Three entrepreneurs with one unique passion. Jonathan Purnell and Stéphane Valsamides travel worldwide as the brand’s ambassadors, while Marcel Lachat performs in his workshop aiming at the perfection of the complicated movements and their finishes. Their complementarities allow Cecil Purnell to forecast an annual production of several hundreds of pieces and to be able to meet with each specific, mechanical request.
To pay tribute to his forefather Cecil Purnell, infatuated with complicated watch movements, Jonathan Purnell, the visionary, decides to perpetuate his grandfather’s admiration for the watch-making art and mechanical marvels. Stéphane Valsamides, the purist, brings his visions of perfection. Having travelled worldwide for other well-known brands, they have both built up an excellent network of contacts and are familiar with the specific requests of demanding clients. Marcel Lachat, the gold finger watch-maker, who detains the know-how in the art of watch-making and secrets of complicated mechanisms, gives them the possibility to realize their visionary pieces and collections.
Classical, sporty, high jewellery or in special limited editions, Cecil Purnell’s timepieces have a strong design, easy to recognize, a case which can take a large variety of fine dials, with a cut-out opening at 6 o’clock for the pleasure of gazing at the beauty of the movements of the tourbillon’s heart and a segment of their interior treasures. The sapphire crystal back of the case allows you to appreciate its careful and fine finishes, such as “Côte de Genève” design,blueing of the screws, beading and subtle, minute filing. Produced traditionally, the materials used are noble ones and from the best origins, either in stainless steel 316L, PVD, pink gold RN18 or white gold (150).The same criteria apply to the dial’s mother of-pearl and the selected diamonds set on high jewellery watches. These symbols of “Haute Horlogerie” are tested in the workshop for a full period of 15 days, in 5 different positions, before being brought out to their aficionados and ready to conquer new markets. Furthermore, it goes without saying that Cecil Purnell perfectionist efforts contribute to the highly technical reputation of the art of Jurassic watch-making.
Tribute to Cecil Purnell
Like a dedication to perpetuate the memory of a dear departed relative, the brand Cecil Purnell owes its name to Jonathan Purnell’s grand-father. Almost a century ago in the neighbourhood of Besançon, while recovering from the martyrdom of ill treatments during the war, Cecil Purnell falls in love with the art of watchmaking, its fascinating techniques and mechanical marvels. The man, curious and passionate for its magic, settles down in the “Vallée de Joux” nurtured with a special interest for Abraham Louis Breguet’s tourbillon movement, supreme symbol of interior sophistication and incomparable mastery. From Cecil Purnell nothing more than a strange, faded, black and white photograph survived. His grand-son decided to devote his passion, inherited from his ancestor, and build around his name more than just another history of a watch-maker : collections of watch models bearing the excellence strictly loyal to an open-minded perfectionist.This touching tribute also implies the duty to offer to as many people as possible the values of the best and to also hoist the colours of the brand’s reputation to the firmament of “Haute Horlogerie”…
Founders of Cecil Purnell Watch Brand
Jonathan Purnell: Since the early age of 8, Jonathan Purnell, contaminated by his grand father’s passion for watch-making, dismantles timepieces and put them back together again. For thirty years he travels the world extensively on behalf the of most celebrated Swiss watch brands in quest of the enlightened enthusiasts, well-informed collectors and of uncompromising aficionados. When showing some of his exceptional pieces, he can always tell a story, an anecdote or some memories about them. His address book is filled with the names of prestigious families and famous sovereigns. He finally settles down in Malaysia where he decides to pursue his own convictions : to give access to these highly desired mechanical treasures, extravagant but reliable, exclusive and highly desirable, reserved, such as the mythical tourbillon.
Stephane Valsamides: Haunted by pure visions of the realm of watchmaking, Stephane Valsamides, also cumulates the marketing and commercial experience of highly complicated or exceptional timekeepers. He travels worldwide for renowned brands, witnesses the awakening of the manufacturing era and almost inevitably crosses Jonathan Purnell’s route. His fascination for the traditional way of working and for the possibility to defer the limits of perfectibility leads him to sharing the passion of rich and challenging encounters. Co-founder, he writes Cecil Purnell’s perennial history and its quest for excellence. He also dreams of an authentic and hundred percent Jura seal to be added to the “Swiss made”- guaranty of a quality watch manufacture.
Marcel Lachat: Holding a diploma of the renowned “Ecole d’Horlogerie” of Porrentruy, Marcel Lachat participates to the early years’ of mythical brands, such as Helios, Helvetia, Vulcain, or famous factories like “Aubry Frères” (Noirmont). After spending more than twenty years behind his watchmaker’s bench, he decided to set up his own workshop. His magnifying glass constantly tied to his eye, Marcel Lachat is most of the time working for the most celebrated luxury watch names. He knows all about the universe of the highly complicated timepieces, chronographs, perpetual calendar, ultra-flat movements or tourbillon and soon goes into partnership with Cecil Purnell. Presently his workshop -Horlogerie Allaine -employs 14 people.
Official website:http://www.cecilpurnell.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment