Brought to you by Berry Harleman - Watch Expert
Jean-Mairet & Gillman may not be as world renowned as Rolex (yet), but this modern brand is quickly making a name for itself in the watch world and is worth discussing. After discovering this exclusive watch in one of his upcoming auctions, our watch expert was eager to share the story of how Jean-Mairet & Gillman came to be and why this watch, the Hora Mundi, is so special. Keep reading to find out why our expert is so excited about this particular watch.
History
César Jean-Mairet, coming from a long line of watchmakers, machinists and world travelers, dreamed of designing watches one day. He did not grow up in the watchmaking industry however and pursued other interest before finding his true passion. With an engineering degree he found himself building power plants and when that no longer held his interest, he went back to school and earned a finance degree as well. This led him to work for several prestigious financial institutions, but the dream of designing watches never left his mind. He founded his company in 1999, at first as a hobby, to combine his passions for watches, science and machinery. Today he continues to work in the financial sector but admits that watchmaking takes up more of his time and devotion.
The Design
César Jean-Mairet was inspired to create such a watch while on a flight to Madrid. During the 1 hour and 10 minute flight, he came up with this brilliant design. There were other world timers available, but it occurred to Jean-Mairet that he could create his own version with the same functionality by adapting the existing movement already in use in his other watches. And so that Hora Mundi was born.
Hora Mundi
The name literally translates to ‘time world’. This particular timepiece is a 41mm automatic boasting a 42 hour power reserve. Perhaps the most unique feature of the Hora Mundi is its ability to indicate the time in up to 24 time zones simultaneously. Combined with the intelligent design, luxurious elegance and the essential complication, an alarm, this watch is ideal for world travellers.
If you’re in the market for a truly remarkable timepiece, you can’t find much better than this Jean-Mairet & Gillman Hora Mundi watch available now at Catawiki’s Exclusive Men’s Watches auction. To add to the exclusivity of this watch, we would like to point out that this particular watch is a limited edition of 25. So if number 5 of this series belongs on your wrist or in your collection, place your bids now!