Golay Spierer "Napoléon" - Unique piece

Golay Spierer "Napoléon" and alligator strap by ABP Concept

Your watch was born from the original and unprecedented idea of Gaël Bonnel Sanchez: to design and manufacture a watch from an authentic document signed by the hand of a historical figure.
This approach is totally at the heart of Golay Spierer and its founder Christophe Golay. Since 2001 we advocate luxury as the intersection of three fundamental values which are:

Creativity - Rarity - Excellence

The 1st opus of our capsule collection «Heroïca Tempus» is dedicated to the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the most famous historical figures, whose life and exploits still fascinate thousands of enthusiasts around the world, 200 years after his death.

ABP Concept alligator leather strap specifications:

Alligator watch strap, specifically designed to sublimate the "Napoléon" watch. Red rubber calf lining.

ABP is not affiliated with any watch brand.

Watch Features of the "Napoléon" watch by Golay Spierer:

Like each of the pieces bearing our name, your watch is a unique piece.
The model we have developed is an automatic watch with a mechanical movement.
The micro-rotor movement is from the Vaucher manufacture ref 5401. All the plates were decorated with sunray-finished Geneva waves. The micro-rotor is 18K rose gold engraved by hand.
The case is made from a billet of an 18K rose gold block. Mounted with two double-sided anti-reflective sapphire crystals. The bottom is closed with 4 stainless steel screws. A 20-franc gold Napoleon minted in 1807 is set on the back of the case.
The seal was tested on a test bench at 50 meters.
The dial consists of a gold base on which the cut document is placed. A sapphire crystal is placed on top and is held in place by a ring. The brand name and the «Swiss made» caption are fixed on the sapphire.
The hands have been machined in gold, polished and shaped by hand.
The strap is made of full alligator leather mounted with a rose gold folding clasp.

Important steps of manufacturing:

The historical document
The meeting and collaboration with Autographes des Siècles and its founder, Mr. Julien Paganetti, opened up the world of manuscripts and historical documents for us. He allowed us to find the original letter sent by Napoleon to General Clarke during the Prussian Campaign. Signed by the emperor on March 4th, 1807, the letter is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Decoupage
So that the decoupage stage retains the artisanal touch of our creations, we called on the expertise of Marianne Dubuis.
Marianne has been practicing her decoupage skills for over 40 years at Château d’Oex, an iconic village in the traditional Swiss art of decoupage. It was not easy to convince her to work on a piece of paper that is over 200 years old, as no error is allowed. But in the end the result is there, with the added bonus of the bee cut at the bottom of the signature as an imperial reminder.

Engraving
To make the laurel wreath that adorns the bezel of your watch as well as the decor of the micro-rotor, we asked Dolores Schwab to chisel the gold.
Talented engraver installed in Sonvilier in the Bernese Jura, Dolorès is a real artist who engraves by hand with exceptional precision and meticulousness. We have been working with her for 20 years and it is always a pleasure.