Beyond the Brand - Vianney Halter
Beyond the Brand - Vianney Halter
Haute Review brings you a series of brief interviews with some of the most influential individuals and the brand they are famous for.
Today we bring you Vianney Halter, from his own creative house and mind titled Vianney Halter.
Vianney Halter was born in Suresnes, in Paris outskirts, in 1963.
At the age of fourteen he set his mind on deepening his knowledge of
mechanics, took the train to the capital and enrolled himself at the
Ecole Horlogère de Paris (Paris Watchmaking School).
Now forward we go:
After graduating in 1980, Vianney Halter spent the first ten years of his
professional life restorating antique horological items. This gave him
a broad knowledge about the art of horology.
Vianney starts his own independent horological development company in 1994, he produced various timepieces for famous brands such
as Harry Winston, Breguet and Audemars Piguet, among others.
In 1998, he also dreamt up and developed his own collection of wristwatches. His creations have been welcomed as avant-garde pieces
and are considered as instigators of a new trend in watchmaking.
Vianney makes atypical timepieces in a stunningly traditional manner,
using his unique style, his own technical patents and trademarked
designs.
As a matter of fact, when he presented his first model, the Antiqua
Perpetual Calendar at the Basel Fair in 1998, the watch was immediately regarded as a « relic from the future ».
This enabled him to assert his creativity and granted him access to
the AHCI.
In the following years, Vianney Halter created 10 different wristwatch
models. However, the high level of craftsmanship keeps the production at a confidential level, as less than 500 watches bearing Vianney
Halter’s signature were ever produced.
Deep Space Tourbillon
Concept
In 2013 he unveiled his new creation, the DEEP SPACE TOURBILLON: a futuristic three-axis tourbillon under a crystal dome. As with the Antiqua, Vianney innovated and created general surprise with a previously unseen mechanism and bold design. These 22 years of independence spent perpetuating watchmaking arts and his contribution to the contemporary horological landscape have won him nine prizes. The quality of his expertise placed him as one of the 64 players who were selected for the White Book of the FHH (Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie). The white book aims to delineate the idea and principles of Haute Horlogerie.
Life Influences
His father was a train driver for French National Railways. In his oldest memories, he remembers his father bringing home old machines and mechanical parts that fascinated him. In a way, early exposure to powerful locomotives, steam engines and control instruments might be the origin of Vianney‘s attraction to mechanics and engineering.
At the time when he was a student at the Paris watchmaking school, he had to travel by train for five hours every day, and started to consume Science Fiction books and stories. Those stories changed him forever. Jules Verne novels stimulated his mind. Vianney kept obsessing about all the material and equipment the adventurers used. Later he was exposed to TV series and particularly Star Trek.
For Vianney, it remains the quintessential sci-fi series. The original Star Trek series and the following had a strong impact on him. The Deep Space Tourbillon watch is a hommage to the 1993 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series that sent him into parallel universes for several months. Being fascinated by space exploration and aeronautical research, he still reads everyday about the subject. Vianney is a collector, fond of scientific instruments and ancient mechanical devices. To him, they represent a part of human history that needs to be curated.
Inspiration
Moreover, those objects are a source of inspiration: they hold an incredible variety of systems, displays, and ingenuity. Tower clocks fascinated him since he was a child and as of today, make the most of his collection. At age eleven, he bought his first piece in the town of Limay near Paris. Among the huge tower clocks one can find scientific instruments, tools, calculators, ancient bulbs, engines powered by forgotten energy sources. Those objects, as well as the people who made them, inspire Vianney. His most recent collection takes him back to his first passion: books. He rediscovered graphic novels and started to collect and amass illustrations. Original comic books panels, novel cover art, sketches… Vianney has little talent for drawing so these hand drawn art pieces make a big impression on him. As much as he likes to share his own universe, Vianney loves to contemplate others’. Set in motion by the same creative process, he expresses himself through his watches.
Independent Watchmaker
By Himself
Vianney Halter works at the bench alone. He recently decided to do all the operations himself, like he did twenty years ago, to have a better control over the quality of his products. This process can not be compatible with the over consumption of goods that the industry wants people to indulge into. Developing a new model as an independent watchmaker requires a tremendous amount of time and resources. Once the creation is being solidified, it is vital for him to appreciate it, to honor it and to share it. This pattern allows him to keep strong in front of the pressure for constant novelty in watchmaking. This implies that he also needs to be financially independent, with all the complexity that is associated. It also means having to learn everything you need, constantly.
Vianney Halter is one of the last true artisans, his work and passion for watches coupled with his immense attention to detail and quality make his creations a must for any true collector.
This post is just an introduction, further posts will be dedicated to his works and creations. Stay Tuned! Until then feel free to take a look at his works at:
Signing off,
Alen
