AHCI - PuristSPro Interviews Master Watchmaker and AHCI Member Peter Speake-Marin

PuristSPro Interviews Master Watchmaker and AHCI Member Peter Speake-Marin

PuristSPro Interviews Master Watchmaker
and AHCI Member Peter Speake-Marin by Steve Hallock and Dr. Michael Ting © October 2007

Peter Speake-Marin was born in Essex, England in 1968. By his own admission, studying horology at London’s Hackney Technical College in 1985 was "an accident" a direction he had never new exisited and the result of a kindly careers offficer. He made further studies in Switzerland and then "after-sales service " for a year; and following that experience, he spent 7 years in England restoring antique and vintage watches.

Returning to Switzerland in 1996 to work on modern watches, he specialized in complications at Renaud & Papi, both building them and in their development. In 2000, after 15 years of study he embarked on his personal dream: an independent workshop in which he could design and build his own watches. The Watch Workshop is the name of his company to realize his ideas in watchmaking, and his 1st watch was the Foundation Watch – a pocket watch with tourbillon. He then spent several years building complications for various companies as an independent watchmaker which financed the development for the Piccadilly – Peter's first series watch. [See Review Article by PuristS Dr. Mike Ting here: indepth.watchprosite.com ]

PPro: Why did you want to be a watchmaker and who inspired you?

PSM: I had never aspired to be a watchmaker,, I was half way through my 'A-Levels' (Year 13) at school when I dropped out. I started looking for a job and I knew I wanted to do something creative. I was introduced to horology by a career teacher who advised me to take the course at Hackney Technical College. Once I stepped into the classroom, everything about the world of horology fascinated me: the people, the subject, the history, the creative side, the technical side, and the need for manual dexterity. I fell in love with it. Watchmaking was also a way of getting out of England. As a watchmaker there is always a demand in aftersales service in many companies through it you can - in essence - travel the world. That was always one of my childhood goals, to travel and see the world.

I arrived in Switzerland in 1987 and it was there that I started to focus on watches. Hackney College had been about general horology. I took the refresher WOSTEP course. During the day, the curriculum focused on repetitive tasks that all watchmakers do everyday: Cleaning, jeweling, adjusting and casing. In the evening, the classes focused on restoration of vintage timepieces. It was from these vintage timepieces that I learned the most till later when I was at Somlo Antiques in Piccadilly. There, I worked on the majority of the most famous names in watchmaking history, original Arnolds, original Breguets, and Cartiers etc. I worked there for five to six years; everyday I was learning something new which was fascinating, seeing the different solutions developed by different house for the same technical problems. In the beginning, the learning curve was incredible. People came into the store with watches, which were in excess 100 years old and on occasions had never been opened, removing a dial on a Patek repeater from 1894 and viewing the mechanism which had not been seen by another person for over or at least 50 years was inspiring, These watches would take my breath away.

42mm Piccadilly Quantieme Perpetual w/ champagne dial

PPro: If you could switch jobs what would you like to do? What could you do?

PSM: Originally I had wanted to teach; I was envolved in training at various moments through my career and always found it rewarding, however today, I don’t believe I have the necessary patience. So, instead of teaching I would probably choose becoming a perpetual student.

In a sense, most of what I do today rotates around my own drive and creative drive and direction.. as a result of this I have enjoyed the distraction of working in teams as a consultant being part of a larger team such as with MB&F These are clearly not my watches but I enjoy the process even though the companies may go in a different direction in terms of design philosophy.

PPro: How do you find balance running your own company and your personal life? What do you do to chill out?

PSM: I work a lot because I want to remain in complete control of every aspect of my production, I am a slight control freak.. My job does affect the rest of my personal life. I have no real hobby because I don’t have the time to develop one. But I realize that I need to slow down. I’m at the point where I need more balance. In what little time I do have I like to spend time with my family, with my son, and work out. My family is the core of my life. Even though I work with my wife we don’t actually see a lot of each other as a result of the structure of the way we work.

PSM's trademark rotor

PPro: Where do you see horology in fifty years?

PSM: I imagine there will be the development of new companies in Asia who will achieve and adapt the same technologies that we have now and will adapt them to make higher quality watches than those that exist there today. Which will probably have a damaging effect to certain levels of product in Switzerland. One thing that cannot be easily replicated is the hand finishing which is the basis for many high quality timepieces.

I see more technology morphing together: mechanical and quartz/electronic hybrids. Mechanical movements will still be around but it will be these hybrid timepieces which will surpass our existing imagination. It will be a mixture of functional and technical and inevitably gimmick. Some will be trendy, fun and exciting. New materials will continue to evolved. I like to think that there will also continue a development in sophistication in design which will be the result of new technologies allowing designs to be executed that otherwise could not be achieved.

PPro: Especially in fifty years if no one has a reason to wear a watch on the wrist because of other portable devices?

PSM: Watchmakers will also have to be more hybrids themselves. They will need to work with more than their hands. In their workshops instead of lathes and mills they will have to incorporate new machines and computers. They will need to be creative and think in multiple dimensions at once. They will need to be comfortable working with their minds like engineers, to be comfortable with new technologies so they can keep up and do more than just service timepieces. This will be what is required in the after service departments in the future in order to repair and restore watches.

PPro: Do you think the Western world will continue to dominate the watch industry in the future?

PSM: I think Europe will still dominate but only on the very highest levels . As technology advances non European manufacturers will probably be able to complete in the mid range levels. Especially due to the present lack of manufacturing resources available today in Switzerland.

Intricate engraving on PSM's Vintage Tourbillon Mk2

PPro: What do you think about the watch industry as a whole that an outsider would find interesting? Can you share a "dirty little secret"?

PSM: (jokingly) There is a long list of dirty laundry but I’m not going to tell. In every industry there is an element that wants to be glamorous. One watch magazine puts watchmakers and others in the industry into the limelight like celebrities; and a lot of people get a kick out of stuff like this. Egos can be pretty much out of control; in some cases on a whole array of levels, which detracts for me the beauty of watchmaking as craft but inevitable in profession which leans so strongly to lifestyle and status. But this happens with every industry not just the watch industry.

PPro: If you could be in complete charge of the industry what would you change?

PSM: The biggest problem in the watch industry is there are not enough companies able to make high quality parts and components consistently in realistic deadlines. If I could, I would channel as much energy as possible to encourage the new generation to get involved in the manufacture process.. In producing components outside one can never take things for granted, every new series of components that I make I can never assume that they will be as good the next time around. So you have to test each batch individually. It would be a great advance if I could find larger numbers of consistent sources of quality component makers, which can be made readily available in a short period of time.. There is a lack of companies, of people, of know-how on every level of production.

PPro: There was an article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal today about Antiquorum and how Patek and Omega may have artificially inflated prices by buying their own watches at auction. What do you think about this?

PSM: I have not read this article but if it is true then it is probably not the first time in history that it has been done, but I would question the article. I can’t believe Patek needs to do something like this, even Omega. If they want to increase their prestige further I would think they would have been more intelligent as to how they would go about it.

PPro: But Omega admitted it; saying they wanted the pieces for their museum…

PSM: Then, the motivation is not simply to inflate the image. I know a guy who is a big Panerai fan. He entered an auction to buy this iconic Panerai watch and he had to bid directly against Panerai corporate who wanted the exact same historical watch for their collection. In the end the final price was astronomical but this is the market place.

PSM unique piece 'Fighting Time' (pic from website)
PPro: You clearly make a niche product that the general public is not aware of. Many people do not know that there are nicer watches than Rolex. If you were out and about, at a dinner party for example, and some one asks about what you do what are normal people’s reaction when you introduce yourself as a watchmaker?

PSM: (jokingly) I don’t meet many people in normal situations! I spend so much time around what I do that I don’t meet many people outside of the industry and watch world. The first thing I have learned is that most people do not have high expectations so when you say you are making something they think mass quantity. When you say you make only a few hundred pieces a year they get confused. If I tried to explain briefly and be short, then most people get even more confused because it is hard to describe the nuances of my work. But if I am patient and take the time to explain everything in detail most people are bowled over, they are amazed and get blown away by the work of independent watchmakers.

PPro: What differentiates your watches from the rest of the marketplace? Why does the watchmaking world need you?

PSM: The design of my watch is unique. It has strong classical elements but it is a contemporary design at the same time. The watches are an extension of my watchmaking philosophy. The design revolves around the technical elements, which make up the watch rather than a design which has been forced so that the technical elements have to conform to the design. My philosophy is a very English approach. From the shoulders, to the dials, to the movement modifications, to the hands, everything is exactly how I want it. It has a very strong identity and quite often I have collectors tell me that my watch draws a lot of attention because of their unique character. With everything that I have, there is no innovation that has never been done or attempted in any other watch but the key is that I have executed everything my way and this is certainly very different from other watches out there.

PPro: If you had access to anyone, any machines, and money was no object what would you love to work on? If you took a year off and came up with an idea what would it be?

PSM: I know exactly but I cannot tell you because I am working on it right now.

PSM working on his secret here?

PPro: Oh come on, please share a secret…

PSM: The problem about answering this question is that it compromises the idea and endangers it being adopted by somebody else.

PPro: That is fair enough. What watch do you wear most often and why?

PSM: I don’t even own a finished watch. I wear my prototypes and every time I make a new design I have prototypes that I use. Pretty much I use the same cases but I can place the different prototype movements within it for testing.

PPro: What other watchmaking brands do you admire? What watch would you buy?

PSM: Every time I get asked this question the answer will depend on what frame of mind I am in. Right now, if money was not an issue, I would buy a McGonigle. Every time I look at it I realize how good the design is, how well put together it is. The quality in it, the time these guys put into this watch, you know this is a special watch. The watch is incredible. They have no conception of compromise, they go all the way. The McGonigles don’t know any other way except to give it their all. This philosophy and passion is clearly exhibited in their watch.

PPro: Peter, on behalf of the PuristS community, thank you for your time.

PSM: Thank you and you’re welcome.

For more pictures of Peter Speake-Marin’s watches, please CLICK HERE .