Saxat från De Witts;
Jérôme de Witt is passionated by mechanics
This department that does not hesitate to confront its members with experts trained elsewhere, so that their talent does not go to waste and their ideas can be countered. “It is thanks to this challenge, to this competition with others that our talents can evolve” he explained. At this, he gave the example of the Tourbillon complication whereby it had been revealed that the quest for constant strength instead of chronometric performance was more important. Do we have the right to tolerate a difference of energy in the functioning of the watch only for the sake of perfect precision?
When he was eight years old and living on an agricultural estate, young Jérôme liked to observe and ask questions. It was when he heard something different in a steam engine that he realized some technical progress had been made. By installing two huge balances instead of one, the machine had become quieter. They established a more equal distribution of the required forces and made them less prone to noise and to the forced stop, which often meant that something was broken. The ears distinguish and the eyes see, verify and understand.
Dewitt WX-1, concept watch
Nowadays, he still adopts this kind of approach, which inspires him to the point that he often applies for a watch patent. He did not become a watchmaker to break free from the micromechanical parameters expert fingers often have to face. Yet, his “out of the box” vision often allows him to indulge in an expected incursion into a chronometric science that – when open to discussion – enriches itself with new visions and high-quality ideas. Take the unique WX-1 for example. It is a sort of mini-machine that has been transformed into a folding watch. More than a “talking piece”, this perfectly precise horological instrument is the ideal illustration of Jérôme de Witt’s aptitude to transgress codes and barriers.
He is furthermore a big fan of mechanics and also often of great mechanics. The long corridor that leads to the workshops and floors of the manufacture after the reception area is replete with secular machines. They have all been taken good care of and still work perfectly well.