A New Look Speake-Marin Asserts Its Style In 2019
SIHH

A New Look Speake-Marin Asserts Its Style In 2019

The manufacture, who will soon move to Geneva, further asserts its personality and refined elegance. At SIHH 2019’s Carré des Horlogers, Speake-Marin unveiled three models fully expressing the brand's values: originality, style, and strong character. To top it all off, a unique - completely transparent piece of Haute Horology.

By Benjamin Teisseire
Contributor

Since the 2017 departure of the brand’s founder, Peter Speake Marin, the watchmaking world has scrutinized the eponymous brand. With commanding skill, Christelle Rosnoblet, the passionate CEO at the helm of the new look Speake-Marin, negotiated the turnaround and asserted the most British inspired Swiss brand's style.

The One&Two Academic collection asserts itself

This new collection, introduced in 2018, laid the foundations of the new Speake-Marin (for more details, read here). In 2019, the family expands with complications as useful as beautiful.
 

The One&Two Academic Full Moon features all the assets of its little sister with three hands, adding an original moon phase module. The small seconds counter at 1h30 – unique in today's watchmaking – is also present. It is echoed by the moon phase at 7h30, thus creating a balanced axis which immediately identifies this collection. With its natural wittiness, Speake-Marin offers two moons to represent its different aspects: one silver as it is most of the time, one reddish, as it can be spotted when the celestial body is closer to the horizon and the light diffracts differently on it.
 

A complementary poetic note for an already poetic complication. Moreover, the moon phase brings extra depth to the structured face of the timepiece. The outer circle of the dial – bearing the minutes railroad and the four carved-out Roman numerals indexes (XII, III, VI, and IX) – has a matte finish and is superimposed. The contrast with the polished finish of the center optimizes the legibility of the indications. The little red notes of minutes in Arabic numerals discreetly stand out on the silver white. The rose gold hands and the red moon highlight the red gold Piccadilly case. It is elegant and very refined. It is pure Speake-Marin.

The self-winding in-house caliber SMA03 with micro-rotor powers this new edition. It offers a comfortable 52 hours of power reserve as well as a COSC certification. It comes in two sizes of 38 and 42mm and is limited to 20 pieces each. Altogether, a lot of watch for a contained price of CHF 23.000 (Vat excl.) sure to delight savvy collectors.

Useful complications and style

The second model presented is an iteration of the similarly successful open-worked version launched in 2017. The One&Two Openworked Dual Time features a second-time-zone as well as a retrograde date. Once more the balance of the dial is striking. The sub-counter for the "home" time at 9 o'clock nods at the "Pepsi" – a collector's favorite – design with its brownish red and black tones. The aperture at 5 o'clock revealing the barrel and the small seconds counter at 1h30 create a perfect equilibrium on the face of this Dual Time. The skeletonized bridges enhance the modernity of the timepiece with mat finishings, and polished angles, as well as the golden rose retrograde date window that circles below the small seconds. It is original and efficient. It is Speake-Marin.
 

The new self-wound caliber with micro-rotor SMA02 also delivers 52 hours of power reserve in its rose gold Piccadilly case. Two sizes are also available at 38 and 42mm to conquer men’s or women’s wrists of all shapes. Its cost is CHF 23.000 (Vat excl.) and there will only be 20 pieces. Probably not enough for everyone.
 

Transparent Haute Horology

Finally, Speake-Marin unveils its latest great complication masterpiece: the Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon "Lightness." A full sapphire crystal case which enables the wearer to admire this unique piece under every angle. The hand-polished tourbillon cage, along with fine perlage of the bridges and platina join the five hammers (hours, minutes and 3 for the quarters) of the Carillon Minute Repeater. The timbers are attached to a bloc to create a resonance chamber and ensure a sound of great clarity.
 

Of course, Speake-Marin adds its personal touch. When the ringing starts, the Roman numerals at 12 "disintegrate" mechanically focusing the attention on the beauty of the sound. Fine watchmaking can also be humorous… and meaningful as the words engraved on the flange, the case's flanks and back exemplify: independence, art piece, structure, respect…

Speake-Marin confirms with talent its difference and its know-how whether horological or creative. These three new timekeepers express its vision of fine modern watchmaking — an independent manufacture to follow closely for all watch lovers.
 

(Photography by Pierre Vogel)

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