Quarter Pounders and the Art of a Hand-Carved Dial

Catching up with Korea's rising watchmaker; scary good fakes; a unique Chopard with one of the best dials I've seen.

Today, short hits on four very different topics—let me know what you think of the format. In this newsletter:

• Checking in with Minhoon Yoo, an exciting Korean indie watchmaker.

• Breitling-Gallet, Rolex-C.F. Bucherer, and the Great Reshuffle—behind the scenes as the industry looks to survive a slowdown.

• Think you can spot a fake Rolex? A closer look at a couple scary good counterfeits.

• Watch of the Week: A unique Chopard with a beauuuutiful straw dial.

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Checking In With Minhoon Yoo, Indie Watchmaker from South Korea

Carved Piece, courtesy of Minhoon Yoo.

I first DM’d Korean watchmaker Minhoon Yoo in February 2022. A few months later he was featured in Hodinkee (s/o Cole), and eventually, the NY Times. He had just introduced his Carved Piece, defined by its hand-carved dial.

I’d reached out about a potential allocation. The price was $18k, with 50 percent down and delivery expected in about a year. I didn’t end up going through with it, but a few friends did—one has since taken delivery of his Carved Piece.

Recently, Minhoon has been posting more completed watches, so I called him up to see how it’s going. We chatted earlier this week while Minhoon ate a Quarter Pounder with cheese.¹

First, he admitted the delivery process has been slower than expected. That estimated one-year wait has been more like 2–3 years.

“I realized that making watches one at a time is very slow, so I needed to start making the parts and finishing them together.”

The Dial. Minhoon CNCs each of the 34 components of the dial, then hand carving a random pattern onto the dial. The carving used to take him two days, but he’s down to about 10–12 hours now.

Hand carving. Full IG video.

He offers a white dial bleached with sulphuric acid (the George Daniels method) or the above black dial achieved with titanium electroplating.

The Movement. The Carved Piece uses a reworked ETA 7001. The movement’s standard bridges are too thin for the deep anglage (the bridge’s polished edges) Minhoon wanted to execute, so he made his own bridges of German silver.

Minhoon makes his own bridges for the ETA 7001 using German silver, then hand-finishing with anglage. Look at those inner angles!

As for the hardest part?

“I get nervous during assembly because I know every part took so much time to prepare,” Minhoon says. A single scratch means repolishing. Finishing, however, is more relaxing—he puts on a podcast (watchmaking or tennis) and finds his rhythm.

Minhoon has about 25 clients waiting on a Carved Piece, and he’s still taking orders (“I’m married,” he explains). He hoped to start his next project sooner, but running a business keeps him focused on the Carved Piece.

Minhoon’s order book is open, but clients should expect a 2.5+ year wait. As for growth?

“I’m not looking to expand right now,” he says. “I went to art school–I focus on what I want to create. It’s like making an indie film versus a blockbuster.”

For Minhoon, watches are artistic expression.

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The Great Reshuffle: Breitling–Gallet Postscript

Daniel Roth Tourbillon in rose gold—far from the only revival in the works.

Breitling is acquiring Gallet. Rolex shut down Carl F. Bucherer. We’ve been waiting for the relaunch of Urban Jurgensen under Kari Voutilainen’s stewardship. LVMH has relaunched Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth under La Fabrique du Temps.

With the modern watch market struggling, there’s a lot of talk about “consolidation,” consultant-speak for large groups shutting down or selling off brands.

But I think we’re seeing a reshuffling.

So many brands just aren’t working right now. We’ve talked about the temporary furloughs at Jaeger-LeCoultre. Even Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele recently said his workshops have reduced hours by 10-20%, but conveyed a “cautious confidence” for the year ahead.