Ateliers deMonaco

Ateliers deMonaco is an independent high-end luxury watch company that develops and manufactures timepieces in Monaco. The company specializes in inventing and hand crafting watches that are made in limited editions or as unique pieces on request. The company is based in Monaco.

Ateliers deMonaco
Creators of Nouvelle Horlogerie
Industry Watch Making
Founded 2009
Headquarters Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 Pim Koeslag, Robert van Pappelendam, Peter Stas
Products Luxury Timepieces
Website www.ateliers-demonaco.com

Corporate History

In 2009, co-founders Pim Koeslag, Robert van Pappelendam and Peter Stas got official approval[1] to start Ateliers deMonaco.[2] First launch watch was the Grand Tourbillon XP - of which one was donated to Only Watch Auction to benefit the Association Monégasque Contre les Myopathies.[3] This watch includes a patented Xtreme Precision movement that consists of a perfect balance cage, a Silicium escapement, a sapphire bridge and a hand engraved deMonaco anchor. The ability to design and manufacture in house, makes them part of only a few independent companies that have this capability still to-date.[4]

Founders

Pim Koeslag[5] (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 Constant. Robert van Pappelendam[6] (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 in-house developed and mostly based on the Tourbillon mechanism. Production is only tens of units every year, and prices can go up to above € 200.000.

I. Grand Tourbillon XP:[7][8] 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.[9]

As a result, 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.[10]

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 adjustment manageable for even the most technically challenged.[11][12]

References

  1. ↑ Journal de Monaco - Bulletin Officiel de la Principauté du vendredi 5 décembre 2008 n° 7889, Arrêté Ministériel n° 2008-788 du 27 novembre 2008 portant autorisation et approbation des statuts de la société anonyme monégasque dénommée ‘Ateliers deMonaco SAM’
  2. ↑ Extrait des inscriptions portées au Répertoire du Commerce et de l’Industrie, à la date du mercredi 11 mars 2009 sous le n° 09 S 04993 au nom de ‘Ateliers deMonaco SAM’
  3. ↑ Only Watch 2009 Catalogue, Patrizzi & Co Auctioneers, p. 118-121
  4. ↑ "Les Ateliers DeMonaco Carre d’Or". Retrieved 2013-11-27.
  5. ↑ World Wrist Watch Magazine, issue 62 - Jan/2010, p. 36-37
  6. ↑ Interview Robert van Pappelendam in Elite traveller:""
  7. ↑ Pulso Magazine, issue 66 - Dec/2009, p. 70-72
  8. ↑ "Grand Tourbillon Minute Repeater". Retrieved 2013-11-27.
  9. ↑ "Ateliers DeMonaco Tourbillon Carre And Ronde Watches Hands-On". Retrieved 2013-11-27.
  10. ↑ "Watch Lounge". Retrieved 2011-10-01.
  11. ↑ "A new watchmaking haven". GMT. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
  12. ↑ "Ateliers DeMonaco Quantieme Perpetual Limited Edition". Retrieved 2013-11-27.

External links

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