features


The passion of DeWitt

June 2004





Claiming to be the fifth generation descended from Napoleon’s brother Jérôme, Jérôme de Witt has also inherited the family’s passion for complicated timepieces. Consequently, his quest for his recently formed company is to create timepieces for the elite – passionate collectors who seek perfection in the unique.

Having acquired a magnificent property in Vandoeuvres, Geneva, that had already been transformed into a watchmaking workshop, purchased a part share in a dial manufacturer with two other leading watch manufacturers in Geneva and an established workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Jérôme de Witt launched his own brand last year at BaselWorld.
de Witt’s pursuit of perfection in complications is aided by a team of highly experienced master watchmakers who assemble each and every piece from start to finish, with the watch actually signed by them as a guarantee of quality. The phrase ‘Manufacturée à Vandoeuvres’ is engraved on the timepiece.
Using Calibres of renown such as the LUC by Chopard or the Venus 185 to name but two, the watchmakers then add complications to give the watches their personalized DeWitt touch. For example, the perpetual calendar is equipped with a LUC movement and then enhanced by the addition of a bi-retrograde module with a retrograde date at 3 o’clock and a retrograde day at 9 o’clock. Another innovation is the chronograph with its flyback hand and a lifting lever.

DeWitt

PERPETUAL CALENDAR BI-RETROGRADE
From the New Emotion collection, this watch is in white gold (43 mm) and is equipped with a DW97mechanical lever movement. Self-winding, 58-hour power reserve, retrograde date at 3 o’clock, retrograde day at 9 o’clock, month and year at 12 o’clock, moon phase at 6 o’clock. White gold dial with ‘chocolate’ sun pattern and DeWitt-style sword-shaped hands, sapphire crystals front and back, water-resistant to 30 metres.

NEW EMOTION TOURBILLON
18 carat white gold case (43 mm) equipped with a mechanical lever hand-wound movement DW 80. Dial replaced by a hand-turned bridge with ‘Petit Panier’ decoration in blue, ‘remontage mystérieux’ and ‘dents de loup’ wheel decoration, 110-hour power reserve, 21,600 v.p.h., sapphire crystals front and back, water-resistant to 30 metres.


New Emotion and New Age
This year, DeWitt’s vision is ‘to create a watch making brand issued of aristocratic tradition and manufactured with exceptional passion and perfection’. The two collections designed to achieve this goal are the New Emotion and the New Age.
The New Emotion collection comprises a Perpetual Calendar Bi-Retrograde in white gold, a Retrograde Second in red gold, Dual Time Zone GMT in red gold, a Chronograph in red gold and a tourbillon in either white or red gold. The watches are ‘outstanding from its case design to the choice of materials.’ The cases are massive in volume and the dials are original in concept, delicately worked and highly graphic.
The New Age collection comprises a Regulator in stainless steel, a Chronograph in white gold or stainless steel and a Small Second in stainless steel. These watches are sensual in their design, yet classical because of their pure shapes.
These technical characteristics are all housed in well-designed, original and powerful watchcases – the smallest being 40 mm and the largest 43 mm. Since the beginning of its deliveries at the end of 2003, DeWitt has produced 250 watches and anticipates a further 500 pieces this year. The watches are available in their boutique in Geneva and through a point of sale in Singapore. Other counties such as USA, Japan and the rest of Europe are being studied now.
By making each watch in the two collections a Limited Edition of either just 50 or 100 pieces with prices ranging from 8,500 to 24,200 Swiss francs, plus 197,400 Swiss francs for the troubillon, the DeWitt brand ensures that only a few people in the world will be wearing these highly original complications.

DeWitt

NEW AGE REGULATOR
Stainless steel case (48.5 x 40 mm) equipped with a self-winding mechanical lever movement DW 50. Minutes, hours at 12 o’clock, small seconds at 6 o’clock, 28,800 v.p.h., water-resistant to 30 metres.

NEW AGE CHRONOGRAPH
18 carat white gold case equipped with a self-winding mechanical lever movement DW 40. Minute counter at 3 o’clock, hour counter at 6 o’clock, seconds counter at 90.