ART IN TIME – A New Watchmaking Gallery Concept
Press Release
ART IN TIME – A New Watchmaking Gallery Concept
A new watchmaking gallery concept has now arrived in Monaco, at the initiative of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. It brings together eight houses, united by their shared values of independence, originality, and craftsmanship – and places passion and innovation at the heart of a new horological experience.
An innovative concept
ART IN TIME is based on a unique concept in watchmaking: bringing together niche brands on the basis of their common values rather than their types of watch, ranges, or similar styles. In addition to these values, the houses in question all share the same founding inspiration, characterised by independence, creativity, and exclusivity.
“The ethos of Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, just like that of Chopard, is rooted in a respect for Fine Watchmaking; as custodians of this heritage, we seek to promote its values,” explains Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud’s CEO Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. “The maisons in ART IN TIME are all motivated by the same deeply-held convictions, each in their own distinctive fashion.”
Brought together for the first time under the banner of ART IN TIME by their shared passion for craftsmanship, each of these watchmaking houses has its own well-defined identity, under the leadership of genuine entrepreneurs whose contemporary creations are strictly confined to select limited editions. Every year, these rare watches emerge from the workshops of the maisons in question – themselves among the most innovative and outstanding in the world of Fine Watchmaking. Typically, the singular nature of the pieces resides in a renewed approach to the way the time is displayed, the construction of the movement, or a ground-breaking design for the case, setting them apart from more conventional timepieces. And now, these niche brands for discerning collectors have their own address: ART IN TIME.
The fruit of a long journey
Throughout both his personal and professional career, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has developed a large number of initiatives closely related to the theme of time and the preservation of watchmaking heritage. One such example is the L.U.CEUM at Fleurier. Its name draws inspiration from L.U.C. (Louis-Ulysse Chopard) and the Latin word lyceum, meaning a place of learning – the vocation of this venue for sharing watchmaking heritage with others.
The rebirth of Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud in 2013, also under the personal leadership of Mr Scheufele, marked another milestone in the quest to restore watchmaking heritage to its rightful place. The timepieces created as a result of this dynamic embody Scheufele’s passion for the work of Ferdinand Berthoud – and his audacious ambition of bringing it back to life and giving it the visibility it deserves today.
“Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud has opened the doors to niche brands for me – houses promoting innovative watchmaking, headed up by passionate people with whom we clearly share the same values. ART IN TIME will enable us to raise our profile together among collectors and the general public, more particularly on the French Riviera, where these maisons were not previously represented,” explains Karl-Friedrich Scheufele.
Eight outstanding houses for the launch of ART IN TIME
The first art gallery in this region of the world dedicated to measuring time opens today in Monaco: ART IN TIME. Its unrivalled location, right at the heart of the Côte d’Azur, is an expression of the shared desire to offer only the very best in Fine Watchmaking, from a selection of truly complementary watchmaking houses.
Today, Ferdinand Berthoud, Chopard, Greubel Forsey, L’Epée, MB&F, Ressence, Florian Schlumpf, and Urwerk have become the first to be part of ART IN TIME. The gallery is located in the new, prestigious ONE MONTE CARLO complex, close to the legendary Hotel de Paris. Here, in this prime location near the Casino, the ART IN TIME gallery is opening its doors to collectors and connoisseurs of watchmaking art.
In this exclusive space, just a few exceptional timepieces will be on show in a refined, minimalist setting. The brands’ names and logos will blend into surroundings devoid of any superfluous furnishings, thus ensuring the timepieces remain the focus of attention, with nothing to distract the gaze of lovers of beautiful things. This uniform presentation is the key to a visual harmony that allows each watch to emerge quite naturally. The showcases themselves have been designed so that they all but disappear in favour of each watchmaking creation.
The vocation of ART IN TIME is to offer only quintessential watchmaking art. Such an undertaking is as ambitious as it is conceptual; ultimately, it could also include other art forms in relation to time. And to date, it is the only venue in the world to offer a selection of timepieces of this standard all in one place.