It is out of love and respect for the traditional art of watchmaking that Hervé Schlüchter founded Ateliers Hervé Schlüchter. At his own pace, mindful of the heritage, the independent watchmaker has begun to design and manufacture individual timepieces that express who he is and what he believes in. Creare Durare – to create to last – is the motto, the banner under which Ateliers Hervé Schlüchter fulfils a new vision of time, true to the spirit of sharing and humility at the core of transmitting timeless values from one age to the next.
Swiss watchmaker Hervé Schlüchter, founder of Ateliers Hervé Schlüchter
Schlüchter created entirely new independent Swiss watchmaking workshop, after nearly twenty-five years with prestigious watchmaking companies, the Biel-based watchmaker Hervé Schlüchter has decided to venture beyond the constraints of time, energy and determinism of major brands, and to forge ahead at his own pace, with a total freedom of expression, to give his creativity free rein, nourished by the experience, standards and skills acquired over the course of a career that intuitively prepared him for this new chapter.
Freedom at the heart of the creative process
To explore new horizons and realise contemporary classic watchmaking by imagining what the great Master Watchmakers of the 18th century would create today, the watchmaker seeks to return to the essentials, both mechanical and aesthetic, and find the perfect balance. Built up patiently throughout his career, the array of tools and old machines in the Ateliers Hervé Schlüchter workshops follows through in a straight line from the excellence that characterizes the work of Philippe Dufour, mentor to Hervé Schlüchter. Captivated by, not captive to, the finest traditions art of watchmaking, Hervé Schlüchter seizes the freedom to excel in the creation of timepieces with newfound substance.
The hallmarks of Ateliers Hervé Schlüchter
Featuring long springs with ample curves, pronounced inward and outward angles, perfect mirror polishing, rounded edges, and ample yet slender contours. An authentic tribute to the great eras of classical and artisanal watchmaking.
Mastering the materials, materialising his vision of life, time, the world, the watch and expressing his art – it may seem that this is about creating a watch marque. In reality, Ateliers Hervé Schlüchter is the natural, logical continuation of an intimate artistic process that began several years ago.
With the experience accumulated in creating dozens of complex movements, Hervé Schlüchter has ventured on a new path. By pressing ‘pause’, by taking the time to relearn, to regain his creative freedom, and by finding in Philippe Dufour a master and mentor in the traditional art of watchmaking.
That is also why the idea of being a steward in the continuing story of watchmaking, of keeping the truest tradition alive, is at the core of Hervé Schlüchter’s approach. Quite naturally, and with the intimate and profound sense of giving back for all he has received, he set up shop in the cradle of the craft, in Bienne. Here, by the Suze River, on the first floor of the historic Renfer Park villa, he began to conceive, design and manufacture the first watch to bear his name.
Introduced by subscription to a select community of international collectors, this first watch – refined and sophisticated, offering only the illusion of simplicity – will hold high the values that Hervé Schlüchter has chosen as his life path. Independence. Freedom from pressure and haste. Absolute creative liberty. The meeting of precision and ingenuity, the beauty of watchmaking expressed in sublime finishing. In direct dialogue with collectors who are more than clients and identify with his approach.
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