Author: lemon

The art of writing is a “mechanical art in motion” governed by the hand, to accompany a journey of the mind. Piguet Genève presents an ultra-limited edition writing instrument that pays tribute to the motto: “The pen is mightier than the sword”.

The name Piguet is primarily associated with a watchmaking tradition that took root in 1875 in the Vallée de Joux. As for Albert Friedrich Piguet, he was a young craftsman who, in 1959, founded a workshop in Geneva dedicated to producing original, luxurious but relatively affordable writing instruments.

Albert Friedrich Piguet decided that the logo of his brand would represent Knight Rudolf, born in 1220, who was Count of Geneva from 1252 until his death in 1265. Described by Renaissance historians as “the noblest son of a noble father”, Chevalier Rudolf distinguished himself by his astute diplomatic correspondence, which allowed him to maintain peace in his domain while war raged all around. Through his own life’s work, this brilliant diplomat thus proved that “the pen is mightier than the sword”: powerful words that Albert Friedrich Piguet chose to take as his motto.

The limited edition Piguet Comte de Genève pens come in a wooden box richly decorated with Chevalier Rudolf’s coat of arms and heraldic symbols. The inside of the lid features an engraving of the Château de Saint-Maurice, where he lived.

Piguet Comte de Genève, €2,500

Watch magazine Europa Star has followed the development of the Onésiphore Pecqueur watch, destined to become the membership card of the Club Pecqueur Motorists, from the very beginning. It has published a number of articles, including this fascinating and comprehensive piece written by journalist Hubert de Haro after being introduced to the initial prototype.

There are at least four good reasons to join the Club Pecqueur Motorists, which invites its members to immerse themselves in the mechanical arts and embrace their most extravagant aspirations. We offer a portfolio of bespoke services and exclusive opportunities, available only to Club members.

Contact

Atelier d’Etablissage Pecqueur LTM, Rue de l’Hôpital 33, CH-2144 Fleurier

Crédits photo © Dominique Fontenat

Watchmaker Onésiphore Pecqueur, a child of the French Revolution and heir to the spirit of the Enlightenment, was a gifted inventor. While working as head of the workshop for the Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in Paris, he developed a gear system known as the differential, whose many applications in watchmaking, car mechanics and industry are still relevant today. We are celebrating his pioneering spirit and mechanical genius in the exclusive watches that grant access to the Club Pecqueur Motorists.

We know very little about Onésiphore Pecqueur, beyond the fact that he was a precocious student. Legend has it that he completed his watchmaking apprenticeship in just a few months, rather than the generally required four years. In 1819, at the age of 27, he submitted a clock to the Exhibition of Products of French Industry which had two mechanically linked dials, showing both sidereal and mean time. The jury, which included one Abraham-Louis Breguet, awarded him a silver medal for inventing a gear that “maintains both communicating movements at acceptable rates of speed.”

This invention, which made it possible to harmonise the rotation of driving wheels attached to the same axle when rounding a bend, was later called the “mechanical differential”. Today it is still widely used in our cars and other four-wheeled vehicles. There are very few inventions that originated in the world of watchmaking that can claim to have had such a broad impact. And that is why Onésiphore Pecqueur is considered the world’s first automobile engineer.

That required nothing less than the creation of a new and unique GMT mechanism incorporating a Pecqueur differential. In order to bring Pecqueur’s original concept into the 21st century, the mechanism would incorporate a second time zone without the need to set a reference city, or to know offhand the number of hours to add or subtract from home time.

Behind this apparent simplicity lies considerable complexity, which could only be entrusted to master watchmakers with experience in the most sophisticated horological techniques. Le Temps Manufacture (LTM), based in Fleurier, Switzerland, rose to the challenge. The engineers from this renowned watch manufacturer were responsible for the design and development of the PECQUEUR LTM 5021 movement that drives the Club Pecqueur Motorists watch.

“The main advantage of the Differential is that it does not disrupt the watch’s operation during a time zone change, thus enhancing precision,” explains Hamdi Chatti, who spearheaded the Pecqueur Motorists watch project. In other words, the heart of the PECQUEUR LTM 5021 calibre continues to beat at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, or four ticks per second, even while the second time zone is being adjusted. This maintains the balance-spring pair’s isochronism throughout the 60-hour power reserve of the movement. The overall harmony of the calibre belies its complexity: it contains 237 components within a thickness of just 7.75 mm and a housing diameter of 37.8 mm.

You will be wearing a technical feat worthy of Onésiphore Pecqueur himself, on your wrist!

A Berlinetta coupé with a front V12 engine: this was the architecture that, for Enzo Ferrari, defined a true sports car. And this was the architecture he chose for the 365 GTB/4, which he unveiled in 1968 in response to the Lamborghini Miura, launched two years earlier. The Miura had its V12 in an innovative mid-rear position, but Enzo wanted to keep the classic set-up: “It’s the horse that pulls the carriage, not the other way around,” he said, facetiously. He assigned his new model one simple mission: to beat the others. All the others, without exception. And he did it, with a car of unparalleled splendour, which became one of Ferrari’s greatest classics. It’s vanishingly rare for one as exceptional as this to come to market!

This is only the first edition of the Watch the Club newsletter, and already we’re able to offer an utterly exceptional automobile in this Ferrari Daytona.

Unveiled at the 1968 Paris Motor Show, the Daytona remains one of the most iconic Ferrari GTs. It was designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, who ducked compliments with this modest comeback: “I don’t know much about beauty, but Plato said that beauty is the splendour of truth.”

The 365 GTB/4 was given the nickname “Daytona” after Ferrari secured the top three places at the Daytona 24 hour race in 1967, which took place on enemy territory, against Ford GT40s competing on home soil.

With its rear-mounted gearbox, the 365 GTB/4 has an ideal weight distribution. It is powered by the iconic 4.4-litre Colombo 12-cylinder engine, which produces 352 horsepower, two more than the Miura (“To beat the others”, remember!). Upon its release, it was the fastest road car of its time. It could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds – a full second faster than the Miura – and reach a top speed of 282 km/h. That’s 2 km/h faster than the Miura.

In a little over half a century, the car now offered for sale has had just two owners, including the current owner, whose collection it has been part of for over 20 years. With a certified 19,600 km on the odometer, it is in perfect condition and has always been serviced at official Ferrari dealerships. This model is part of the second series of around 800 units, and features pop-up headlights (the first 500 came with two pairs of fixed headlights under a Perspex cover). The car is located in Monaco and is being offered at a price of 620.000 Euros for members of the “Club Pecqueur Motorists”.

At the model’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2018, Bill Warner, President and Founder of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elégance, noted, “The Daytona is the last of the real ‘Enzo’ Ferraris to be made. The roar of that enormous V12 should be part of the Italian national anthem!”

For more information, please contact Jean-Charles Manara on +377 93 15 02 50.