The mood was refreshingly festive inside a packed pavilion in front of Hall 1 at Basel as luminaries from the world of watches gathered to celebrate Elizabeth Doerr’s new book, 12 FACES OF TIME: HOROLOGICAL VIRTUOSOS. Slated for release this fall, 12 FACES is a non-commercial, close-up look at 12 leading independent watchmakers and their mechanical masterpieces. Leonid Khankin, owner and creative director at the Swiss-American watch company Ernst Benz, threw the party to simultaneously celebrate the launch of his company’s Instrument Series and to honor the horological heroes profiled in Doerr’s book.
Seven of the featured watchmakers attended and guests enjoyed a rare opportunity to meet and speak with this august group that included Philippe Dufour, Vianney Halter, Roger Smith, Kari Voutilainen, Felix Baumgartner, Beat Haldimann and Thomas Prescher. The watchmakers featured in the book not able to make the evening were François-Paul Journe, Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, Paul Gerber, Volker Vyskocil, and Kenji Shiohara, founder of Seiko’s Micro Arts high watchmaking studio. Those in attendance enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to meet admirers old and new.
Doerr will be keeping us informed as the project progresses, so stay tuned to WatchTime.com for 12 FACES updates.
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