Few initiatives in modern watchmaking truly place craft over product. The Time Æon Foundation is a foundation whose aim is to preserve and pass on traditional handcrafted techniques at the highest level. The Naissance d'une Montre series has become the best expression of its mission, not just watches, but knowledge workshops where historical methods are relearned, applied and passed on.
In the first chapter, presented in 2012, Michel Boulanger, a watchmaking teacher at the Diderot vocational school in Paris, created a tourbillon watch made entirely by hand under the guidance of Robert Greubel, Stephen Forsey and Philippe Dufour. It proved that 19th century methods could still be implemented by today's standards. The second piece in the series (2019) expanded the collaboration conceived and created by Greubel Forsey, Urwerk, Cyrano Devanthey and Dominique Buser from Oscillon. The extraordinary third watch (2025), co-developed with Ferdinand Berthoud, culminated in a completely handcrafted fusee and chain chronometer involving dozens of craftsmen and thousands of hours of work.
Now is the time for the Naissance d'une Montre 4, Le Carrousel. This project continues the Foundation's mission, but also introduces a new independent watchmaking house: Bonniksen, founded in 2026 in La Chaux-de-Fonds by Maximin Chapuis, restorer and prototype watchmaker, student of Michel Boulanger, and Jason Chevrolat, with entrepreneurial spirit, both in their thirties. Their brand is named after the Danish watchmaker Bahne Bonniksen (1859 – 1935), who settled in England and later proposed the founding of the British Watch & Clock Makers' Guild (1906), which still exists today.
The team behind the Naissance d'une Montre 4 project – from left to right: Jason Chevrolat, Michel Nydegger (CEO of Greubel Frosey), Maximin Chapuis and David Bernard (Director of the Foundation)
As the name suggests, the clock will feature a carousel. This rotating regulation system was invented in the late 19th century by Danish watchmaker Bahne Bonniksen (1859-1935) (patented in 1892) and was designed as an alternative to the Breguet tourbillon for averaging position errors in vertical positions. In contrast to the tourbillon, the carousel is a “carried wheel” system that is driven independently of the gear train and does not have a fixed seconds wheel anchored to the main plate. Pictures below of an original Karrusel clockwork from Bahne Bonniksen (pictures from @SwissWatchGang).
Despite its historical relevance and success in observatory experiments, the carousel gradually disappeared in the 20th century and was reintroduced in the 21st century. It is a challenge today to revive it using traditional tools. Chapuis and Chevrolat spent more than 5,500 hours researching, reconstructing and adapting the mechanism, with contributions from Bonniksen's descendants and a deep insight into English chronometer traditions.
All of these preparations result in a fully handcrafted carousel movement integrated into a wristwatch under 40mm, and the inverted design brings the mechanism forward. A three-quarter plate will anchor the design, with an offset time display at 12 o'clock, a large central second hand and a rim rail. The carousel rotates once every 30 seconds and interacts visually and mechanically with the central seconds hand.
Once completed, the Naissance d'une Montre 4 will certainly represent continuity and expand a series of projects dedicated not to innovation but to the preservation of knowledge. At Bonniksen, this knowledge now finds a new, independent home. Further details at timeaeon.org.
https://monochrome-watches.com/anncreasing-naissance-une-montre-4-carrousel-project-bonniksen-aeon-foundation-news/