As part 2 of our visit arranged by Hermès (see this link for part 1), we got to visit Chronode, an independent complications specialist for the watchmaking industry. Here we chatted with Jean-François Mojon, the Founder and Chief.
Insider secrets: Jean-François Mojon talks about Chronode and the work he does for Hermès
YouTube video
Here is a summary of what we discussed:
- How Jean-François started his career in watchmaking.
- What does Chronode do and offer to the industry. A think tank for conceptualising and realising complications for the maisons who chose not to do it on their own.
- Specifically, the work Chronode does for Hermès.
- We also took a walk around the premises in Le Locle, and discovered how the team does the concept, the design, the prototype and the manufacture of the complicated components. For Hermès these complication modules are sent to their Brugg manufacture, where the Hermès team assembles the modules over Vaucher sourced base movements and completes the manufacture of a Hermès timepiece.
We also took a bit of time to reminisce about the late great Günter Blümlein, who was the chief of IWC (and JLC as well as Lange), when Jean-François began his career in the Schaffhausen maison.
We hope you enjoy the brief discussion. And if there is interest, we can bring you the inside of the Chronode manufacture to show you how the complications are conceived, how they are tested, assembled and quality assured before being sent to the brands that Chronode is making the complications for.
