Alexis Fruhauff, a watchmaker in Paris, has won the 2025 edition of the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition, an annual contest organized by the brand to discover the next generation of watchmakers.
While a wristwatch took the 2024 prize, the jury this year selected Mr. Fruhauff’s 19th-century-inspired clock, named Pendule à seconde (in English, Pendulum Clock with Seconds).
Mr. Fruhauff, now 29, started working on the clock in 2022, his final year in the watchmaking program at Lycée Diderot in Paris. In addition to designing all its elements, he crafted the tools needed for its production. The timepiece, including its cherry wood case, was completed in February while he was an intern for the French clockmaker Jean-Baptiste Viot, who allowed him to use the studio’s machines for the project.
Michael Tay, the group managing director of the luxury watch retailer the Hour Glass, which supports the contest, praised the clock in an email: “For devotees of 18th- and 19th-century time keeping, Alexis Fruhauff’s work evokes a sentimental yearning for horology’s golden era. The Pendule à seconde exudes an exceptional hand built quality.”
The prize was 50,000 Swiss francs (about $60,500), intended to finance the purchase of watchmaking tools or a new horological project.
In a phone interview and follow-up emails in French, The Times asked Mr. Fruhauff about his inspiration, the challenges that the project presented and his plans for the future. His comments have been translated, edited and condensed for clarity.
What inspired your clock’s design?
The idea came to me to create a desk regulator [table clock] in the spirit of the work done by students at the École d’Horlogerie de Paris at the end of the 19th century. These pieces are relatively unknown, especially when compared to Swiss school watches, clocks made by Swiss students of the time. I wanted to continue this legacy by building my own personal apprenticeship while integrating my own tastes, particularly for historic French watchmaking.
I’m also very influenced by the work of the 19th-century French clockmaker Antide Janvier, from whom I’ve taken certain aesthetic codes, notably for the wooden case. My work is also a tribute to this watchmaker whom I deeply admire, both for the quality of his timepieces and for his mechanical genius.
How long did it take you to complete your clock?
The very first pencil drawing was made during my final year of study for my diplôme national des métiers d’art et du design, and the clock was completed in February. The manufacturing process spanned this entire period, with occasional long breaks — up to six months — during which I had to carry out restoration work, tool machining or computer-assisted design (CAD) for Mr. Viot’s customers. This enabled me to finance the creation of the clock but also my day-to-day needs.
What were the challenges?
I’ve never disclosed the failures behind this project, but they really are numerous. I’ve lost an entire day of milling because of a simple error due to fatigue, dozens of times. Some parts have even been completely redone, redesigned in CAD for aesthetic or technical reasons.
How did you find out you had won?
The F.P. Journe team called me on March 19 to tell me that the jury members had a few questions about my clock and that they wanted to arrange a video meeting. The next day, I had a video call, and I was extremely stressed — I hadn’t slept all night. I had a feeling that I might be very close to winning the competition. I was ready to defend my project body and soul in front of the jury.
But soon enough, they revealed to me that it had all been a setup: The interview had been organized to record my reaction live. They were actually announcing that I was the winner.
I don’t quite remember my reaction, as I wasn’t expecting it. I think I was in shock for a long time.
What will you purchase with the prize money?
The priority is to equip myself with the basics I’ve already used: a jig-boring machine, a lathe and a milling machine.
And how will you use them?
My first project is to set up as an independent clockmaker, based in the heart of Paris. Nobody makes clocks in Paris these days, so it’s a great opportunity to offer something different and get this business going again.
The post Inspired by the 19th Century, He Created a Winning Clock appeared first on New York Times.
