Ateliers deMonaco
Encyclopedia
Ateliers deMonaco is an independent high-end luxury watch
company that develops and manufactures their timepieces in Monaco. It specializes in inventing and hand crafting complicated horological creations that are only made in very limited editions or as unique pieces on request. Based in the heart of Monaco
, the brand is rapidly creating a reputation as part of the young, new and independent watchmakers’ generation that is fueling innovation for an industry notorious for its slow pace of any change.
. Robert van Pappelendam (1969) finalized his law study at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, after which he changed course and started a marketing career at Procter & Gamble, a leading fast moving consumer goods company, lastly as a Global Brand Franchise Leader in their Haircare division. For this company, he worked in Rotterdam, Brussels, Cincinnati USA, Geneva Switzerland and Singapore. Since 2002 he has been active in the board of advisors of Frédérique Constant SA, Geneva. Peter Stas (1963) studied Economy at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and after several intern-ships, he started his professional career at Philips Electronics in the Netherlands. He moved to Asia to take a commercial leadership role for the consumer electronics division out of Hong Kong. In 1988, he was the initiator and founder of Frédérique Constant, currently one of the leading Swiss watch manufacturers in the affordable luxury segment.
mechanism. Production is only a few tens of units every year, and prices can go up to above € 200.000.
I. Grand Tourbillon XP: Developed and manufactured in-house, and available in round and square. Movement includes the following patented innovations:
a. Perfect Balance Cage - This unique technology allows the watchmaker to balance the weight of the Tourbillon cage by manually adding or removing small metal weights at the opposite sides of the escapement. This is to bring the gravity point of all 80 components to the exact centre of the cage to achieve the perfect balance.
b. Silicium
Escapement and Lever
- This is a material normally used in aerospace, micro-processors and semi-conductor industry for its unique properties: low weight, extreme hardness and high corrosion resistance. The combination of making both escapement wheel and lever from silicium, results in significantly improved energy efficiency. The extreme hardness (almost twice as hard as steel) results in low friction and thus no need for lubrication. And lastly as the material is not magnetic, there is no interference that could cause irregularities in the precision.
c. Deep Reactive Ion Etching - This super precision manufacturing methodology is able to make each component as a singular component. In comparison, the traditional method uses steel and ruby parts that require continuous fine-tuning of the machines due to wear and tear. As a consequence, the DRIE process has significantly improved manufacturing accuracy: up to 10 times more accurate then conventional machining methods.
As a result of this all, the 28800 beats/minute are translated into a daily deviation that is regulated between 0-2 second/24 hours, which makes it one of the most accurate Tourbillon movements in the world today. Every watch is fully hand finished, ensuring all angles in the watch are set at 45 degrees, the best angle to maximize light reflection. Launched in 2009.
II. Tourbillon Répétition Minute
Royale: One of the highest complications available as the watch includes a complete mechanical chiming mechanism. Also this watch is developed & manufactured in-house and motored by the Tourbillion XP movement. Unique innovation consists, among others, of a special case construction to make the watch water resistance and a 18K gold speed regulation system that minimizes sounds caused by the chiming mechanism. The movement of the watch is fully hand-engraved on both the front and backside. Presented in 2010.
III. Quantum Perpetual EZ: Quantum
- meaning smallest part of a quantity - refers to the smallest and simplest execution to navigate and adjust a Perpetual Calendar
: with one crown movement, the date – time - month and year can be adjusted. This patented EaZy Adjust system is intended to make something very cumbersome, very manageable for even the most technically challenged. Expected launch in 2010.
Watch
A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...
company that develops and manufactures their timepieces in Monaco. It specializes in inventing and hand crafting complicated horological creations that are only made in very limited editions or as unique pieces on request. Based in the heart of Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, the brand is rapidly creating a reputation as part of the young, new and independent watchmakers’ generation that is fueling innovation for an industry notorious for its slow pace of any change.
Corporate History
2009 was the year in which the founders Pim Koeslag, Robert van Pappelendam and Peter Stas got official approval to start their high end watch brand: Ateliers deMonaco. Shortly after, they launched their first watch - the Grand Tourbillon XP - of which they donated one of the first watches ever made to the Only Watch Auction to benefit the Association Monégasque Contre les Myopathies. This watch includes their own patented Xtreme Precision movement that consists of a perfect balance cage, a Silicium escapement and has as design features the sapphire bridge and the hand engraved deMonaco anchor. This ability to design and manufacture in house, makes them part of only a few independent companies that have this capability still to-date. The collection and innovations can be characterized as a combination between modern technology and classical craftsmanship, resulting in a hybrid time piece that utilizes the best of both. The brand’s ambition is to be bespoke, independent and fresh, which is why it is deliberately based close to its target consumer in Monaco instead of close to some of its main competitors.Founders
Pim Koeslag (1981) attended watch-making school in Amsterdam after which he did several internships at some of the most renowned watch brands in the world. When offered employment at most of them, he decided to work for a small and lesser known watch company in Geneva that allowed him more freedom to experiment and develop new technologies: Frédérique ConstantFrédérique Constant
Frederique Constant SA is a manufacture of luxury wrist watches based in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. The company was established in 1904 by Frederique Schreiner & Constant Stas and is involved in all the stages of watch production, from initial design to final assembly...
. Robert van Pappelendam (1969) finalized his law study at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, after which he changed course and started a marketing career at Procter & Gamble, a leading fast moving consumer goods company, lastly as a Global Brand Franchise Leader in their Haircare division. For this company, he worked in Rotterdam, Brussels, Cincinnati USA, Geneva Switzerland and Singapore. Since 2002 he has been active in the board of advisors of Frédérique Constant SA, Geneva. Peter Stas (1963) studied Economy at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and after several intern-ships, he started his professional career at Philips Electronics in the Netherlands. He moved to Asia to take a commercial leadership role for the consumer electronics division out of Hong Kong. In 1988, he was the initiator and founder of Frédérique Constant, currently one of the leading Swiss watch manufacturers in the affordable luxury segment.
Products
The products are all in-house developed and mostly based on the TourbillonTourbillon
In horology, a tourbillon is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement. Developed around 1795 by the French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet from an earlier idea by the English chronometer maker John Arnold a tourbillon aims to counter the effects of gravity by mounting the...
mechanism. Production is only a few tens of units every year, and prices can go up to above € 200.000.
I. Grand Tourbillon XP: Developed and manufactured in-house, and available in round and square. Movement includes the following patented innovations:
a. Perfect Balance Cage - This unique technology allows the watchmaker to balance the weight of the Tourbillon cage by manually adding or removing small metal weights at the opposite sides of the escapement. This is to bring the gravity point of all 80 components to the exact centre of the cage to achieve the perfect balance.
b. Silicium
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
Escapement and Lever
Lever escapement
The lever escapement is a key component of the typical movement found in most mechanical wristwatches, pocket watches and many small mechanical non-pendulum clocks....
- This is a material normally used in aerospace, micro-processors and semi-conductor industry for its unique properties: low weight, extreme hardness and high corrosion resistance. The combination of making both escapement wheel and lever from silicium, results in significantly improved energy efficiency. The extreme hardness (almost twice as hard as steel) results in low friction and thus no need for lubrication. And lastly as the material is not magnetic, there is no interference that could cause irregularities in the precision.
c. Deep Reactive Ion Etching - This super precision manufacturing methodology is able to make each component as a singular component. In comparison, the traditional method uses steel and ruby parts that require continuous fine-tuning of the machines due to wear and tear. As a consequence, the DRIE process has significantly improved manufacturing accuracy: up to 10 times more accurate then conventional machining methods.
As a result of this all, the 28800 beats/minute are translated into a daily deviation that is regulated between 0-2 second/24 hours, which makes it one of the most accurate Tourbillon movements in the world today. Every watch is fully hand finished, ensuring all angles in the watch are set at 45 degrees, the best angle to maximize light reflection. Launched in 2009.
II. Tourbillon Répétition Minute
Minute repeater
A repeater is a complication in a mechanical watch or clock that audibly chimes the hours and often minutes at the press of a button. There are many types of repeater, from the simple repeater which merely strikes the number of hours, to the minute repeater which chimes the time down to the...
Royale: One of the highest complications available as the watch includes a complete mechanical chiming mechanism. Also this watch is developed & manufactured in-house and motored by the Tourbillion XP movement. Unique innovation consists, among others, of a special case construction to make the watch water resistance and a 18K gold speed regulation system that minimizes sounds caused by the chiming mechanism. The movement of the watch is fully hand-engraved on both the front and backside. Presented in 2010.
III. Quantum Perpetual EZ: Quantum
Quantum
In physics, a quantum is the minimum amount of any physical entity involved in an interaction. Behind this, one finds the fundamental notion that a physical property may be "quantized," referred to as "the hypothesis of quantization". This means that the magnitude can take on only certain discrete...
- meaning smallest part of a quantity - refers to the smallest and simplest execution to navigate and adjust a Perpetual Calendar
Perpetual calendar
A perpetual calendar is a calendar which is good for a span of many years, such as the Runic calendar.- General information :...
: with one crown movement, the date – time - month and year can be adjusted. This patented EaZy Adjust system is intended to make something very cumbersome, very manageable for even the most technically challenged. Expected launch in 2010.