Newly Founded Indie Brand Mermont Makes its Debut with La Parfaite

The pursuit of perfection is what drives many watchmakers to venture out on their own. But what perfection means can be different for each and every one of them. New to the independent watchmaking scene, and in a literal pursuit of perfection, is Mermont and its debut La Parfaite watch. Founded by Sebastian Bey-Haut and enlisting the skills of seasoned veteran Nicolas Delaloye, Mermont’s La Parfaite aims to slow time down to a single hand, slowly making its way across a serene, deep-blue dial. It’s a case of deliberate approximation, a looser interpretation of the precise reading and experience of the passing time, yet not a compromise in the keeping of precise time. On the contrary, even…

At first glance, the case for La Parfaite looks rather simple, but don’t be fooled, as there are quite a few intricate details. The refined, modernised cornes de vache (cowhorn) lugs, which curve inwards at the ends, are a very nice touch. As is the concave bezel, which greets the sapphire crystal on top. The crown has a fine slanted angle to its knurling, neatly paring it with the minute track (more on that in a bit). The case itself, which is made in platinum and has a diameter of 38mm and a height of only 9.2mm, shows a mix of brushed and polished finishes.

La Parfaite made its official debut in a salmon dial Founder’s edition, with a run of 18 pieces. Unfortunately for us salmon-dial lovers, that’s already sold out, but Mermont now presents the follow-up ‘public’ model in this lovely deep shade of blue. The dial itself is finished with a colimaçon sunburst finish, and printed with a white, slanted minutes track and Breguet-style numerals. The finishing touch is the brand’s name at noon.

And then there’s the biggest talking point: the single hand for the time. Crafted from steel, heat-treated and polished by hand, it’s one of the most intricate designs we’ve ever seen on a hand. It’s sculpted in three dimensions, with a heart-shaped opening (or spade). The finishing touch is the extremely subtle “La Parfaite” inscription, which only appears under certain lighting and angles.

Although there’s nothing to see, as it ticks away diligently beneath a solid tantalum caseback, La Parfaite uses a top-grade (finition Soignée) La Joux-Perret D101 movement. That means it’s finished to a high standard, with blued screws, Côtes de Genève, perlage, and so on. This manually winding calibre is based on the architecture of the humble Peseux 7001 and beats at a rate of 21,600vph and delivers a steady 50 hours of power reserve. For La Parfaite, Mermont has opted to leave out the minute hand and cover the minute pinion with a cap. It’s also regulated to +/- 3 seconds per day by veteran watchmaker Nicolas Delaloye.

The Mermont La Parfaite comes on a black textile strap of 20mm at the lugs, tapering to 16mm at the platinum pin buckle. For such a compact watch, that sounds spot-on to us! Only 28 will be made, and it will be presented in a Chronosphere box by AIS Collective. Production will be split between two batches per year and sold directly to collectors. The price is set at CHF 10,998 excl. VAT.

For more information, please visit Mermont.ch.