Craftsmanship

All too human

By Pierre Maillard

July 2025

Aprosthetic limb worn by a soldier, possibly an officer, of the First World War.

All too human

By Pierre Maillard

July 2025

All too human

Aprosthetic limb worn by a soldier, possibly an officer, of the First World War.

A

meeting of two worlds. The hand, with its articulated thumb, has been finely sculpted in ivory. The work of an artisan. The rest of the limb - the forearm, the elbow joint, the biceps and the shoulder straps – are the combined efforts of a metalworker and a saddler.

But times were changing. The vast majority of soldiers who were killed in battle - or lost an arm – were the sons of farmers and artisans. War would change all this. In its wake would come an age of science, technology and industry.

Why are we so moved by the sight of this arm? No doubt because of the hand with its opposable thumb. The mark of a human. The only being to possess this “tool”. A “tool” that has enabled our progress. And destruction.

EXPLORE ALL OUR EDITIONS SINCE THE 1930s ONLINE

All too human

WATCH FILES
Craftsmanship

The infinite hand

The infinite hand

In his essay In Praise of the Hand,1 Professor Claude Verdan (1909 – 2006) writes that “the brain is the principal organ of every evolved individual. It is (...)

The second life of hand-finishing

The second life of hand-finishing

There is something astir in contemporary watchmaking. Spearheaded by the likes of Philippe Dufour, hand-finishing is back in the spotlight. Exceptional (...)

Hermès: “Craftsmanship knows no limits”

Hermès: “Craftsmanship knows no limits”

An interview with Philippe Delhotal, Creative Director, Hermès Horloger.

Métiers d'art: out of the shadows, into the light

Métiers d’art: out of the shadows, into the light

Preservation of the métiers d’art has become a priority for the major names in contemporary watchmaking. Produced in limited quantities, these exceptional (...)

Homo sapiens or Homo faber?

Homo sapiens or Homo faber?

An initiative of the Michelangelo Foundation, established by Franco Cologni and Johann Rupert, the Homo Faber Biennial in Venice offers a remarkable (...)

Talking ‘bout the next generation

Talking ‘bout the next generation

Now, more than ever, the future of haute horlogerie is synonymous with artistic creativity, craftsmanship and technical virtuosity. The good news is that (...)

The forgotten workshop

The forgotten workshop

PORTFOLIO

Imagine a horological Pompei, buried not under volcanic ash but coated in decades of dust.

The Mill on the Col

The Mill on the Col

PORTFOLIO

A short distance from the watchmaking town of Le Locle, at the foot of a mountain pass that connects Switzerland and France, Moulins Souterrains du (...)

The Musician, the Third Thumb and the Exoskeleton

The Musician, the Third Thumb and the Exoskeleton

The human hand. Instrument of our intelligence, a legitimate obsession, we owe everything, or almost, to the hand. To mechanically reproduce its subtle (...)

What the hand knows

What the hand knows

“Watchmaking? A world where it is no longer clear whether it’s the brain guiding the hand, or the other way around. (…) Practice, practice, practice – until (...)

The return of the farmer-watchmaker

The return of the farmer-watchmaker

In 1964, documentary filmmaker Henry Brandt presented Les Hommes de la Montre. In it, Albert Bernet appears as the ultimate hero of a vanishing world: the (...)

The birth of intelligence

The birth of intelligence

The emergence of the opposable thumb, and with it the ability to grasp and manipulate objects, enabled humans to acquire intelligence such that they (...)

The artisan in us

The artisan in us

EDITORIAL

Rarely are they described as such, but publishing and writing are forms of craft. Or at least publishing and writing as we engage in them and have done for (...)

Hands, the making of humankind

Hands, the making of humankind

EDITORIAL

After Europa Star Jewellery, after Reloved with its focus on pre-owned and collectibles, we are getting ready to extend our portfolio of publications to (...)