Modesty, intelligence and creativity, Agenhor has them all

The expert’s view

Jean-Marc Wiederrecht and its watchmakers © Agenhor

AGH-1764 - Astronomical compass (1) © Agenhor

Play-free engagement gearing (2) © Agenhor

Few, if any, outside the profession have even heard his name and yet Jean-Marc Wiederrecht and his team are behind a whole host of outstanding technical developments. But what matter fame when creation is the spur!

Eric Othenin-Girard

Tall, slim and with a large smile, he immediately gives the impression of being the type to play down his achievements rather than boast about them. Jean-Marc Wiederrecht is at the head of Agenhor SA, short for Atelier Genevois d’Horlogorie, the company he set up 13 years ago. With his 23-strong team, eight of whom are involved in admin and product development, and 16 watchmakers he constructs exceptional modules for the watch industry. Each year Agenhor manufactures 7,000 modules that reappear in some 35 watches by the various brands that use his services.

A company in demand

First the basics. Says Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, "We only produce modules we have developed ourselves. Specifically, we assemble the parts which our outside partners machine. We always work with steel, never precious metals." He goes on to explain how it’s usually a brand, or a group of engineers and constructors working for a brand, that contacts him. They have an idea but not necessarily the means to implement it. The two sides then sit down to talk. "This is a very important stage as it’s essential to know exactly what a customer wants. We study the design of the piece and talk about the different aspects of the complication they want me to develop, bearing in mind that they must supply the base movement as we neither make nor sell them. Who produces these base movements makes no difference to us. Of course they have to be good quality but we can just as easily work on an ETA calibre as one from another manufacturer."

Agenhor receives many requests, not all of them of interest. Making the right choice is essential, as each development is, in principle, a one-off and as such represents a major commitment. During the initial discussions, Jean-Marc Wiederrecht asks about the functions his customer is looking for and casts an eye over the sketches they bring with them. Then it’s decision time. "I have to be sure of myself, firstly as we aren’t able to produce modules in very large quantities. Secondly I need to know the customer can supply the base movements. These are essential as we adapt the module to the movement, meaning we can’t change directions halfway. I also have to want to make what the customer is asking. Each new development is pretty much an exclusivity which will always belong to us. In fact I can only agree to projects that respect my principles as all the patents will be in my name."

An encyclopaedia of technical developments

Leafing through the catalogue on Jean-Marc Wiederrecht’s desk ("it never leaves here," he notes with a smile) is like living a dream, with page after page of the most beautiful watches and remarkable complications. It is an encyclopaedia of technical developments over the past few years and a who’s who of watchmaking companies. Not that he boasts about it, even adding, "Yes I could have created my own brand but in the end I’d rather stay in the background and offer my services to others. And while some brands will go to any length to avoid saying we are behind their developments, for others it’s a selling point."

He gives the example of Van Cleef & Arpels which widely promoted Agenhor’s role in the creation of its stunning "four seasons" watch. What is a delightful feature is in reality extremely complex. The watch is fitted with a small Jaeger-LeCoultre 849 movement on which Jean-Marc Wiederrecht adapted a disc. A large part of the dial is left open and, as this disc rotates, the four seasons come into view. It sounds simple. In reality Agenhor had to develop a wheel with special gears that would make just one rotation a year to mark the passing seasons. The watch caused a sensation at the SIHH where it was unveiled, as it reflects the brand’s two domains of jewellery and watches. Leaving the last word to Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, "What I liked about this was that the people at Van Cleef wanted to emphasise the charm of it all. It made a change from the rather austere side of traditional complications while being very much a watchmaker’s watch. I took a lot of pleasure from making it." ■

(1) AGH-1764 - Astronomical compass
Functions
Perpetual calendar
(Date, month, leap year)
Equation of time
Indication of true north
Power reserve
Moon phases
Dual time zones
Base movements
Jaquet 7050
Dimensions of the module
Diameter: 40.00mm
Height: 3.75 mm
Total height: on 7050 8.38 mm

(2) Play-free engagement gearing
Jean-Marc Wiederrecht has developed a design of asymmetrical gear teeth called “Play-Free Engagement Gearing”, which solves the critical problem of floating off-centered indications. Thanks to the high precision asymmetrically shaped slot in each gear tooth, the gear efficiently transmits force from one wheel to the next with minimal play and maximum accuracy. The result is a very precise indications with a steady hand not prone to shocks. Apparently simple (as the best inventions often are), this patented design offers numerous possibilities in the development of highly efficient mechanical watch movements.

www.agenhor.ch

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