Simon Brette - History, Models and Owners' Reviews

Simon Brette is an independent watch brand founded in 2021 in Geneva by the eponymous movement designer; it made an immediate mark with the “Chronomètre Artisans,” a manifesto-like project built as a collaborative showcase where each craftsperson is credited, on a new mechanical base with apex hand-finishing.

Geneva 2021: a workshop adventure that credits its “artisans”

The brand’s home is a compact Geneva workshop (engineering, assembly, regulation) orbiting a network of external specialists (decoration, engraving, plates, surface treatments), and the philosophy is to frame the watch as the result of a team whose names appear in a “passport” handed to the client.

The approach is neo-classical at heart—hours, minutes, seconds, symmetric architecture, pursuit of rate stability and surface beauty—pared of superfluous features to focus the effort on drawing, light and ergonomics, and the goal is a living homage to handcraft workshops that keep traditional gestures alive.

From its first public year, the house structured communication around attributions (engraver, polishers, decorators, casemakers, specialised suppliers) so buyers know who did what and why, and this choice of transparency forges an uncommon link between owner and the people who shaped the piece.

The SBCA calibre: symmetry, 18,000 vph and 72 hours of reserve

The hand-wound SBCA uses twin barrels for roughly three days of autonomy, a 2.5 Hz beat and hacking seconds, aiming at practical chronometry and tactile winding pleasure, and its bridge design favours taut lines, sharp inward angles and true black polish—hallmarks of top-tier finishing.

The movement—designed from scratch for the piece—stages broad grainable surfaces, deep chamfers, blued screws and screwed gold chatons, all arranged to make each organ’s function obvious, and the deliberate balance of masses and voids delivers the movement’s visual calm.

On wrist and under the loupe alike, the unhurried 18,000-vph cadence and the assertive seconds recall great pocket chronometers while staying perfectly wearable day to day, and the technical stance prefers stability over spec-sheet bravado.

39 mm casework, exacting materials and crafted details

The 39 mm case—an anchor of the line—has appeared in zirconium (subscription), grade-5 titanium and 5N rose gold, each bringing a distinct balance of mass, touch and presence, and the box crystal, sculpted mid-case and tapered lugs form a coherent, compact whole.

Two signatures complete the vocabulary: lugs secured from the inside to eliminate visible screws, and a gold dovetail inlay on the caseband as a nod to the founder’s carpenter father, and these functional and symbolic cues root the object in a culture of exacting handwork.

Dials are their own stage: solid metal (red gold, titanium) engraved entirely by hand in an exclusive “scales” motif with applied readout elements, creating lively light while preserving clarity, and layering and depth are tuned to balance relief against legibility.

Chronomètre Artisans: subscription, titanium, rose gold and high-jewelry spins

The current offer revolves around a single family—Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans—released in tightly focused series sharing the SBCA base and the same finishing standard, and clients primarily choose metal, dial texture and on-wrist presence.

• Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans Subscription — inaugural run (12 pieces), 39 mm zirconium case, hand-engraved red-gold “scales” dial, 30 m, hand-wound SBCA with hacking; manifesto edition introduced in 2023.
• Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans Titanium — lighter grade-5 execution with identical architecture, hand-engraving and extreme finishing; very limited production, dial tuned for subtle contrast.
• Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans Rose Gold — 5N variant that intensifies volume and warmth; a multi-year plan with small annual numbers.
• Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans Joaillerie — unique or very small-run pieces blending top-flight horology and artistic gem-setting on the SBCA base.

This “one family, several metals” reading simplifies navigation: same spirit, organs and regulation, but distinct temperaments by metal and engraving, and the choice turns on perceived density, tonal warmth and surface grain.

Positioning, public prices, volumes and channels

At launch, subscription pricing sat around 50–54 kCHF (depending on ex-tax vs tax-inclusive quotes), with later production pricing higher by material; in parallel, pieces have fetched significant amounts at specialist auctions, and the trajectory confirms collector appetite for deeply artisanal execution.

Distribution is deliberately short: direct contact, appointment-only viewings and an assembly calendar aligned to atelier capacity, with a progressive ramp in volumes (cadence counted in dozens per year), and this pace safeguards quality and traceability at the expense of instant availability.

The addressable audience mixes seasoned indie collectors, finish-obsessed buyers (inward angles, black polish, engraving) and clients seeking a quiet yet soulful signature object, and the narrative stresses meeting the people “behind” the watch as much as the watch itself.

Selection advice: metal, ergonomics and expression “density”

Begin with metal: zirconium reads technical and darker; titanium maximises lightness and neutrality; rose gold heightens volume and warmth; your wearing context (desk, dinner, travel) will steer the first call, and success shows when the watch disappears in use while remaining quietly present.

Assess ergonomics next: 39 mm can feel different depending on lug fall, effective thickness and crystal camber; test with your preferred strap and validate one-metre glance legibility, and keep the combo where hand and eye fall naturally without effort.

Finally, pick your dial’s “density”: tighter engraving for a fine scintillation, wider patterning for a calmer optical rhythm; lighting changes the read dramatically, and a try-on in natural light reveals the piece’s true personality.

Conclusion

Simon Brette delivers authorial watchmaking with clear codes: symmetric architecture, measured energy, hand-worked surfaces and explicit credit to the people who build the watch. The Chronomètre Artisans family reads at a glance yet reveals layers of matter and light, from technical zirconium to warm rose gold. To decide between variants, start with wear context, mass sensation and dial vivacity, then validate real-world readability. To align these cues with longer-term ownership, a practical compass remains Dialicious customer reviews.

(Updated August 2025)