Image: Martin Pauli
Most people are only familiar with the names Patek Philippe, Rolex and the brands within the conglomerates (LVMH, Richemont and Swatch). This is not really surprising as these companies have huge budgets and can therefore pay millions of dollars for sponsorship deals. Over the past decade, brand ambassadorship has become big business. Celebrities in film, music and sports get big endorsements to be photographed wearing the latest watches. Commercially, this makes sense as these organisations are in the business of making money after all. For this reason, it is difficult for small independent companies to get any traction. A great example is Martin Pauli, owner of Angular Momentum.
My story with Martin Pauli Martin was a small watchmaker based in Bern, Switzerland, nearly a decade ago when I was doing extensive research for my first book, Limited Edition Watches. Martin is a small-batch watchmaker who specializes in limited editions or one-of-a-kind pieces. Many of his watches are highly experimental and combine traditional + contemporary techniques. My admiration for his exquisite work was the catalyst for putting together a watch called Hemisphere. The watch features a 55mm solid bronze case with sunken forged carbon spheres and an openworked dial. It is based on Martin’s ‘Blue, Green and Bronze’ and was meticulously assembled by Adelaide watch restorer Ben Birkett.
In addition to being a published author, I am also a watch designer. This has led to many collaborations with many extraordinary artists such as Frederic Leuba, Ruslan Skuitte, Torsten Nagengast and Konstantin Chaykin. Recently, I noticed that Martin Pauli had created a watch called the ‘Yakitsuke Spaceship’. This inspired me to pitch Martin an idea for a watch aptly named the ‘Afterburner’. The idea was to create a 55mm cast iron watch with brass studs and a crown. I was also keen to incorporate my signature drilled hands to create an industrial aesthetic. This design perfectly complements the Urushi lacquered cast iron dial. Martin achieved this using a delicate historical Japanese technique called ‘Yakitsuke’.
Powering the watch is a Swiss-made self-winding movement sourced from ETA. The calibre 2824 has 25 jewels and beats at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Martin chose this mechanism for its reliability and adaptability. To accommodate the oversized 0.3mm brass hands, the winding parts (hours/minutes) needed to be of a certain length. Functionally, the ‘Afterburner’ only has hours and minutes because I wanted to maintain a minimalist look. It should also be mentioned that this is a 1/1 unique novelty and therefore is not water resistant. Ultimately, this watch is an experimental artistic expression designed to make a bold statement.
To finish things off, the ‘Afterburner’ is presented on a textured black rubber strap (taken from the sole of the shoe) with a solid brass buckle.
