial sizes are used in interplay for effect. Gauthier also says he uses S-slot polished screw heads for better torque-tightening - it may seem unique but i don't like it - makes normal servicing that much harder. Does any guru out there know if S-slot screws can be accommodated by other watchmakers or repairers - I would really love to know.

Placing the crown on the back is counterintuitive and takes some getting used to. According to Gauthier: "Placing the crown on the back increases winding efficiency and water resistance, while reducing wear and stress of components. The large-diameter flat crown enables the watch to be easily wound, even while on the wrist." Yeah right...... Winding is fine - it takes much less effort and is easier than it seems, and definitely the larger gears make the number of turns needed much much less than with a standard crown. But no, it doesn't make it easier to wind while on the wrist. Another issue i have with this is that to set the watch you have to pull up the crown - and fingernails are needed for that. I do forsee issues with dirt being trapped beneath, and I'm trying to find a good way to clean this - probably go with silk thread. I did have an issue initially - on full winding the watch wouldn't start - balance wheel would hiccup. It took a couple of taps and a flick of the wrist and it's now fine. It WAS sitting in the shop on display for about a year unwound, so I hope it isn't anything serious. Will monitor, and feedback over time. Any advice or assuages here is appreciated!

Let me try to sum up. I love this watch - not because I just bought it and thus i have buyer's blindness. No. This watch, at least to me, is a technical study of what's aesthetically possible in haute horology given enough time, passion, skill, and dedication - no matter how humble or irrelevant the watchmaker's origins were. It is an interplay of finishes and materials. It is a technical study of one man's determination and drive to become a serious player in the world of independent horology. It's like one of us waking up one morning and said: 'I want to be Philippe Dufour'. This guy actually went through the motions - alone. This watch - unlike many others out there made by nameless hands and machines reporting to shareholders - has a soul; and it's a constant reminder - at least to me - of where I was, where I am, and where I need to be. The guy who dreamt this watch - a pedigree-less CNC machine operator - didn't just talk the talk. He just bloody got up and did it.

Is the movement finished better than a Lange or a Patek. YES. Hands down, no fight. Take up a loupe - you'll be amazed. I like the fact that they make only 20 watches per year, take 3 months, and there's just 10 of mine around. The attention to finish detail is as a Vingt-8, but amplified - that's not necessarily better than Voutilainen, just different styles. I would say Gauthier is a little louder - 'I did this finish because I can!'. Is this movement technically better than others? No. It's no where as efficient as Patek or VC. There's still a lot of space to grow into - but it's a good base. I wonder if the upcoming Logical One will also use this as a base. I hope it'll be reliable - so far no complaints anywhere. It's price is more than reasonable - I dare say it's a bargain. At this level of quality and exclusivity, you're really paying for bill of materials and the watchmaker's time; and not to pad up some ad agency or board of directors.

And thus the story of how I chose the Gauthier over the Breguet 7337 - i chose the one with the soul.            

G.