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Augustin Watches
The commission

It begins with a story,
not with a model

The piece starts from something that happened to you, rather than from a catalogue. The workshop's part is to find the form in which that thing fits on four centimetres.

The stages of a commission

  1. 01

    The conversation

    At the first meeting the drawing does not exist yet. The talk is about the person: what he has built, what he has lost, what he would want to remain after him.

    from an hour to an afternoon
  2. 02

    The drawing

    Out of the conversation comes a composition that did not exist before. It is worked until the person commissioning recognises in it the thing he spoke about.

    redrawn until it is recognised
  3. 03

    The technical choices

    Only now are the movement, the diameter, the materials and the strap decided. In that order: the drawing asks for the space, not the other way round.

    a single sitting
  4. 04

    The making

    The dial is worked by hand, one piece at a time. The duration follows from how far the composition goes, and it is not promised before it is clear.

    months, not weeks
  5. 05

    The handover

    The piece leaves in its box, with the full specification and with the story written out. A duplicate of the document stays in the workshop.

    once only
Questions

What is asked most often

How much does a one-off watch from Augustin Watches cost?

The price is set individually, in direct conversation with the watch designer. It follows from the movement, from the materials of the dial and from the complexity of the composition.

How long does a one-off watch take to make?

The duration depends on how far the composition of the dial goes, and it is not promised before it is clear what is being made. The workshop works one piece at a time and takes on a small number of commissions each year.

What does it mean that the piece is a one-off?

A finished composition is not taken up again. This is not a limited edition, where several identical examples exist: here there is no second one. The piece leaves with the full specification and with its story written out, and a duplicate of the document stays in the workshop.

Which movements does Augustin Watches use?

Swiss calibres, automatic and hand-wound. The public portfolio shows Sellita SW-200 and SW-500, ETA 2824-2, ETA 2892, ETA 6497-1 UNITAS, ETA 6498-1 UNITAS, ETA 7750 Valjoux and STP. The case is stainless steel with a sapphire crystal; a few pieces have a rose gold case or gold elements.

Where is the Augustin Watches workshop?

In Bucharest, at 4 Ion Ghica Street. Only by appointment, on 0731 495 714.

How does a commission begin?

With a conversation, not with a model chosen from a catalogue. Out of it comes a composition that did not exist before; the movement, the diameter, the materials and the strap are decided only once the drawing has been accepted.

The first conversation is arranged
for the hour that suits you

The workshop takes on a small number of commissions each year. The hour is set by telephone, on the same number, whether you call yourself or someone calls on your behalf.

0731 495 714

contact@augustinwatches.com · 4 Ion Ghica Street, Bucharest