Once Again - A Few Minutes With Peter Speake-Marin

This originally went out back in 2011, but given this weekend's news, it seemed appropriate to re-heat it -

A Few Minutes with Peter Speake-Marin

Peter Speake-Marin was kind enough to share some time with me this past week - and now - A Few Minutes with Peter Speake-Marin

James  Henderson -   What was your first watch – is there a the story behind it?

Peter Speake-Marin - My first watch was a “Steve Austin Bionic Man” watch, back in the seventies with an led push button display.  I can’t say this fired my desire to become a watchmaker but it will always hold a place in my heart.  If I remember correctly, my Uncle bought a small quantity of them from a dubious source and then proceeded to given them away to the children in the area. The first ‘real’ watch I owned was a Longines military watch from 1948 that I acquired in London, when I was working in the Piccadilly arcade.  I then (probably very wrongly) opened the case back up to view the movement, and redesigned the dial in a slightly more gothic fashion. I wore that watch religiously for around 5 years before giving it to a friend who had always coveted it.  He continues to wear it today. He now lives and works for Apple in California.

JH - Where were you born?

PSM  - St Margarets hospital, Epping, Essex in 1968

JH - When you were a boy, what did you "want to be when you grew up?”

PSM - Initially as a child, perhaps a bus driver like my father.  Following that I never had a clear view except that it had to be what I perceived to be practical and creative.  As an adolescent I had aspirations of going into architectural engineering.

JH -  It seems fair to say that perhaps you were an "accidental watch maker"?  Your first interest was jewelry, yes?

PSM - I left school half way through my A levels and initially tried for the engineering division of the RAF.  I was under-qualified for this, and began searching for something else, which I thought would suit my skill set.  Jewelry seemed to fit, however the lack of a foundation degree in art meant I was immediately rejected from this avenue. A careers teacher in Loughton Essex dug up an old prospectus on Horology (a word that at 17 years of age I had no understanding of).  After my first visit to the school in Hackney I started the course 2 weeks after it had begun. At 17 I found something that I was good at and held the promise of travel. My Brother and Father had traveled extensively and I had always wanted to do the same. I was told that watchmaking meant that I could find work in any city in the world.

JH - Are you more artistic, or more mechanical?

PSM - Both sides of my brain are fairly balanced which is a strength and enables me to advance projects very quickly, designing things which both are beautiful and work and can be made.

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

J H -  There is a real history of notably famous English watchmakers - Graham, Harrison, and others.  Do you see yourself ever returning to the UK to set-up shop there?

PSM - Some times I play with the idea but it is already very complex producing the components I design in Switzerland, where I currently live and work. Switzerland is highly specialized in this domain. To make these types of components in the UK would be difficult. Returning to the UK to live for periods of time is a strong possibility, to set up a company making the type of watches I make today virtually impossible.

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

JH -  Who else is making watches that interest you?

PSM - Nobody specifically but I am drawn to the independent world more than the larger companies because these guys feel far more authentic to me in their motivation.

 

JH - If you weren't doing this, what would you be doing?

PSM - Probably driving a bus.

 

JH -  Living and working in Switzerland - did you have any challenges/difficulties adapting culturally? How about with the language?

PSM - Language was the toughest element, I am not a natural linguist and although I work like a dog I am lazy at those things which I need but don’t really appreciate, French is one of them.

JH - I have to say, I love the Marin-1 with your SM2 self-winding movement.  How long did it take for you to develop this new caliber?

PSM - From original drawings through to delivering the first watches approx 3 years

JH - Any future SM calibers in the future?

PSM - There are already a number in development but all based in some way on the SM2

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

JH -   You seem to spend a lot of time "on the road" meeting your customers and fans - has it always been this way?

PSM - I spend less time than people perceive traveling, but when I do travel I try to make as much noise as possible since this is my way of reminding people that I am there and about my work. Like many independents I spend my cash on the watches and not marketing.  As a result the traveling becomes my marketing and as I meet my clients and visit different countries I share the experience on the Internet. It has not always been this way but will increase over the next 2 years as my business grows until a point comes when I can be more conventional in marketing my work. This does allow me to live a childhood dream of travel.  In September I leave for a world tour which will be for at least a month.

 

JH - You are one of the "Friends" in the MB&F "Friends" - what is that like?

PSM - Max has been a friend for many years and I am happy to have been able to help him start his business as he helped me and many other independents when he was with Harry Winston.

JH - It seems that you might have come into watchmaking at just about the right time with the renaissance of mechanical time pieces following the quartz crisis. What are some of the differences you see between when you started out and where things are now?

PSM - Essentially the increased size of the collectors market and education through social media, had the Internet not existed I doubt I would have been able to have the success I have had today.

JH - Where do you see Peter Speake-Marin in three years’ time?

PSM - In a different workshop with a larger team in a constant state of development.

JH - What do you like to do in your "down" time?

PSM - Family, food, wine.

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

                                       

JH - Was there ever a time when you asked yourself - "what was I thinking?"

PSM - Every other day

 

JH - Going out on your own was a big decision. Any regrets?

PSM - None

JH -  Finally, any advice to the future aspiring watchmakers/entrepreneurs out there?

PSM - Create a real business plan which will help you to plan every element of your business and work, and assure your self a financial cushion.  Believe actions and results not words.

Elvis Has Left (or is leaving) The Building

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

News has begun to filter out through the mainstream and although some of us had heard whispers for the past few months, it is now, apparently, official.  

As first reported by 24heures.ch it would seem that Peter Speake-Marin is now moving on from the brand that he started and still bears his name.  

As with any enterprise, you start out, you work hard, and if you are talented (which Mr. Speake-Marin certainly is) and have a bit of luck (which he also had) you will get to a point with your brand where you have to decide to either "go big" or "stay home" (yes, I have co-opted and modified that one a bit).  And the decision for Speake-Marin was to bring in some financial help and grow.  And that is a choice that he made and which I respect. 

I have read a few of my colleagues in the fourth and fifth estate, some who poo-pooed the move from "down-home, single-malt" horology to a more mass product.  And I guess we will agree to disagree for a few reasons.

1.  Fantasy vs. Reality
I am sorry to pee in anyone's cornflakes, but there was one George Daniels, and even the man who is often most closely considered to be the heir to his mantle works with A LOT of help.  Ludwig Oechslin with ochs und junior is really more about scalability (movements are now based on a UN base movement but previously on an ETA) than it is about one guy, bent over the bench making unique creations one at a time.  Yes, it is a unique adjustment and embellishment to the movement to add that Oechslin flair, but be under no illusion that he is personally crafting, adjusting and casing that watch for you, cause he ain't ; ) 

I find it funny to read some people's accounts of angst and anguish to learn that Speake-Marin would be using a mass produced movement for some models to make them more accessible.  We have, I feel more and more, an unrealistic expectation about "the craft" and "artisanal" and if we are being REALLY honest about this stuff, there is NO WAY that more than a handful of watches could be crafted, by hand, assembled one by one in a given year.  Yes, there are a few guys (and I suspect gals) out there doing it this way (several who we may never hear of) but that is not always a sure-fire way to pay the rent, feed the family and keep shoes on the kids' feet.

2.  Investors Are Seldom Partners
The watchmaking battlefield is strewn with the bodies of presumed partnerships that, in fact, were never intended to be partnerships at all, but rather investments.  I am not privy to the agreement that Mr. Speake-Marin had with the investors, but I suspect that it was probably always understood that sooner or later, he would be stepping away from involvement with the brand.

3.  You Don't Live In The Past
Having been involved in the transfer of ownership and CONTROL from one entity to the other, it is more often than not the case that the people investing the money have bought into the brand because they feel that it is just that, a brand.  Coco Chanel, to the best of my knowledge, is no longer running that business.   Peter Speake-Marin did more than simply build beautiful watches.  

He built a brand.  

And it is the brand that the investors were interested in.  Now the brand still bears his name, and I have no doubt that the PR arm that is tasked with communicating about the brand from here on out will wax poetic about the brand DNA and Peter Speake-Marin's undeniable contribution to it.  But if the brand survives and moves forward and evolves?  Well, there will be other contributors and innovators as well.  And I suspect that is what Mr. Speake-Marin would want, to see the brand live on and grow and thrive beyond his involvement.

4.  Nostalgia And Business Don't Always Mix
A brand must be more than a reliance on the past.  It took Cartier years to figure this out. 

5.  Life Moves Forward
It is entirely possible that Mr. Speake-Marin was looking for a way to ease away from the business that he founded and focus more on the transmission of his knowledge and passion to the next Speake-Marins out there.


So God's Speed Peter Speake-Marin as you transition to the next chapter of your career.

The Black Magister Vertical Double Tourbillon

From Speake-Marin 

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

Because what's better than a tourbillon?  A double tourbillon!

A Chronograph!

From Speake-Marin -

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

It was only a matter of time, and it appears that it has been worth the wait!  Speake-Marin's latest, the Blue & White Spirit Seafire.

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

The movement's is Valjoux's self-winding 7750.  Most of the chronograph sub dials seem pretty straight forward with the minutes counter at 12 o'clock, and the hours counter at 6 o'clock.  Then there is the constant seconds hand which bears more than a passing resemblance to the Speake-Marin logo.

The case is the Piccadilly, crafted in titanium.  It measures 42 mm in diameter with anti-reflective sapphire crystal on the front.  Available with either a rubber or leather strap.  Limited to 28 pieces.

The Velsheda from Speake-Marin

In red gold!

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

Here are the details -

The new Velsheda features in red gold, blued hand to indicate time, while two continually changing superimposed ‘topping tool’ motifs create eye-catching patterns in the centre of the dial.
Named after the iconic British “J Class” yacht built in the 1930s and still racing today, Velsheda offers a minimalist display of time using a single polished steel, blued hand. While the single hand extends across the diameter of the dial, its central hub is in the form of the Speake-Marin topping tool logo, as is the central seconds wheel sitting above it. The rotation of the seconds wheel on top of the slower moving hub of the hand creates ever-changing, eye- catching patterns, drawing the eye to the centre of Velsheda’s dial.

The blued hand and topping tool motifs contrast beautifully against the elegant white lacquer, multi-level dial. The sides of the highly legible Roman numerals taper towards the centre, a subtle but significant detail endowing the dial with a dynamic, contemporary feel.
The sumptuously sculpted hand is neatly counter balanced by a pointer at one end and an arc at the other; coupled with the fine 5-minute graduations around the peripheral chapter ring they create an overall aesthetic echoing that of a compass. This seafaring visual aspect is fitting since Velsheda’s name is inspired by the marine world: The yacht Velsheda was designed for racing and in the 1930s was one of the most technically advanced sloops of her day.

This nautical feel is strengthened by the Piccadilly case in red golf featuring a fluted, two- position crown (manual winding and time-setting with hacking seconds). Peter Speake-Marin says: “The shape of the Speake-Marin Piccadilly case is inspired by early marine chronometers. For me, the case is primarily a means of clothing the movement, as was the case with early marine chronometers.”

Velsheda’s Vaucher calibre is an automatic winding movement. The movement dominates the view through the display-back and provides a technical backdrop for the beautifully finished rotor. Like the central hub of the hand and the seconds wheel, the rotor is in the shape of the Speake-Marin topping tool logo, a motif permeating the whole timepiece.

The Velsheda was a super yacht, part of the J Class, designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson and built in 1933 by Camper and Nicholsons in Gosport, England for businessman William Lawrence Stephenson. Its name came from the first syllable of each of Stephenson’s three daughters: Velma, Sheila and Daphne. At the time, she incorporated some of the most sophisticated technical designs for sails, deck gear, ropes, spars and rigging. Between 1933 and 1936 she was a regular race-winner, competing with the likes of Britannia, Shamrock V and Endeavour.

Velsheda is part of Speake-Marin’s “J Class” collection. 

When Hours Jump

Introducing the new Jumping Hours from Speake-Marin.

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

Because they were nice enough to send such a comprehensive press release, here it is!  Straight, no chaser:

Past, present and future: Symbolic concepts of time continually passing. Time is valuable but also fleeting, and although we can define it, we cannot control it. Jumping Hours, part of Speake-Marin’s Cabinet des Mystères collection, highlights the transient nature of this most intangible commodity. Four separate jump hour indications, each controlled by its own gilded star wheel, are a constant reminder of the ceaseless passing of time.

As we age, the hours, minutes and seconds that make up the days appear to grow shorter and shorter, and time seems to speed up. As a child, time is endless but as an adult, it slips quickly through the cracks.

Peter Speake-Marin found inspiration in the past to show this relentless march of time. Based on the jump hour star system invented over 150 years ago, the British watchmaker deconstructed this vintage complication four times to display the inescapable passing of time, where hours literally “jump,” advancing from one to the next in the apparent blink of an eye.

The Speake-Marin Jumping Hours contains four small, Foundation-style, blued–steel hour hands. Each of these exquisitely crafted hands is placed in a separate quadrant of a beautifully finished silver dial – at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock respectively. The individual hands are set atop their own brilliant, gilded star wheel, which “jumps” every 15 minutes when a tiny pin – located at each wheel’s centre – sequentially pushes one star wheel after the other as the blued-steel central minute and second hands perpetually march forward.

In a neat touch, synchronised with this changing of the hours is the appearance of a tiny red dot on the centre plate at each quarter hour mark. Every 15 minutes, a small circular hole near the base of the minute hand lines up with the red dot, indicating that the hour has “jumped”. 

"On the Speake-Marin Jumping Hours, you have this continual animation as the minute hand goes around so that there is always something moving," says Peter Speake-Marin. “The idea is to show the speed at which time passes.” 

The Jumping Hours "dial" is actually the top of the movement mainplate. The movement, crafted from traditional German silver, features circular-grained bridges and plates with hand polished bevels. The distinct curvature of the bridges gives the illusion that the dial is moving in step with the hour hands as time strides forward.

So as not to distract from the action of each passing hour, there are no numerals on the dial. Instead, subtly drilled minute markers are neatly arranged around the perimeter of the mainplate. The silver dial contrasts beautifully with the 18k red gold bezel. A matching red gold fluted crown and caseback adds an extra touch of classic Speake-Marin style. Serif style text in capital letters is hand-engraved inside the minute markers – an elegant touch and reminiscent of another era.

Visible through the display back is Jumping Hours’ Eros automatic-winding movement with long five-day power reserve and Speake-Marin’s signature ‘topping tool’ mystery winding rotor. Hand engraved around the caseback are “Unique Piece” and “Mechanical Art No. 2”.

Jumping Hours’ evolution of time is all housed in the iconic, 42mm red gold and stainless steel Piccadilly case. The entire piece was constructed, machined, hand- finished, assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker.

The Speake-Marin Jumping Hours is a unique piece. 

Features and Indications:
Central minutes and seconds
4 sequential jump hour mechanisms
Automatic-winding movement with 5-day power reserve

Dial and Hands:
Speake-Marin signature Foundation-style hands in heat blued steel, indicating hours, minutes and seconds

Movement:
Automatic-winding Eros movement Dimensions: 30.40mm x 4.35mm Power reserve: 120 hoursJewels: 35
Twin barrels
Frequency: 28,800vph / 4Hz
Speake-Marin signature ‘topping tool’ mystery winding rotor Hand-finished bridges and rotor

Case and strap:
Iconic Piccadilly case in red gold and stainless steel
Three-piece case construction
Two-position crown: 
Manual winding and stop-second time setting Dimensions: 42mm x 13 mmFront and display–back: sapphire crystals treated with anti-reflective coating 
Case-back circumference engraving: “Speake-Marin – The Piccadilly” 
Water resistance: 3atm/30m/100ft
Hand-made, natural alligator leather strap
Pin buckle in stainless steel 

Salon QP

Well I did it again, managed to miss Guy Fawkes Day.  Hopefully none of you got left behind under the Houses of Parliament while your buddies went on a beer run!

But with November, Salon QP is here and as we look forward to new and emerging watches and watch makers on the British scene, I'd like to take a moment to look back on one of the guys who really got the ball rolling in the "recent - modern" era of British watch makers-

Courtesy of Speake Marin

Peter Speake-Marin is perhaps one of the few people out there who has managed to start on his own, work on his own and steadily build on his success to the point where he now enjoys a solid and growing reputation set to rival some of the big dogs.  Granted, he operates in Switzerland, but spend any amount of time with him and/ or his watches and you will be a fan.

Tim Jackson (who's opinion I take great stock in), was in many ways the first person here in the US to really take the risk and venture out to into the deep waters of marketing and selling the watches offered by the independents.  And one of his first discoveries were the watches offered by Speake Marin.   

Independent in Time

Two important people for independent watch brand lovers!

And "Independent" lovers out there, fear not!  Tim Jackson is hard at work in London as I write this, looking for the next (as yet unknown) big thing.  Don't worry, he's got your back!

New COO for Speake Marin

This just in from Speake-Marin 

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

Magister Tourbillon

From Speake-Marin!

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

Speake-Marin Spirit Wing Commander

This just in from Speake-Marin -

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

The Spirit Wing Commander from Speake-Marin

This just in from Speake-Marin -

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

The Spirit Wing Commander features high-visibility big date, power reserve indicator and ‘topping tool’ seconds wheel; three-dimensional dial; and titanium case

The Triad from Speake-Marin

This just in from Speake-Marin -

TRIAD – CELEBRATING THE SYMPHONY OF LIFE

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

Speake‑Marin Classic HMS

This just in from Speake-Marin

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

Speake‑Marin goes back to the future with Classic HMS


With Classic HMS – Hours, Minutes and Seconds – Peter Speake‑Marin has reinterpreted his very first ‘Piccadilly’ design to create a contemporary timepiece exuding elegant simplicity.

The multi-layered dial of Classic HMS is either silvered with a fine guilloche in the centre and circular grained outer ring, or white-lacquered, setting off the central, sculptured, blued-steel hands and bold Roman numerals. A refined 38mm or 42mm Piccadilly case in stainless steel or 18K red gold houses the automatic winding Eros 2 calibre with long, five-day power reserve.

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

Peter Speake-Marin had this to say -   “The notions of rediscovery and reinterpretation have been central to Speake‑Marin’s rebirth and these themes were at the forefront of my mind when I designed the Classic HMS.

“I wanted to revisit an early design that was quintessentially Speake‑Marin, a model that was instrumental in developing the Speake‑Marin collection. So I selected a timepiece from the Classic collection that I first presented in 2002, one which takes many of its cues from the first ever piece to bear the Speake‑Marin name, the Foundation Watch.

“Drawing on the design of this early Piccadilly, I started imagining the Classic HMS and I am now delighted to present the finished piece.”
www.speake-marin.com

The Renaissance Tourbillon Minute Repeater by Speake-Marin

Courtesy of Peter Speake-Marin

The Renaissance incorporates an accumulation of knowledge and experience, and takes the classical Speake-Marin elements to another level: another level of elegance, with its slim design; another level of mechanical complexity, with its tourbillon and minute-repeater; and another level of aesthetic sophistication, with its open-dial architecture featuring harmonious bridge design and superlative finishing.

What is more, the back of each Renaissance movement is decorated with a different intricate hand-engraved design making each one a unique piece.

Renaissance means ‘rebirth’ and commonly refers to the era of cultural resurgence in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries when scholars revisited the intellectual and artistic treasures of Greco-Roman antiquity in an effort to achieve greatness in disciplines such as philosophy, art, architecture and literature.

With this Renaissance timepiece, Peter Speake-Marin has embarked on his own intellectual journey of rediscovery to harness the classical elements of Speake-Marin and reinterpret them to extraordinary effect.

In Renaissance, all of the quintessential Speake-Marin qualities are there to behold, qualities that go right back to the Foundation Watch, the very first timepiece to bear the Speake-Marin name.

Courtesy of Peter Speake-Marin

With this Renaissance timepiece, Peter Speake-Marin has embarked on his own intellectual journey of rediscovery to harness the classical elements of Speake-Marin and reinterpret them to extraordinary effect.

In Renaissance, all of the quintessential Speake-Marin qualities are there to behold, qualities that go right back to the Foundation Watch, the very first timepiece to bear the Speake-Marin name.

Renaissance features the iconic Piccadilly case; characteristic pleated crown; signature Foundation hands; intricate hand-engraving; and, as with the Foundation Watch and many subsequent models, the signature Speake-Marin topping-tool motif, here in the form of the tourbillon cage.

In addition to retracing all that he has worked on and developed since the inception of the eponymous Speake-Marin brand over a decade ago, Peter Speake-Marin has also drawn on his formative years working in antique timepiece restoration in Piccadilly, London where he worked extensively on minute-repeaters.

With its stunningly reinterpreted classical elements, Renaissance launches a bold new era for Speake-Marin.

www.speake-marin.com