"Understand me...I do not have time for things that have no soul."
—Charles Bukowski
Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena LAB
We are proud to announce our first collaboration with independent watchmaker Sylvain Pinaud, the Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena LAB, a handcrafted monopusher chronograph, which is limited to only ten pieces.
Years before his win at the 2022 GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève), where he was awarded that year’s “Horological Revelation” Prize, Sylvain Pinaud crossed paths with William Massena at a collectors event in Geneva. Pinaud's avant-garde monopusher chronograph, cased in titanium, instantly caught Massena's imagination.
Reflecting on their first meeting, Massena recalls:
"When I held Sylvain's chronograph, it was pure magic. Hearing Sylvain recount the timepiece’s origin story—and how he had crafted it to compete in the prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF) competition—only sealed the deal.
If you live outside of France, you may not be familiar with the MOF, but inside France, it is famous. About every four years, a competition is held to honor the best of the nation’s craftspeople, or ouvriers, in French. Entrants compete in various categories ranging from the culinary arts to metal and stoneworking. When Sylvain won his MOF with his Chronograph Monopoussoir, it almost instantly elevated him to his place among today’s most talented and exciting independent watchmakers. His win at the GPHG in 2022 only cemented this position."
After seeing the watch in the metal, William asked Sylvain if he could place an order for himself but with a revised case design. What started as a personal commission turned into a professional project when many of Massena’s friends in the collector community expressed interest in acquiring a similar watch from Pinaud. The spark of collaboration ignited, and the Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena LAB was born. From a personal muse to a shared project, Pinaud's ingenuity and Massena's vision coalesced into horological artistry.
Technical marvel meets aesthetic elegance in this timepiece, crafted almost entirely by hand in the atelier of Sylvain Pinaud in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland. The watch is powered by a hand-wound movement with a fully integrated, column-wheel chronograph with a horizontal clutch, which can be started; paused; and reset using a single pusher located discreetly at the crown. The movement’s integrated chronograph complication, hand-finished by the watchmaker himself, is left exposed on the dial side and is a delight to observe.
The dial, created by Comblémine SA—the dial manufacture owned by the renowned watchmaker Kari Voutilainen—is a fusion of modern design with vintage aesthetics inspired by maritime chronometers.
Sapphire windows on the sides of the titanium case, as well as a sapphire caseback, invite glances of the dial and of the movement from almost every angle—a glimpse into the careful labor and artistry which characterize a Sylvain Pinaud timepiece.
The watch is fitted with a strap by Jean Rousseau Paris in aged calfskin with a crocodile lining.
The Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena LAB is limited to ten pieces, with production limited to three pieces each year. Price: CHF 130,000.
Please note: the images featured on this page are computer renders only. Photographs of the prototype are anticipated by late September 2023.
Features
SYLVAIN PINAUD
Born in France into a family of clockmakers, Sylvain Pinaud grew up almost next to his father’s workbench, fascinated by the work of a watchmaker. Later, after studying watchmaking at the École d’Horlogerie de Marteau in France, Pinaud moved to Switzerland where he is now based in Sainte-Croix.
Before breaking out on his own, Pinaud worked at Frank Muller for several years before leaving Geneva to work for a famous clock restorer near Sainte-Croix. At the same time, Pinaud was also working for Techniques Horlogères Appliquées, the company that was founded, in part, by François-Paul Journe. Later, Pinaud worked in the prototyping department for Carl F. Bucherer, imagining new complications and devices for the brand.
In 2019, Pinaud was the winner of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France and, in 2022, he was awarded the “Horological Revelation” Prize at that year’s GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève) for his watch, the Origine.
Pinaud is a current candidate to join the Académie Horlogère de Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI).
Movement
• Manual-winding, fully-integrated single pusher column-wheel chronograph with horizontal clutch by Sylvain Pinaud.
• Hand-finished to the highest degree by the watchmaker in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland.
• 18,000 half oscillations per hour (2.5 Hz) with approximately 45 hours of power reserve.
• Hand-finished chronograph left exposed on the dial.
Limited Edition
• Limited to ten pieces.
• Production limited to three pieces per year.
• Made in Switzerland.
Dial
• Manufactured by Comblémine SA, the dial maker owned by independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen.
• Hand-frosted, hand-beveled plate.
• Subdial at 12 o’clock displays hours and minutes. Frosted inner sector with a beveled edge. Circular graining of the hours and minutes sector track. All hand finishing.
• Forty-five-minute counter at 3 o’clock. Small seconds at 9 o’clock.
• Blued steel chronograph and counter hands are distinguishable from the hour, minute, and second hands.
Case
• Titanium. Polished bezel with grained lugs.
• Diameter: 42mm. Thickness: 11mm.
• Sapphire crystal windows on case sides allow for the dial, and its chronograph movement, to be viewed from additional angles.
• Water resistance of 30 meters.
• Lug width: 20mm.
Warranty
• Two-year guarantee.