Our first live auctions of fall 2024 season, PHILLIPS RELOADED: The Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking, 1980-1999, and the Geneva Watch Auction: XX, take place on November 8, 9, and 10, at the Hotel President, at Quai Wilson 47, in central Geneva. The auctions include more than 195 of the world's finest watches – and though we are loath to boast, we truly think they're some of the best catalogs we've ever put together. We'll be highlighting a number of the most interesting lots and stories featured in the sales over the next month, including the Derek Pratt by Luca Soprana Remontoire d'Égalité No. 00 highlighted in this article.
– By Logan Baker
Derek Pratt is not always a name that springs to mind when discussing the pantheon of legendary independent watchmakers. In fact, he may not be a name familiar to most horological enthusiasts, overshadowed by contemporaries like George Daniels, Philippe Dufour, or F.P. Journe.
But for those who truly understand the mechanics of watchmaking, the name Pratt commands deep respect. His relentless pursuit of mechanical perfection, particularly his mastery of the remontoire d’égalité and escapement, remains etched into the soul of modern horology. However, unlike his peers, Pratt never produced a wristwatch under his own name before he passed away in 2009.
That is, until now.
Enter Luca Soprana, an independent watchmaker who has taken on the monumental task of bringing Derek Pratt's unfinished wristwatch dream to life. With meticulous reverence for Pratt’s original designs and a bold vision of his own, Soprana has not only completed Pratt’s work but has also elevated it to a level of craftsmanship that few would have thought possible.
The result is the Derek Pratt Remontoir d’Égalité, a wristwatch with a story as complex as the mechanical genius that powers it.
Derek Pratt: The Quiet Genius of Independent Watchmaking
To fully appreciate what Luca Soprana has achieved with this new series, we must first understand who Derek Pratt was. Unlike some of the more celebrated names in independent watchmaking, Pratt was not concerned with self-promotion or commercial success. Instead, he was consumed by an obsession for mechanical precision, focusing most of his career on improving escapements and remontoire architecture. His dedication to perfecting these mechanisms found a home in the exquisite pocket watches produced by the newly revived Urban Jürgensen brand.
Pratt’s opus magnum came in the form of an extraordinary oval-shaped pocket watch, fitted with a detent escapement and tourbillon, paired with a remontoire d’égalité. This watch, which many consider one of the greatest mechanical achievements in modern watchmaking, demonstrated Pratt’s ability to marry traditional techniques with groundbreaking innovations in escapement design.
Yet despite this achievement, Pratt never made a watch under his own name. His talents, though recognized within certain circles, remained largely under the radar of the broader horological world. It wasn’t until after his passing in 2009 that his dream of creating a wristwatch began to take shape – thanks to a small but determined group of watchmakers who shared his passion for mechanical excellence.
From Lesemann to Soprana
Derek Pratt’s dream of miniaturizing his iconic Reuleaux triangle remontoire mechanism into a wristwatch began in the late 2000s. In 2008, he enlisted the help of Stewart Lesemann, an American watchmaker who had established himself in Switzerland. Together, they envisioned a movement that would house twin suspended barrels and a one-second remontoire in a compact wristwatch format. This was no simple task: wristwatch movements, with their size constraints, make the application of a remontoire especially challenging. But as with all things mechanical, Pratt was undeterred.
By 2009, just before his death, Pratt and Lesemann had completed the first prototype. It was a work of raw mechanical beauty, although the architecture was still in its infancy. Lesemann continued Pratt’s work after his passing, and in 2011, the third prototype was unveiled at the Derek Pratt Memorial Seminar, hosted by the British Horological Institute.
However, it wasn’t until 2014, when Luca Soprana took over the project, that the concept would be fully realized.
With the blessing of Pratt’s family, Soprana embarked on a comprehensive redesign of the movement, refining not only the mechanical aspects but also the aesthetic presentation of the watch. What emerged was a masterpiece – a harmonious blend of engineering and design that would serve as a fitting tribute to Pratt’s genius.
Luca Soprana’s Reinterpretation
Luca Soprana is no stranger to the world of high watchmaking. Known for his deep understanding of complex mechanisms and his ability to fuse traditional watchmaking techniques with modern design sensibilities, Soprana was the perfect candidate to bring Pratt’s unfinished wristwatch to life.
Soprana’s redesign of the movement was nothing short of transformative. While retaining Pratt’s original concept of twin suspended barrels and a one-second Reuleaux triangle remontoire, Soprana elevated the architecture to a new level of symmetry and visual elegance. The barrels, now prominently positioned on the left-hand side of the movement, provide a perfect counterbalance to the remontoire and balance wheel, which occupy the right-hand side.
This symmetry is not just for aesthetic purposes – it also serves to enhance the mechanical harmony of the movement. By keeping the gear train concealed beneath the dial, Soprana ensures that the focus remains squarely on the barrels and the remontoire, highlighting the heart of Pratt’s vision. The result is a movement that is as beautiful to behold as it is mechanically innovative.
The Derek Pratt Remontoir d’Égalité
At the heart of the Derek Pratt Remontoir d’Égalité is, of course, the remontoire mechanism itself. For the uninitiated, a remontoire d’égalité is a device that ensures a constant force is delivered to the escapement, regardless of the varying tension in the mainspring. This constant force is crucial for maintaining precision in timekeeping, especially in watches with complex escapements like Pratt’s.
Pratt’s innovation was to use a Reuleaux triangle as the basis for the remontoire. A Reuleaux triangle is a shape that has constant width, meaning it can roll between two parallel surfaces while maintaining a uniform profile. In the context of the remontoire, this allowed Pratt to design a mechanism that could deliver a perfectly timed, one-second pulse of energy to the escapement – a feat of engineering that few watchmakers could hope to replicate.
In Soprana’s version, this remontoire is co-axially mounted with the escape wheel, creating a direct and visually striking connection between the two mechanisms. The movement is a hand-wound caliber, with a generous power reserve powered by the twin barrels. Each element of the movement has been meticulously finished by hand, from the beveled edges of the bridges to the black-polished steel components.
Limited and Rare
The Derek Pratt Remontoir d’Égalité wristwatch is not just a technical marvel – it is also an exceedingly rare piece of horological history. To date, only five examples have been produced, each made upon special order through the UAE-based retailer Perpétuel Gallery. The first ever Pratt wristwatch to appear at an international auction is the prototype numbered N°00, which represents the culmination of years of development and refinement.
This prototype is more than just a watch; it is a piece of living horological history.
It represents the final chapter in Derek Pratt’s legacy and a new beginning for his work, carried forward by Luca Soprana. It is a testament to the enduring power of independent watchmaking, where the pursuit of mechanical perfection continues to inspire new generations of collectors and artisans alike.
The Legacy of Derek Pratt Lives On
In the world of horology, few names are as synonymous with mechanical excellence as Derek Pratt. Though he never lived to see his name on a wristwatch, his innovations have had a lasting impact on the art of watchmaking.
Now, thanks to Luca Soprana’s dedication and skill, Pratt’s dream has finally been realized. The Derek Pratt Remontoir d’Égalité wristwatch is a fitting tribute to a watchmaker who dedicated his life to the pursuit of perfection, and it stands as a reminder that even in the world of high horology, true innovation is timeless.
In bringing this extraordinary piece to life, Soprana has ensured that Derek Pratt’s legacy will continue to inspire and captivate for generations to come. And in a world where independent watchmakers are finally getting the recognition they deserve, perhaps it’s time that Pratt’s name takes its rightful place among the legends.
You can learn more, place a bid, and view the entire Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: XX catalog right here.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
About Logan Baker
Logan has spent the past decade reporting on every aspect of the watch business. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo at the start of 2023 as the department's Senior Editorial Manager. He splits his time between New York and Geneva.
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