Independent watchmaking has grown so much in the last decade. What was a niche occupied by ten or twenty players has exploded into a thriving market, global in scope. Ultra-talented watchmakers are leaving their positions in the world’s most exclusive brands to venture on their own. One such case is Mathieu Cleguer, the French-born, Geneva-based movement engineer. Last month, he launched his first timepiece – the Inspiration One. It’s a serious first swing for Cleguer.
Cleguer is a “behind-the-scenes” type in the watch industry, as most movement constructors are. Before contracting in the industry (projects almost always locked up by non-disclosures), his first internship was with De Bethune more than a decade ago. Denis Flageollet, the modern legend in watchmaking, turned Clegeur onto the entire craft and the rest was history. Another stint for a year or so at AkriviA (now, REXHEP REXHEPI) exposed him to fine watchmaking with his work on the iconic AK-06.
Here, we’re taking a look at the Inspiration One and what makes it a significant first release from the fast-rising watchmaker.
The Inspiration One
The Inspiration One is a time-only watch defined by an unconventional display, highly architectural movement layout, and ultra-technical escapement. Hours and minutes are shown on a decentered champlevé Grand Feu enamel subdial, while an elongated central seconds hand traverses the open dial. A power reserve indicator is positioned on the front, attached to the timepiece’s barrel, integrating functionality directly into the visual composition. The movement itself is constructed in layered tiers, creating depth from the central seconds down to the barrel bridge and mainplate, while selectively revealing key components such as the oversized 12.9mm balance wheel and proprietary Innate Escapement, discussed at length below.
Housed in a 38.5mm titanium case with a thickness of 12mm, the watch balances wearability with a strong physical presence. Its manual-wind movement is crafted from nickel silver, finished with champagne and rhodium plating, and incorporates a Maltese Cross stopwork mechanism visible on the reverse. This system limits the power reserve to 36 hours in order to deliver more consistent torque and improved chronometric performance. Additional visible elements on the caseback include the gear train and ratchet-click system, while inscriptions are kept minimal, with branding discreetly engraved on the inner case flank and technical details reserved for the reverse.
What stands out on the Inspiration One
On the highest level, the Inspiration One will catch attention for the three-dimensional, off-center dial. It’s the first thing that anyone sees on a timepiece, and this one really reaches out to grab you. We will discuss some of the specific design elements that fascinate us most below, but it is important to say that the Inspiration One is first and foremost a significant technical achievement. This is clearly a timepiece created by a movement constructor and hardcore engineer, someone deeply familiar with the technical history of the craft.
A modern take on the Natural Escapement, the Innate Escapement
The Innate Escapement in the Inspiration One is essentially a modern reinterpretation of the classical Natural Escapement, designed to preserve its theoretical efficiency while overcoming its historical weaknesses. Like Breguet’s original concept, it uses a dual escape wheel architecture that delivers impulse directly to the balance, minimizing sliding friction and maximizing energy transfer. However, traditional Natural Escapements suffer from a critical flaw: they are not self-starting, meaning the watch can stop and fail to restart on its own.
Cleguer’s solution is to hybridize this architecture with elements inspired by the Fasoldt escapement, introducing a lever that delivers indirect, tangential impulse while ensuring reliable self-starting behavior. The result is a double-wheel, indirect tangential escapement that maintains the efficiency and low-friction advantages of the Natural Escapement but adds the robustness required for daily wear. In the Inspiration One, this is further refined through its impulse geometry: the balance receives energy over most of its interaction with the escapement, with only a short terminal locking phase, improving stability and chronometric consistency.
Generally, the escapement is considered to be the most challenging, finicky component to create. Escapement innovation is often reserved for the most technically capable and inspired watchmakers and engineers. Here, Cleguer separates himself from the pack with his first timepiece.
A movement built as a visual stage
The movement architecture of the Inspiration One is conceived as both a technical stage and a visual statement, built symmetrically around the central regulating organ to emphasize the escapement’s importance. At its core, the twin escape wheels are prominently displayed on the dial side, flanking the balance and reinforcing the watch’s geometric clarity, while the gear train is laid out in a clean, linear progression that prioritizes efficiency and legibility.
The bridges are thoughtfully shaped to create depth without clutter, combining traditional hand-finishing with a contemporary, almost architectural openness that reveals the flow of power through the movement. This duality, classical in construction yet modern in presentation, underscores the watch’s broader philosophy: a forward-thinking reinterpretation of historic chronometric principles, expressed through a movement that is as visually balanced as it is mechanically purposeful.
Branding without disruption
One of the aspects of this timepiece, non-technical, is the very subtle branding. It’s always a nontrivial issue, figuring out how light or heavy one should be with the touch when branding. Cleguer has found a novel middle-ground – his name is engraved on the inner flange of the case. It’s almost like an easter-egg, or something that is novel enough that it adds to the overall thoughtfulness of the Inspiration One.
A huge first swing for Clegeur, the Inspiration One arrives in twelve pieces in different metals – titanium (the first timepiece shown here), followed by yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, and platinum.