The Time Æon Foundation unveils a timepiece featuring a carousel, an ancient mechanism masterfully reinterpreted by artisans in La Chaux-de-Fonds. A creation that blends centuries-old tradition with technological innovation.
The revival of a forgotten name
The Time Æon Foundation recently unveiled the fourth chapter of its “Naissance d’une Montre” program, a new phase marked by a rare distinction: it brings the carousel back into the spotlight, a fascinating mechanism long overshadowed by the prestige of the tourbillon. This project revolves around a new watchmaker, Bonniksen, based in La Chaux-de-Fonds and founded by Maximin Chapuis and Jason Chevrolat. The ambition announced by the manufacture is one of absolute purity: to design and manufacture entirely by hand, without the slightest automation, a timepiece incorporating this complex mechanism.
The challenge is as much historical as it is technical. Indeed, the goal is to breathe new life into the name of Bahne Bonniksen, the Danish watchmaker based in England who, in 1892, filed the original patent for the carousel.
A tribute to craftsmanship and the passage of time
Maximin Chapuis, a French watchmaker and member of the highly respected Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, oversees the project’s technical direction. Jason Chevrolat, for his part, brings expertise honed at prestigious houses such as Jean Dunand, Christophe Claret, and Bovet. Discerning observers describe this duo as the true backbone of Bonniksen’s revival, a brand set to fully launch in 2026 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
The brand affirms its commitment: every component of this piece is shaped and finished by hand. This positioning places it among the elite of workshops championing a slow, exacting approach to watchmaking, one that occasionally allows for uncompromising precision. In an industry often obsessed with ostentatious innovation, Bonniksen takes a more understated path, reviving the complex mechanical solutions of yesteryear and adapting them to contemporary demands.
The carousel, the tourbillon’s discreet cousin
Like the tourbillon, the carousel pursues a classic horological ideal: improving isochronism by counteracting the adverse effects of Earth’s gravity. The mechanics, however, differ subtly. While in a tourbillon, the cage rotates the escapement around an axis via a drive directly linked to the main gear train, the carousel, on the other hand, powers the escapement separately. The cage is thus driven by an auxiliary transmission.
This architectural nuance, long appreciated only by erudite collectors, has tangible implications. The carousel can be simpler to machine, although mastering it remains a feat of high-level craftsmanship. Blancpain had, in fact, paved the way in 2008 by introducing the first wristwatch with a carousel, before combining this mechanism with the tourbillon in 2013, achieving a feat that remains, to this day, the absolute benchmark in the field.
A bold, inverted architecture
Part of the Naissance d’une Montre 4 program, the Le Carrousel project aims to become the very first hand-crafted wristwatch to incorporate such a complication. Its designers admit to having dedicated more than 5,500 hours to research, development, and meticulous adjustments.
While the case promises elegant proportions with a diameter of less than 40 mm, the aesthetic restraint ends at the edge of the dial. The movement reveals a striking inverted architecture, exposing a large mainplate on the front. The time is displayed on an off-center sub-dial at 12 o’clock, graced by modernized, English-inspired hands. A majestic central seconds hand traverses the caliber, while a discreet aperture allows one to admire the dance of the carousel, which, notably, completes its revolution in 30 seconds.
This lightning-fast rotation is particularly unique for a carousel. It imposes, in fact, mechanical and physical constraints far greater than those of traditional rotations.
A tribute to heritage, far from a mere museum piece
To harness this energy, the design incorporates support rollers intended to relieve the pressure exerted on the pivots. A Maltese cross-shaped stop mechanism intelligently limits the maximum tension and the winding phase of the barrel. The goal is to ensure an absolutely consistent delivery of energy.
This approach resonates with the centuries-old philosophy of English watchmaking, elevating the quest for precision to the level of fine craftsmanship, far removed from the standards of industrialized production. The choice of the carousel is anything but trivial: it brilliantly demonstrates that certain complications, even those relegated to the margins of history, constitute a formidable canvas for expression for a haute horlogerie that refuses to take the easy path.
To date, no official launch date has been announced. But in the world of haute horlogerie, time is not merely a unit of measurement: it is, by its very nature, the most precious of raw materials.