Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Tourbillon Pink Gold Beige (1652410)

In modern watchmaking, there are emblematic models one can say are almost as (or even more) famous than the brands that created them - rapidly becoming flagship models recognized at first sight even from afar. It is the grail of every watch company and every watch designer to create a true icon. Yet, they seldom manage to attain that incomparable status and when they do, sometimes it can backfire: there was a time when the Royal Oak and Reverso were names that almost overshadowed their respective manufacturers. Badollet is a revived boutique brand far from having the universal recognition of Audemars Piguet or Jaeger-LeCoultre, but recently designed a timepiece that has earned itself cult status among specialized media and die-hard aficionados alike.

When the Ivresse was unveiled at last year's Baselworld, it was acclaimed by experts and frequently mentioned among the fair's best timepieces. Yes, Ivresse is French for "inebriated," and many fell in love with the exquisite design featuring Eric Giroud's signature eye and David Candaux's technical expertise: curved lines on an elongated rectangular case and no superfluous ornamentation - yet it is devoid of austerity with its dreamy midnight blue dial and a hidden flying tourbillon as the cherry on top of the cake. Absolutely charming, with a neo-retro flavor. But can the Ivresse go from cult status to mainstream icon?
At a crossroads
At the 2013 Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE), Badollet CEO Philippe Dubois disclosed that Ivresse's success has made the company rethink its strategy - and happily admitted that Badollet's new flagship model could even represent the brand's new DNA: "The reaction to Ivresse was excellent and the media frenzy around it was important, so when people these days come to see Badollet they absolutely want to see Ivresse," he says. "It was daring to do such a highly complicated watch in terms of movement but at the same time really streamlined in terms of design. Right now we are focused on the delivery of the Ivresse before thinking about new products. But it's clear that Ivresse will be in the DNA of the brand in the future and there will be a natural evolution."

That evolution could be revolutionary, because it will change the brand's concept…for the good. "When Badollet was launched, it was based on tourbillon-only watches. That exclusivity automatically limits us and we're reflecting on what is the route we should take; because of Ivresse we're even thinking about taking a deflection and doing a non-tourbillon watch. Our customers know Badollet is a niche brand and tell us that with Ivresse we went into a niche of a niche. Yes, but that's okay with us. There are some markets where when someone spends 200,000 or 300,000 Swiss francs on a Badollet tourbillon watch, they want that money to be seen when they wear it. With Ivresse it's quite the opposite; it's a masterpiece for a more sophisticated clientele that has great pleasure in wearing such a watch and not really showing to others that they have spent a lot of money on it."

A different route
Right now, Badollet's production is limited to around 50 watches (tourbillons) a year - and an undisclosed part of that exclusive number is comprised by Ivresse, which is already being delivered to customers. "All models considered, we are delivering 45 to 50 timepieces a year. Ivresse's numbers haven't passed the other models' yet. Plus, there's some sort of dichotomy: all our other watches can be personalized, whereas Ivresse is just the way it is. We still have a clientele that want a sort of show-off product and do not quite understand Ivresse, whereas we have people coming to us that are only interested in Ivresse; they only know Ivresse and do not want anything other than Ivresse!"

So…what if Ivresse outshines the rest of the collection? "If the day comes when Ivresse cannibalizes the rest of the collection, we will be happy. And we're comfortable with the attention - it just shows how b the design is." Signed by Giroud, the Ivresse has an extended bateau-shape with an uncluttered dial, while the case back discloses a complex flying tourbillon caliber within concave movement architecture imagined by Candaux.

The big question
"It was difficult to conceive such a design in conjunction with such a movement," Dubois continues. However, the difficulties weren't just within the movement. Even its "blueness" was hard to pinpoint: "We decided that the first series would be in platinum, and thought that blue would go rather well with the platinum case. But it was really difficult to find the exact blue tone for the dial." Yet, other colors seem to be on the way: "In Basel we will have new dials."

Only new dials? "We are also thinking about doing the Ivresse with a wider case and also about a chronograph version of the Ivresse. The big question is - do we stick to a tourbillon caliber or not? If we go on and make a non-tourbillon Ivresse at a lower price, it could change everything for Badollet in terms of distribution, volume of production, even points of sale. But we're not in a hurry. Time will tell." Yes, "time will tell" seems to be the best possible answer to questions regarding Badollet's flagship model right now. Probably Baselworld will enlighten us a bit - until then, let's remain intoxicated with the incomparable Ivresse.