And going from movement to completed watch is no simple feat.
After all, The Ω Project is a series of watches. “ My reasons for lapping the baseplate was to provide the whole caliber some visual depth perception which would also accentuate other components it also allows more light into the movement which is visually very attractive.”Ĭhristian Etienne fully services and refinishes the movements, which, in itself, is already quite a task. The logic of this process is the following: One key detail of the process is the lapping of the base plate. It’s the ultimate form of horological upcycling - taking vintage Omega movements and making them his own, using decades of watchmaking expertise to elevate the movements aesthetically. Instead, Christian transforms them into something new. And if it makes you feel better, just think that otherwise, these movements would be sitting in a drawer or in an old, broken watch. Watch purists, you can look away now! But whereas my initial reaction to the idea of re-finishing vintage Omega movements was also not the most welcoming, the results speak for themselves. In this way the construction of the Omega T30 series of movements is ideal.” “ This series offers a reliable, robust, and precise movement, large enough in diameter and with a certain robust thickness and size allowing for a large winding barrel, a large balance, and a classic Breguet overcoil. The perfect candidate came to mind - Omega’s 30mm calibers. However, in order for the series to be successful, Christian would need more than just a handful. In Switzerland, it wouldn’t be too difficult to find a small number of movements fulfilling these criteria. And the second was that the movement used should ideally be a caliber with pedigree and an interesting historical background. The first was that it had to be a reliable, robust, proven timekeeper. The first step was to source movements.īut what would be a perfect choice? The goal was to meet two criteria. Instead, the mission is to create something special and limited that only true, passionate horology enthusiasts will enjoy. Christian isn’t trying to turn this into a mass commercial success. The difficulty was to source from quality Swiss manufacturers in small quantities. From cases to crystals, straps, dials, and most importantly, movements.
You have to find reliable sources for a number of components.
Serial production is not as simple as it might sound. So what exactly is The Ω Project? In short, it’s Christian Etienne’s effort at producing a series of watches rather than one-off pieces for his customers. Pressure was put on him to make more watches, and thus, he decided to create a special series. In recent years, Christian Etienne has continued to pursue his passion by creating a number of watches as an independent watchmaker. A highlight of his work took place during his time with Richard Mille, finishing and assembling the brand’s incredible perpetual Planetarium-Tellurium. He worked with some big names in the field, such as Ulysse Nardin, Paul Picot, Parmigiani, Greubel Forsey, Girard-Perregaux, and Omega. Here is where Christian learned everything that enabled him to pursue a career in watchmaking. He went from restoring vintage clocks to assembling complex modern movements for a luxury brand. This is when Christian Etienne joined the ranks of Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi’s watchmakers. Christian got involved in watchmaking, and after his formation, became a specialist in restoring rare clocks, pocket watches, and wristwatches, as well as teaching in the Porrentruy school of watchmaking (now known as the CEJEF Division Technique).Ī few years later, in 1996, his life changed. They created the red jewels found in mechanical watch movements. In fact, he was surrounded by it from a young age with his family being personally involved in the industry. Having grown up in the village of Porrentruy in the Jura region of Switzerland, he was no stranger to watchmaking. After just a brief read of the profile available on his website, it was plain to see that Christian was quite an interesting character.
I personally wasn’t, not until news of his latest endeavor, The Ω Project, arrived in my inbox.
You could be forgiven for not being familiar with the name Christian Etienne.