With a strong emphasis on the use of his in-house calibres today, Voutilainen initially began development of his wristwatches with heavily improved and highly finished vintage movements. This remains so for his minute repeating timepieces, including this Decimal Repeater. Starting with movement blanks, typically made by LeCoultre or Louis Elisée Piguet in the late 19th or early 20th century, Voutilainen refined the mechanics, often adding his own components and modifications, most notably the decimal strike mechanism to replace the conventional quarter strike.

Unlike many of Voutilainen’s earlier watches, the Chronometre 27 stands apart from all that came before. An oversized wristwatch with a form case, the Chronometre 27 has an unusual shape as a result of the Longines cal. 360 within. Conceived in 1959 specifically to compete in observatory chronometer contests, the cal. 360 was a highly-tuned movement running at the high frequency of 36,000 beats per hour. It was designed to maximise the size of the mainspring and balance wheel while adhering to the size requirements of the contests, resulting in its unconventional form. Made only in small numbers, the cal. 360 set new records in the category of wristwatch movements at the Neuchâtel Observatory, but it never made it to commercial production.

Both powered by variants of the cal. 28, these are examples of Voutilainen’s current oeuvre. They still carry the recognisable style found in his earliest work, but with various tweaks that make them distinct, as seen in the typography for the numerals for instance. But more importantly, they exemplify the vertical integration of his production, while still preserving its high quality. Not only are the movements proprietary calibres produced in house, the dials and cases are also produced by companies owned by Voutilainen, who also has made a name for himself as a highly-regarded supplier of components to other independent artisans and manufacturers.