Recently, our writer Stanley Leung had the opportunity to visit BCP Tourbillons in La-Chaux-de-Fonds with Thomas Baillod of Ba111od and filmed this fascinating interview with Olivier Mory of BCP Tourbillons.
The discussion is interesting in many levels. Olivier is absolutely open about his methods, his communicates who his suppliers are, and his defence of being 100% Swiss Made. The interviewer was none other than Thomas Baillod, the founder and owner of Ba111od. Watch and learn.
Video exclusive: The secrets to mass produce tourbillons
Olivier Mory is the supremo of BCP Tourbillons and OM Mechanics, and he is currently the king of affordable tourbillons. His movements are seen in watches as diverse as the Ba111od Chapter 4 (including the non-tourbillon CHPTR_Δ) to the Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Regulator Tourbillon, the Yema Yachingraph Maerograph Tourbillon (full hands on comprehensive review coming soon!) and the new Bremont Terra Nova Tourbillon. These watches lead the way for making Swiss Made tourbillons and range in prices as low as CHF 6k to CHF 30k. Makes tourbillons more democratic and more accessible to smaller budgets. The movements are also used in much higher priced watches like the Bianchet priced at CHF 80k.
The interview
Olivier Mory and Skill Watches
Olivier Mory also runs his own brand he runs with his brother Thomas: Skill Watches, which offer an interesting alternative to mainstream watches. The design is decidedly Victorian steampunk style. The philosophy of the brand, run parallel to BCP Tourbillons, is that it will produce no more than 50 watches of a model over a period of two years. They propose to alternate between an entry-level product every even year and a high-end product on odd years.
What is unique is that Skill Watches offers the opportunity for those who bought the entry level watch, for example the base automatic watch “Sampo” at CHF 4,500 to upgrade to their Maelstrom tourbillon which retails at CHF 7,500. The client only needs to send the watch back to Skill Watches, and Olivier will exchange the base movement for a new tourbillon movement. The client keeps the case, strap, and pays 66% the difference between the two watches. The watches also come with a lifetime warranty with free servicing.
