Philippe Dufour or Ludovic Ballouard?

 

Let me get straight to it: Dufour's presentation at the Geneva fair was rather bleak. Or more precisely: there was no 'Dufour' presentation at all. As just one of the five panellists, in an hour and 15 minutes, the greatest master of modern watchmaking barely uttered five sentences.  Some legends are best when observed from a distance. Luckily, I spotted Ludovic Ballouard in the audience. Ludovic is a Genevese watchmaker -  complicated, witty and eccentric - one could say just like his watches. As the presentation was nearing the end, it was obvious that I would have just one photo opportunity. And without a second thought, I picked LB.

"Excuse me, Mr Ballouard, would it be possible to have a photo with you?" He was delighted, extending his massive arm. I quickly introduced myself, while complimenting the watch he was wearing: the famous 'Half Time'. And unlike Dufour, Ludovic was genuinely excited, talkative, polite and very friendly. He said that he is yet to visit Australia - and, as it would be expected, I offered to 'take him around' while in Sydney. The chat went on. I pointed out that I am a very keen 'student of horology' and, since recently, a watchmaker. "Watchmaker? In Australia?" Yes, indeed. Of course, an aspiring watchmaker far away from home, should not miss an opportunity to slip in a word or two about his own work. As with anything, timing is everything, so to Ludovic's surprise, I pulled out both the Mark II and NH 55, proudly stating that this very watch has just been submitted to the Louis Vuitton competition. I pointed out the obvious: while the watch mechanism is of a rather humble design, the dial and all bridges were made of tricomposite titanium alloy. The hands are made out of titanium, and so is the case, all of them manufactured in our own workshop, in a country with no horological history. Monsieur Ballouard was visibly excited. He quickly congratulated both Josh and myself, then proceeded to ask numerous questions about the finishes, anodization of timascus and guilloche on the dial. And Josh and myself were struggling to hide our excitement. The 'tick of approval', the one that counts.