Five High-End Watch Collaborations I’d Love To See Happen
This article explores potential high-end watch collaborations, drawing inspiration from the successful Ulysse Nardin × Urwerk UR-Freak. The author outlines criteria for a successful partnership, emphasizing surprise and a shared, yet distinct, obsession between brands, rather than simple co-branding. The piece speculates on five pairings: A. Lange & Söhne × Grand Seiko, De Bethune × Ming, Kari Voutilainen × Credor, and Greubel Forsey × Fam Al Hut.
The Ulysse Nardin × Urwerk UR-Freak is cited as a benchmark for successful collaboration, requiring the engineering of a new caliber with approximately 150 new components to integrate signature ideas.
A successful collaboration is defined by a surprising pairing and a shared obsession approached from different angles, not merely a colorway or co-branded case back.
A. Lange & Söhne and Grand Seiko are proposed for a 'finishing summit,' uniting German and Japanese finishing cultures, potentially through a jointly designed time-only caliber with components finished by each brand.
De Bethune and Ming are suggested for a collaboration focused on the interplay of light, with De Bethune's metallurgical and mechanical expertise combined with Ming's photographic and compositional approach to dials and lume.
Kari Voutilainen and Credor are mentioned as a pairing where 'half of it already exists,' hinting at a potential for shared expertise in high-end finishing.
Greubel Forsey and Fam Al Hut are identified as a realistic potential collaboration, given Fam Al Hut's recent success with the Möbius Mark 1 biaxial tourbillon and Greubel Forsey CEO Michel Nydegger's expressed admiration for the young brand.
The article posits that collaboration has always been integral to high-end watchmaking, with specialists quietly contributing to 'in-house' watches, and the modern trend is simply dual branding.