News 
Alexis Fruhauff
Since 2015, the Young Talent Competition serves to discover the world’s most talented young watchmakers and support them on their path to independence by acknowledging their creations and placing them in the spotlight. F.P. Journe organises the Young Talent Competition with the support of The Hour Glass, a well-known luxury watch retailer in the Asia Pacific region.
This 2025 edition was won by young watchmaker Alexis Fruhauff for his Pendule à Seconde. This creation was conceived from scratch: no component was reused from a previous project and even the tools required to create the various components were entirely designed and manufactured for this purpose. The work extended over a three-year period. The regulator was built in a traditional way cleverly combining modern and classical techniques.
Suspended on a bracket, the movement is based on a lost-beat pivoted detent escapement, inspired by the work of French watchmaker Paul Garnier, combining teeth and pins. Only the right pallet delivers the impulse; while an opposite pallet ensures safety. The pins are machined from a modern alloy, Hardiall, which is self-lubricating, lightweight and highly wear-resistant. Mounted on an Invar rod, the removable pendulum features a system of screw-in weights and fine metric-pitch point-of-rest timing enabling extremely accurate adjustments.
The competition’s selection criteria are based on technical prowess, complex execution, aesthetic flair as well as the quality of the craftsmanship involved. Applicants must have independently designed and created a timepiece or a horological construction. The 2025 Young Talent Competition winner receives a diploma and a CHF 50,000 enabling him to purchase watchmaking tools or finance a horological project.
Since his earliest years, Alexis Fruhauff has nurtured a genuine passion for watchmaking and mechanics. He quickly gravitated towards the world of independent watchmakers, pursuing his studies at the Lycée Diderot in Paris. He now works as a freelancer in the workshop of experienced master-watchmaker Jean-Baptiste Viot, who chose to provide him with a perfectly equipped workspace, while passing on his expertise in the restoration of antique timepieces.
The jury of the Young Talent Competition 2025 was composed of key personalities from the international horological scene: Philippe Dufour, Andreas Strehler, Giulio Papi, Marc Jenni, Michael Tay, Elizabeth Doerr and François-Paul Journe.
May 28, 2025