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oagaspar Site Founder 
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excellent article posted on the WatchLounge about independent watchmaker Ludovic Ballouard....below is a youtube link to the working Upside Down watch which is a marvel in watchmaking and a big hit at the Basel Watch Fair... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7fyrdJ4kTc  Tom is the founder and editor of The Watch Lounge. Together with his team he is dedicated to bringing you the best, original content you won't find anywhere else on the net.  The first ‘Upside Down’ watch on the wrist of its proud new owner © Ian Skellern This week’s watch is the super cool first creation of newly independent master watch maker Ludovic Ballouard. Simply called the ‘Upside Down’ watch, few details were known about this exceptional timepiece during the construction phase other than that it would feature a never-before-seen complication. Conceived and completed in an exceptionally short time-frame, the relatively simplistic looking first completed model belies the level of complexity involved in making a timepiece of this calibre. Get ready to see something you’ve never seen before! Where Did He Come From? Don’t feel bad if you are not be familiar with Ludovic’s name, I’d certainly only heard it in passing up until a few months ago. However, fortunately thanks to the keen insight of well-regarded industry veteran Ian Skellern, whose superb photography you will often see on this site, this man’s exceptional skills as a new and upcoming independent watchmaker were soon brought to my attention. Regardless of your familiarity with Ludovic you will definitely be well aware of his former employer, high-end watch manufacturer F.P. Journe, where he spent the last seven years honing his skills on some of their most highly complicated models, including the Sonnerie Souveraine. It’s difficult really to think of a better training ground for an independent watchmaker with a highly creative mind! The funny thing is though that according to Ian, when Ludovic left Journe he just had a few ideas and a few sketches, nothing more.  The ‘Upside Down’ complication in all its glory! © Ian Skellern The Upside Down Watch That’s what makes the story of the first Upside Down watch just that little more interesting. Around the same time Ludovic started developing his plans into a workable model, a friend based in Paris mentioned this new independent watch maker to a wealthy watch collector. Knowing little more than that this new piece would feature a unique, never before seen complication, he immediately ordered the first piece. So the challenge was set. It was time to take this simple sketch into a full scale completed model and let’s just say the final product certainly lives up to Ludovic’s outstanding reputation. Looking at the dial the first thing you will notice that is that all the numbers are upside down, except one, hence the name. The model is called ‘Upside down’ because only the correct hour is the right side up. When the minute hand reaches 12 o’clock, the old hour number instantaneously flips upside down and the new hour simultaneously flips right-side-up. It doesn’t sound anywhere near as good when you write it, so it’s easier to just show you (and a big thanks again to Ian Skellern for this great video!) As you can see in the video Ludovic has chosen to exhibit the complication on the back of the movement, as opposed to putting it out of sight under the dial as would be the generally accepted approach. You will notice that each hour has its own Maltese cross that is rotated at the appropriate time by a large diameter wheel and so the decision to place the complication at the rear of the piece affords the viewer an obstructed view of this visual delight. However, as Ian told me, it was no easy feat to achieve this as it meant arranging the movement architecture so that 12 vertical pinions could traverse the movement and link each hour to its Maltese cross. Initial delivery will consist of 12 limited edition timepieces and as an added novelty the hours numbers themselves are used to denote which number in the series the watch is. For example, if the piece is number 3/12 it will have the 3 in a different colour to the other numbers to indicate this. The Final Word When you consider that not only is this Ludovic’s first timepiece, a timepiece that features a never-before-seen complication no less, but also the fact that it was completed in less than twelve months you really start to grasp the exceptional level of skill this man possesses. Even more exciting is the fact that’s he just starting out. Just imagine what he’ll come up with next! Fortunately we have been given the fantastic privilege of being able to interview Ludovic, which we will be publishing on The Watch Lounge in the next few weeks. So stay tuned to find out not only what he has to say about the incredible Upside Down watch but also for hints on what other ideas he may have up his sleeve! And a special thank you again to Ian Skellern for all his help with the information on this piece. |
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bigrustypig 3T WIS 
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Thanks for this, O. I can't even start to imagine the price of this truly amazing timepiece |
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natevan70 3T WIS 
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That's pretty impressive! And in less than a year?  |
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Skipdawg 3T WIS 
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Wild! I have days where I feel upside down that would do well I think. LOL |
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stew77 Admin 
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That is too cool!!! Amazing complication!!!! Thanks for sharing Oscar... |
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ndburley 3T WIS 
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That is really cool...  Thanks for the post Oscar  |
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Simon_Leung 3T WIS 
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Only from the mind of an extremely creative individual from F-P Journe,that we'll ever get to see such a masterpiece of horological complexity. Thank so very much Oscar for sharing this piece of news. Cheers, Simon |
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AntFarm 3T WIS 
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Very cool... Looks really complex too... I love the back of the watch wherer you could see the workings and how they move... I wonder what they will sell for? |
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Simon_Leung 3T WIS
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Rumor has it that the price of the platinum version of the Upside Down is around 45,880 CHF. Which roughly translates to $45,530.88 USD. The price quote that I was able to find came from another website. Cheers, Simon Last edited on Mon Sep 13th, 2010 06:25 pm by Simon_Leung |
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ndburley 3T WIS
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Simon_Leung wrote:Rumor has it that the price of the platinum version of the Upside Down is around 45,880 CHF. Which roughly translates to $45,530.88 USD. Is that all?...I will have 5  |
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