Ocean of time, whose waves are years
The French Maison Buci, famous for its ‘poetic watchmaking’, has released a new 40-piece limited edition watch in collaboration with the notorious artist seconde/seconde/, which epitomizes the poet’s creative struggle. The pair could not have picked a better day to release this watch: World Poetry Day on March 21st. This timepiece will be available for pre-order until April 15th, 2024, with an estimated delivery in May.
Debuting in 2022, Buci is a fresh new face in the world of high watchmaking. Thanks to a crowd-funding campaign, Nousseïma Baraket – the company founder – was able to launch her brand. Born in the Franche Comté region of France, a ‘stronghold of French watchmaking on the Swiss border‘ Baraket was ‘lulled by the tic-toc of timepieces ever since [she] was little […] entranced by the chiming symphony of hundreds of tiny, coordinated pieces.‘
Her close relationship with the mechanical tools we trust to tell time inspired her to infuse her watchmaking creation with the nostalgia and dreamlike essence needed to poetically express time. It felt right for Baraket to settle in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, where the Marché de la Poésie (the French poetry fair) is held, and which many generations of artists and poets like Jacques Prévert and Ernest Hemmingway called home. The brand’s name ‘Buci’ pays tribute to rue de Buci, just minutes away from where Baraket started her watchmaking journey.
However, each watch is crafted not in Paris, but in the hotbed of high watchmaking know-how: the Jura Mountains. These unisex timepieces (all limited-edition collections), a tad retro and beautifully curvaceous, are set in a 38mm steel case and boast sage leaf-shaped hands – handcrafted in France’s last remaining manufacturing plant.
So too is this new showpiece, created in collaboration with the French artist Romaric André, aka seconde/seconde/, a nod to the second hands that he systematically reinterprets in his work. André, who is famous for his vintage watch reinterpretations and collaborations with major watchmakers, is responsible for the simple yet subtle design of this new 40-piece limited edition. His drawing represents a cut that bleeds ink onto the dial, whose texture is akin to coarse paper – a metaphor for the struggle inherent to any creative endeavour, and the sometimes-torturous relationship between the poet and his medium.
Printed on the sapphire crystal case back is his very own definition of poetry, and his message cannot be misconstrued, it reads ‘poetry /’poʊətri/ n. bloodsport where a daring soul fiercely fights a blank paper.’ This model is water resistant up to 30m and is equipped with a 44h power reserve.
Each watch comes with and interchangeable leather strap, which can be black, brown, or camel, engraved with a specific poetic affirmation. The engraving is available either on the outside or on the inside and each watch comes with a complementary suede strap. This watch is housed in a special box, whose shape and typographic details evokes a tome in an authentic French bookshop.
Limited edition, 40 pieces, numbered – €1,495
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