Petermann Bédat

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Overview

Petermann Bédat is a Swiss independent watch brand founded by watchmakers Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat, specializing in highly complicated timepieces with in-house calibers. It occupies a niche in the independent horology segment, producing limited-edition watches featuring rare complications such as dead-beat seconds and monopusher split-seconds chronographs. The brand is notable for winning two Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) awards: the Horological Revelation Prize in 2020 for its debut model and the Chronograph Prize in 2023 for its second release.¹³⁴⁸

History

Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat met in 2007 at the watchmaking school in Geneva and later worked at A. Lange & Söhne and Harry Winston respectively before reuniting in Switzerland. In 2017, with mentorship from Dominique Renaud, they began developing their first watch in a workshop in Renens. The brand launched in 2018 with Reference 1967, featuring an in-house dead-beat seconds caliber, which won the GPHG Horological Revelation Prize in 2020; production is limited, with initial models selling out quickly. In 2023, they released Reference 2941, a monopusher split-seconds chronograph that won the GPHG Chronograph Prize.¹³⁴⁸

Product Lines

Product Line	Positioning	Price Range
1967 Dead-Beat Seconds	Limited edition with jumping seconds complication	$100,000 - $150,000
2941 Chronographe Rattrapante	Monopusher split-seconds chronograph with jumping minute	$150,000 - $200,000

Manufacturing

Products are crafted in their workshop in Renens, Switzerland, on the outskirts of Lausanne. All movements are fully in-house developed and assembled by the founders, with high finishing standards inspired by their training at top maisons.¹⁴

Notable Products

Reference 1967 - Dead-beat seconds watch with in-house Caliber 171, limited to 10 pieces each in rose and white gold, GPHG Horological Revelation Prize winner.
Reference 2941 - Monopusher split-seconds chronograph with jumping minute counter and in-house caliber, GPHG Chronograph Prize winner.

Reputation

Petermann Bédat is highly regarded among watch enthusiasts and professionals for its technical mastery and innovative complications rarely seen in modern watchmaking. The duo's GPHG wins and sold-out limited editions underscore their rapid rise as one of Switzerland's most exciting young independents. Criticisms are minimal, though the extreme scarcity (fewer than 30 watches produced over seven years) limits broader accessibility.⁴⁵⁶⁸

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