Europa Star April 2012

00 COMPLICATED WATCHES europa star
Speake-Marin – Watchmaking renaissance
avenues. For myself, these unique hand engravings complete the Renaissance on both technical and aesthetic levels.”
“Engravings of this sort are also a classic
Speake-Marin element,” he continues. “Many
of the early pieces I created were dragonorientated, working with either Japanese artists
or European engravers but often in an Asiatic
style and the first two Renaissance pieces
bear beautiful dragon engravings. Although
my style is very gothic, I feel that it complements that type of art well.”
Good times
RKeith W. Strandberg
T
The times they are a’changing for Peter SpeakeMarin. He is moving away from the focus on
Peter Speake-Marin the watchmaker and
putting it on Speake-Marin the brand.
The newest piece is the Renaissance Tourbillon
Minute Repeater. Says Speake-Marin, “I wanted
a bold statement watch that encapsulated
what Speake-Marin is, something which incorporated elements from my previous work and
projected them in a single piece, both complications, the foundation watch and the engraving work all wrapped in the Piccadilly case.
This then marks the beginning of a new period
in the development of Speake-Marin, moving away from being Peter and directed to
become the Speake-Marin brand.”
The Renaissance Tourbillon Minute Repeater,
featuring a striking open-worked dial, is limited to six pieces for the world. “I hope that as
with the Shimoda and the Serpent, this piece
will garner a reputation as being an iconic timepiece marking this new period for our brand,”
Speake-Marin says.
The back of each Renaissance movement is
decorated with a different intricate handengraved design making each one a unique
piece. “I designed the back movement bridges
so that the whole of the surface of the back of
the Renaissance is like a canvas where I could
fully maximize the possibilities of engraving,”
Speake-Marin details. “It gives me the liberty
to be able to explore many different artistic
Times have been good for Speake-Marin recently, with 2011 having been the brand’s best
year ever. The brand is now developing new
collections and making an evolution in watch
design and production much influenced by the
success of Speake-Marin’s Marin-2 Thalassa.
“2012 is likely to be even better for us although
my impression is that the industry as a whole
may be unsure, as selling small numbers of
high-quality watches is easier than selling a
mass volume product in a market that remains
volatile,” Speake-Marin points out. “I think in
general prudent remains a key word in relation to optimism.” O
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