Peter Speake-Marin
A native Englishman, Peter Speake-Marin originally had the intention of making jewelry, but found himself seduced by the art and mechanics of watch making. He began his horological journey at London's Hackney Technical College (1985) and then continued his education at WOSTEP, the prestigious Swiss watch making school.
Peter Speake-Marin then returned to England where he worked for a number of different companies around the UK before he was employed to head the antique watch section at Somio Antiques. At their store in the Piccadilly Arcade, he had the privilege to restore watches by many of the great masters and houses, such as Dent, Frodsham, Nielson original Breguets through to Patek Philippe. Working on these horological treasures not only taught him how the past masters worked, it fueled his desire to raise his skills and knowledge even further.
Peter Speake-Marin moved back to Switzerland in 1996 where he was recruited by the illustrious manufacture Renaud &Papi (now Audemars Piguet Renaud &Papi) to help develop and craft high complications. During this time, he began acquiring his own machinery and constructed by hand a tourbillon pocket watch with two power trains - this was to become the Foundation Watch for his independent atelier, which he established in 2000 in the picturesque village of Rolle, between Geneva and Lausanne.
The first wristwatch model to come out of the Speake-Marin workshop was called "The Piccadilly", because, as Peter Speake-Marin explains, "The time I spent in Piccadilly remains the most influential period of my working career." The experience he gained there allowed him to discover the wide variety of methods used by watchmakers over the centuries, the best of which Peter Speake-Marin brings to his own designs.
Others frequently seek out Peter Speake-Marin for his talent and innovative ideas. He collaborated with Harry Winston in 2006, producing the stunning Excenter Tourbillon, he also was active in MB&F's horological machine number land in 2008, was one of the three Masters behind Chapter 1 for Maîtres du Temps and Chapter 2 in 2009.
With ail his creations, Peter Speake-Marin pays homage to the horologicai past and its valuable lessons, while at the same time mining the rich possibilities of the future. "The goal is not just to manufacture a product that sells well today," he says. ` Its value will come from its durability over time."
