Firmly in the avant-garde of the Haute Horlogerie brands born at the dawn of the third millennium, Cabestan is one of the independent stakeholders with powerful personalities that are making their mark on the history of modern watchmaking. Its DNA delivers an energy capitalizing on a design that is as original and exclusive as its technical content.

 

The origin of the Cabestan name lies in the mechanical fusee and chain concept that is at once complex and innovative. While the exclusive Cabestan creations contain elements of horological history, such as the use of maillechort to make almost all parts of the entirely in-house developed movement, the modern nature of the design evidenced in details such as the most generous spherical moon on the market leaves no doubt as to the contemporary position of the brand which uses the latest technologies. Not only are its timepieces and their components designed, produced, decorated, hand-assembled and controlled in-house by its watchmakers, but each model is also produced in ultra-limited, personalized series and many of them are one-off creations.

 

After a decade of innovation, powerful design and constant evolution, Cabestan has set its course firmly towards vertical integration as a full-fledged Manufacture, with a new crew at the helm that is putting fresh wind in the brand sails. CEO and owner of the brand in conjunction with the main executives of the Manufacture, Lionel Betoux has reinforced Cabestan’s production autonomy while retaining its lifeblood in the shape of key figures such as Eric Coudray – whose emblematic creations have long since been a magnet for collectors around the world. An entrepreneur with roots in the fields of art and artisanship, former basketball coach Lionel Betoux already proved his flair for business and taste for success in the course of his international career. His training as a mechanical engineer and his experience as design director enable him to grasp all aspects involved in the production of models with extremely high added value. The sheer emotional power exuded by Cabestan immediately appealed to him and he saw in the brand the very values he has always upheld : craftsmanship, culture, history, mechanics – all infused with the team spirit of a ‘human-sized’ company.

 

“Cabestan is an amazing and powerful brand, in which a captain was missing” he enthuses, while pointing out : “With the creations that have been introduced in the past, the amazing achievements yet to come and a professional, behavior-oriented service to our great customers, Cabestan is about to become an incredible and indispensable brand within the next few years”. How could one reasonably doubt the truth of this statement ? Winch Tourbillon Vertical, Trapezium, Luna Nera are all examples of watches epitomizing the new Haute Horlogerie, highly coveted by collectors, and promising yet more stunning new releases in the near future.

 

The odyssey goes on

Some observers define Cabestan creations as retro-futuristic, plunging us into a parallel universe and carrying us back to the epic tales of our childhood. Brimming with history, the new Cabestan timepiece is based on the alliance between traditional skills, technological innovation and ever more avant-garde design.

 

The Cabestan Triple Axis Tourbillon is the first timepiece to be 100% signed by master-watchmaker Eric Coudray. Inspired by sailing boats, this amazing watch recalls the pure, athletic and sleek shape of a catamaran, while the pure hand-made sapphire tube provides a luminous setting for a unique and exclusive flying triple axis tourbillon. Much like in the production of bottled boats made by enthusiasts of sailing and the sea, the assembly of the movement is entirely done on the outside, and the H-shaped self-supporting plate is then cased up from the side, before the ensemble is sealed by two sapphire crystal windows.

 

Cabestan DNA draws its strength from the presence of the inseparable fusee and chain endowing the movement with peerless and reliable accuracy by ensuring constant-force transmission throughout the 50-hour power reserve. The flying triple axis tourbillon, equipped with a spring balance oscillating at a frequency of 3 Hz, rotates separately for each axis in 17 seconds, 19 seconds, and 60 seconds respectively, bringing a lively animated touch to the movement. The balance spring features a Breguet style overcoil with a Geneva stud. An endplate uniformly distributes the curve of the spring. The winding and time-setting are manually adjusted by a two-position crown.

 

Once again, the collection of Cabestan timepieces extends an invitation to travel, a journey towards light through the mechanisms of space and time.

 

 

Trapezium

Case : brushed natural titanium (also available in black PVD titanium, 3N yellow gold, 5N pink gold, palladium white gold and platinum), 2 sapphire metallized crystals hand-fitted to each case, composed of 7 elements welded in a controlled atmosphere, water resistant Size :L 48mm x W 46mm x H 17mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound movement (Caliber CAB EC 102, 72h power reserve), 882 components fully assembled and adjusted by hand, Swiss lever escapement, vertical tourbillon adjusted in 6 positions, Geneva stud, vertical system of wheels of gold or nickel-plated bronze, rhodium-plated baseplate, bridges and pinions,160 mm long steel chain composed of 235 hand-assembled links and 156 rivets, manual finishing of all components : beveling, polishing, drawing and circular finishing  Functions : hours, minutes, seconds and power reserve displayed on three engraved rotary drums, colored markings in Superluminova Strap : Alligator, calfskin, peccary, rubber, with deployant buckle Power reserve : 72 hours

 

Winch Tourbillon Vertical 

Case : brushed natural titanium (also available in black PVD titanium, 3N yellow gold, 5N pink gold, palladium white gold and platinum), 2 sapphire metallized crystals hand-fitted to each case, water resistant Size :L 46mm x W 36/41mm x H 16.5mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound movement (Caliber EC 102, 72h power reserve), 910 components fully assembled and adjusted by hand, Swiss lever escapement, vertical tourbillon adjusted in 6 positions, Geneva stud, vertical system of wheels of gold or nickel-plated bronze, rhodium-plated baseplate, bridges and pinions,160 mm long steel chain composed of 235 hand-assembled links and 156 rivets, manual finishing of all components : beveling, polishing, drawing and circular finishing Functions : hours, minutes, seconds and power reserve displayed on three engraved rotary drums colored marking in superluminova, time-setting and winding with a miniature dynamometric winch Strap : Alligator, calfskin, peccary, rubber, with deployant buckle Power reserve : 72 hours

 

Luna Nera

Case : brushed and polished natural titanium (or 3N yellow gold, 5N pink gold, palladium white gold and platinum), 2 sapphire crystals hand-fitted to each case, 3 functional capstans (winding, time setting and 3D-moon setting) Size :L 46.5mm x W 50.8mm x H 19.1mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound movement (Caliber CAB EC 102L, 72h power reserve), 939 components fully assembled and adjusted by hand, Swiss lever escapement, vertical tourbillon adjusted in 6 positions, Geneva stud, vertical system of wheels in gold or nickel-plated bronze, rhodium-plated baseplate, bridges and pinions, 160mm long steel chain composed of 235 hand-assembled links and 156 rivets, manual finishing of all components : beveling, polishing, drawing and circular finishing Functions : hours, minutes, seconds and power reserve displayed on 3 engraved rotary drums, colored markings in Super Luminova, 3D moon phase (7,4mm diameter, correction with a stylus) Strap : alligator, calfskin, peccary, rubber, with deployant buckle Power reserve : 72 hours

 

The “Vertical Emotion” line expresses a unique force in the world of collector’s watch

Since its creation in 2003, Cabestan has successively created several iconic models grouped under an original label evoking a unique design : “Vertical Emotion”. This instantly identifiable collection currently encompasses three iconic models with a powerful personality and interpreted in 135-piece limited editions : Winch Tourbillon Vertical (since 2008), Trapezium (since 2010) and Luna Nera (since 2013). These super-watches are all equipped with a hand-wound vertical movement comprising a vertically placed gear-wheel system. A fusee and chain system expressing the Cabestan DNA transmits the barrel’s energy to the movement, thereby enhancing precision. The hours, minutes and seconds, as well as the 72-hour power reserve, are read off on the collection’s trademark indexed rotating drum system. The semi-jumping hours ensure improved legibility. The most recent model, Luna Nera, is also distinguished by its central spherical moon with a generous 7.40 mm diameter, which glides around a fascinating mechanical arena featuring chains, numerals and gear wheels. This additional complication results in a 29.5-day rotation of the sphere reflecting the moon itself. Need one add that all movement components are designed, machined, decorated and assembled in-house by the Cabestan watchmakers  ?