Sandro

Grand Complication watchmaker tourbillon artisan

The original watch movements

At Chopard, complications are introduced when the time is right: the foundations of the Manufacture ā€“ the original watch movements ā€“ have been laid, and the additional functions testifying to constantly evolving expertise have been added little by little. Only a few watchmakers from the L.U.C Grand Complications workshop, such as Sandro ā€“ an Artisan at Chopard since 2000 ā€“ are capable of bringing tourbillon movements to life. Sandro joined Chopard in 2000 as an apprentice and moved to the Grand Complications ateliers in 2006, after a stint in the casing-up workshop. This passionate Artisan guarantees the quality of the Manufacture's certified movements.

[A sustained note in the background]


(On-screen text: Chopard presents)


(A close-up of various watchmaking tools.)


I've always liked doing things with my hands, when I was at school, I used to love arts and crafts, and that led me to look into watchmaking as a profession. I really liked it and I knew it was the profession I wanted to pursue.


(On-screen text: ART, from the Latin ARS, ARTIS. Talent, skill, dexterity.)


[Soft piano music plays]


(On-screen text: The word ART becomes ARTISAN.)


(On-screen text: From expertise to emotion. Chopard)


(A black and white graphite sketch of the palm of a hand, surrounded by the words EXPERTISE, CREATIVITY, EMOTION.)


An artisan is someone who works with their hands and with great passion.


(A portrait of Sandro.)


(On-screen text: Sandro, Grand Complications Watchmaker)


I'm a watchmaker in the Fine Watchmaking workshop for Chopard.


(Sandro works on the inner workings of a watch wearing an eye loupe.)


At Chopard, we are still lucky enough to be able to do very traditional watchmaking.


(On-screen text: Fitting the twin barrel)


(Close-up of a tiny screwdriver tightening a dainty screw inside a timepiece.)


Because these values are disappearing, it's important for us as watchmakers to do as much as we can in each watch, to assemble it from A to Z.


(On-screen text: Assembling the tourbillon carriage)


(Sandro meticulously assembles the tiny parts of a tourbillon carriage and gently puts it in place in the timepiece.)


It is a guarantee of excellence to have these hallmarks, whether it's the Geneva Seal or the COSC criteria. And that's what really counts in my eyes anyway. My personality reflects these values, because another aspect of being an artisan is having this kind of expertise, too.


(On-screen text: Setting the tourbillon in motion)


The tourbillon is a symbol of watchmaking excellence. It was invented for its precision. In the workshop where I am, it's low-scale production with very great value, very high value.


(On-screen text: Fitting the oscillating weight)


And that's essential for me. We can continue to invest in the field of Fine Watchmaking.


(On-screen text: Fitting the hands)


So my vision of a timepiece is that it's something that will truly span generations and arouse emotions, which is why it's important to do it well. I think I'm very fortunate.


(Sandro holds up a finished watch and inspects it, turning it so the light glances off the different parts and engravings.)


(On-screen text: Chopard - The artisan of emotions - Since 1860)

"A tourbillon is one of the pinnacles of the art of watchmaking."

Sandro, Grand Complication watchmaker Artisan

Assembling a tourbillon watch

The art of the tourbillon at Chopard is more about conquest than prowess. Since Chopard Manufacture came into being in 1996, each calibre has been conceived as a key element and observing the full array of these mechanisms reveals that they form the cornerstone of a Manufacture. One step at a time, the watchmakers have moved forward, setting new milestones, to create the prestigious complication watch that is the tourbillon watch. As Sandro explains: "The tourbillon was based on the idea of placing the regulating organ of the movement in a mobile carriage that spins on its axis to escape the effects of gravity that affected pocket watches in the past, when they generally remained in the same vertical position inside a waistcoat pocket.

An authentic accom­plish­ment

This process improved the precision of the watches.ā€. Chopard's flying tourbillon watch have a mechanism that automatically brings the seconds hand to a halt when the crown is pulled out for time-setting. "This was a request from Mr. Scheufele. He thought it was normal that in creating a tourbillon that improves accuracy, one should be able to set the watch to the exact secondā€, says Sandro, one of the few watchmakers capable of assembling such a complex mechanism.

From expertise to emotions

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