The Vanguart Orb is a stunning example of 21st century innovative and imaginative watchmaking. Somewhere in the mix between the hyper haute horlogerie of Richard Mille and Greubel Forsey lies Vanguart. As surprising as it might seem, given the Renaud et Papi super string thread that runs across various high-end brands, there is a place for one that combines modern aesthetics and design, with the traditional centuries-old finishing techniques and movement manufacture.
In the same way that Silicon Valley has the new technology garage start up, La Chaux-de-Fonds has the repurposed 19th century watchmaking atelier that sees a group of forward-thinking artisans coming together to implement their vision of horology. Vanguart fits the model perfectly. It was founded in 2017 by four people: CEO Axel Leuenberger, Chairman Mehmet Korutürk, Creative director Thierry Fisher and CTO Jeremy Freléchox. The brand name comes from a fusion of the meanings for “Vanguard” (avant-garde) and “Art”, reflecting the founders’ vision.
Left, Vanguart Orb in microblasted rose gold and titanium with polished bevels. Right, in microblasted titanium with polished bevels.
Two of the quartet, Leuenberger and Freléchox are ex-APRP (Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi). Leuenberger worked under Guilio Papi and was responsible for technical conception while Freléchox was a 15-year veteran, with a further six years at Girard-Perregaux. Interestingly, given the 21st century connections between haute horlogerie and racing machines, Korutürk came with a background in finance and previously worked for a private equity company that owned a F1 team. The team have that heady mix of high-end watchmaking skills, the ability to prototype and design in-house, and links to racing technology and finance. In eight years, Vanguart has grown to 15 people with sufficient collector interest to introduce their second timepiece, the Orb.
The back of the Vanguart Orb showing the intricate proprietary movement, the backplate, gears, and the automatic winding. At the top and base of the case are the quick-change buttons for the strap.
The Vanguart Orb’s case is a gently curved sleek futuristic shape that comfortably melds to the wrist, with a 41mm diameter and 10.5mm depth. Within, there is a three-dimensional architecture to the automatic flying tourbillon movement that draws the eye. The mainplate and bridges are crafted in grade 5 titanium, with hand-finishing on the sandblasted surfaces, satin brushing, and high-polished bevels. As it is skeletonised, there are a number of angles both from the front and the back of the watch that allow you to admire the finesse in the mechanics. The gears wheels are another level of execution, almost ethereal in appearance, beautifully finished with elegant proportions.
On the dial, there is a two-millimetre brilliant-cut diamond floating in the rehaut, which represents the counterweight to the peripheral rotor that surrounds the movement. The crown has a built-in pusher with three positions: setting the time, engaging the rotor (and watching the diamond spin around the dial as you move), and locking it in place. The design is very similar to the selector mechanism found on the original Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept and the Richard Mille RM002. The final element that adds to the wearability is a very quick and easy change strap system. The titanium watch (priced at CHF150,00) ships with a black strap while the rose gold (CHF180,000) comes with a white one, although there is a multitude of different colours and materials to choose from.
In the US, Vanquart is already well known. NBA Superstar James Harden is not only an investor, but also Creative Advisor and brand ambassador. Vanquart was selected as one of the watch brands by Yoni Ben-Yehuda, Head of Watches at luxury experience retailer Material Good, who are very adept at connecting athletes and celebrities with timepieces, and the Orb has already started to appear on the wrists of the famous. Notable examples include Michael B. Jordan and Milla Jovovitch on the cover of Vogue Czechoslovakia. The demand for Vanguart watches is already high, and with output currently limited to about 40 pieces a year, the wait list is already growing.
Author: Andrew Hildreth
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