Naissance d’une Montre 4

Driven by Jason Chevrolat and Maximin Chapuis, Bonniksen is built on a simple yet radical principle: to design, craft and assemble every component in accordance with the highest horological standards.

The project pays tribute to the karrusel invented by Bahne Bonniksen, a Danish watchmaker based in England. This mechanism had a major impact on the British watch industry of its time and remains a symbol of ingenuity paired with rigorous technical discipline. A renowned precision timer, Bonniksen devoted the bulk of his career to developing and refining this system. In 1892, he patented and marketed his famous “position equalising karrusel”, retaining exclusive rights to it until the decline of the British watch industry at the turn of the 20^th century.

Invented to solve a major challenge in precision timekeeping – ensuring the regularity of a movement’s operation despite variations in vertical positions – Le Carrousel is based on a dynamic cage-pivoting system. Its principle involves rotating a cage housing the escapement and the sprung balance to compensate for timing errors caused by vertical positions. A gear train derived from the classic finishing gear train drives the cage independently, with no wheels fixed to the mainplate, offering a robust alternative to the classic tourbillon.

Bonniksen aims to deliver a contemporary interpretation of the great works of British precision timers. The future inverted three-hand calibre will be distinguished by its large, atypical ¾-plate bridge. The hours and minutes will be indicated by modernised English pear-shaped hands, while a large central seconds hand will pay homage to scientific pocket watches. The peripheral seconds track will emphasise the calibre’s symmetry, while a subtle eccentric cut-out reveals the mechanical splendour of the fully pivoted carousel that will complete a full rotation in 30 seconds.

Every technical detail will reflect the watchmaker’s exacting mechanical standards: screw-down jewels, a barrel extension, six-spoke wheels and polished blocks… The rotation of the large seconds hand in 60 seconds, that of Le Carrousel in 30 sec-onds, along with the clockwise/counter-clockwise movement of the gears will create a constant interplay, as visually fascinating as it is effective for the movement’s accuracy.

May 13, 2026