Primus

http://www.horomundi.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4576

http://ahci.watchprosite.com/?show=forumpostf&fi=16&pi=2561366&ti=426831


A beautiful tri-axial tourbillon by talented watchmaker Aaron Becsei of Bexei. Born in 1979 in Hungary, he is one of the youngest AHCI candidates in history. Unlike most young watchmakers, Mr Becsei taught himself watchmaking by dabbling, out of interest, in his father's watch restoration workshop. Without any formal education in this field, he went on to create a few of the most exquisite classically styled time-pieces in recent memory.

Primus is his first attempt at a wristwatch. And what a maiden attempt it is. It's triple axis toubillon eschews the use of ball bearings, a world's first. The engraving on the dial is painstakingly done by hand over the course of weeks. And every single component of the watch, other than the strap and the sapphire crystal case, is handmade by Mr Becsei himself with a level of polish and finish comparable to the best of AHCI (ala Dufour / Voutilainen).

It is fascinating how good Hungary seems to be when it comes to craftmanship. Knize made its name in tailoring hundreds of years ago, despite public perception of the Savile Row being the mecca of the trade. In a similar fashion, footwear cognoscenti fell in love with Vass and its shoes, even though shoemaking is usually seen as the forte of the English and the Italians. And now, we have Bexei poising to become a remarkable independent force in haute horlogerie. What is similar among these marques, is the attention to detail, the respect for tradition and the insistence of making everything by hand. These are craftsmen and artists, and without doubt some of the best in the world.

As for the watch itself, well let's just say I have another piece of art to dream about.