Introducing: The Sylvain Pinaud Origine ‘Ste Croix’ Limited Edition With EsperLuxe
What We Know
Sylvain Pinaud has, alongside Boston-area independent retailer EsperLuxe, announced a very limited run of 12 pieces of Pinaud’s time-only watch, the “Origine,” to celebrate EsperLuxe’s fifth anniversary as a retailer. While I haven’t seen it in person, judging by the photos, it’s my favorite piece from Pinaud yet. As an example of high-end hand-made watchmaking, it doesn’t come cheap, but it very well looks to be worth it.
The new Origine “Ste Croix” is based on the framework of the original Origine that won the “Horological Revelations” Prize at GPHG 2023. The movement has an in-house gear train and Swiss-lever escapement. At the forefront is the 13.2 mm with Phillips spiral shown on the dial side at six o’clock. The sub seconds are at 10 o’clock, and the time is displayed on an elevated silver-toned frosted and brushed subdial at two o’clock. It’s a beautiful, striking, simple display, but it allows Pinaud to highlight his handcrafting skills. The baseplate is made of frosted gold, giving it a bit of color that the original Origine lacked. This edition of the Origine removes the “Hand Made” label on the dial, which I felt was unnecessary anyway. The work speaks for itself.
The movement is deceptively simple on the back, but – again, judging only by pictures – the movement finishing is also great on the backside. The movement is manually wound with 55 hours of power reserve. It is cased in stainless steel (the shape of which is reminiscent of F.P. Journe’s watches) and measures 40mm by 11mm thick. Again, you shouldn’t put a price on good handwork, but if you have to, in this case, the watch runs CHF 76,900.
What We Think
Sylvain Pinaud is a watchmaker who probably deserves more attention than he gets, but unfortunately, I’ve not yet seen his work in person. His work seems to be of the highest possible quality, but with only two distinct models under his belt – both with slightly different design language – it’s not quite clear if this is what Pinaud has landed on as “him.” I really hope so, because this looks fantastic. Every prominent feature – balance wheel and bridge, dial components, bridge shaping, feels very thoughtfully done.
There are a few things I might change – the gap at the rear that would normally hold the balance wheel stands out as though something is obviously missing. But maybe that’s part of the charm. It certainly adds some visual tension.
You may remember EsperLuxe from a profile I did on Christopher Daaboul last year. He’s been a long-time passionate collector, supporter, and now five-year retailer of independent watchmakers. He met Sylvain in 2021 over Zoom before later meeting at Pinaud’s atelier in Sainte Croix. According to Daaboul, the watch draws inspiration from watchmaking in the Sainte Croix region. I frankly don’t know enough about the region’s watchmaking to pick up the fine details, and while I haven’t seen his work in person, from pictures, this is my favorite version of the Origine.
The gold-frosted main plate feels more traditional, in the same vein as some of F.P. Journe or Ferdinand Berthoud’s aesthetics. This works quite well on a watch like this, especially with the giant balance at the forefront. It also feels like it might be more legible than the silver-on-silver Origine that came out at launch. While the price – CHF 76,900 – is pretty eyebrow-raising for a watch in a steel case, I would say it looks to be in line with the level of handcraft and hand-finishing you get with the Origine. That said, it’s a good reminder that I need to make an effort to see Pinaud’s watches in person.
The Basics
Brand: Sylvain Pinaud
Model: Origine “Ste Croix”
Diameter: 40mm
Thickness: 11mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Color: Circle polished and sablage middle with gold frosted main plate
Indexes: Flame Blued steel hours, minutes, and seconds hands
Lume: None
Strap/Bracelet: Calf leather strap with stainless steel deployant buckle
The Movement
Caliber: Origine
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Diameter: 33.8mm
Thickness: 6.9mm
Power Reserve: 55 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 21,600 vph
Additional Details: In-house escapement and balance wheel with variable inertia; balance diameter 13.2 mm with Phillips spiral
Pricing & Availability
Price: CHF 76,900
Availability: Immediately through EsperLuxe
Limited Edition: Yes, 12 pieces.
For more, click here.
Hodinkee
