Petermann Bédat - The Duo Chasing Perfection

Pisces • 1992

Gaël Petermann

"People will buy old watches that they love, but if you’re going to release a watch in 2020 you have to do something different. Sure, you can be inspired by older watches, but you have to change it to make it more modern."

Libra • 1992

Florian Bédat

"We also took inspiration from what our teachers taught us in school. The matte finish on the dead-beat seconds bridge is inspired by a few old pocket watches we came across."

Peterman Bédat was founded in 2017 by Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat. Both still in their twenties, the pair spent time restoring vintage timepieces, while Petermann, like Muller three decades before, also worked for Svend Andersen. The two regard Dufour as a role model, while also point to a pocket watch from the 1940s as inspiration for their inaugural watch, the 1967 Dead Beat Seconds.

Property of Mr Gaël Petermann

2016

Gaël Petermann Star Chart

An intriguing timepiece completed by Petermann during his spell working for Svend Andersen, this is a large timepiece with a surprisingly simple front made up of a small sub-dial for the time amidst an expanse of translucent fired enamel. But the complication lies on the reverse, which features a star chart showing the constellations in real time.

Property of Mr Gaël Petermann

Property of a private collector

2020

Deadbeat Seconds

The inaugural watch of Petermann Bédat, the 1967 demonstrates the duo’s pursuit of fine finishing – the movement is finished finely, carefully, and completely – and their knowledge of historical watchmaking. Its key feature being the deadbeat seconds powered by an elaborately-constructed secondary escapement, which is based a 1940s pocket watch built by a teacher at the La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaking school. At the same time, the 1967 is also a product of a young brand founded in 2017 – with both founders still under 30 – that has yet to vertically integrate its production, but its promise is apparent.