Ondřej Berkus Minion 1

One of the more fascinating figures in modern independent watchmaking, Ondřej Berkus is a horological rebel testing the boundaries of what high-complication watchmaking can look like outside the Swiss canon. Self-taught and resolutely independent, Berkus works largely outside traditional industry structures, producing highly experimental, often one-off timepieces that foreground mechanics as both function and visual statement. Based in Milan, his work has become cultishly followed among collectors drawn to uncompromising, idiosyncratic watchmaking.

Pleased to present one of the maestro’s creations, this is the Minion 1, completed in 2021. More than simply a precursor to later successes, the Minion 1 establishes the conceptual and architectural foundation for what would become one of Berkus’ defining design languages.

Collectors will recall that the Minion 1’s successor, the Minion 2, achieved a remarkable result at Phillips New York Watch Auction XIII in November 2025, selling for $137,160. While the two watches are visually and philosophically linked, their mechanical approaches differ fundamentally. Where the Minion 2 centers on a tourbillon, the Minion 1 is built around a far rarer and more understated solution: a one-second remontoire d’égalité.

The Minion 1 is laid out as a regulator-style timepiece, with separate Grand Feu enamel subdials for hours and minutes, both positioned on the right side of the dial. This asymmetric configuration immediately draws the eye leftward, where the beating heart of the timepiece takes precedence. The large free-sprung balance wheel dominates the left side, with the one-second remontoire mounted above it, fully visible and deliberately emphasized as a functional component rather than hidden technicality.

Far from decorative, the remontoire serves a critical purpose. Acting as a secondary, self-contained power source, it periodically rewinds and delivers a constant impulse to the escapement, isolating the regulating organ from fluctuations in mainspring torque. The result is improved rate stability and a visibly rhythmic mechanical performance, reinforcing Berkus’ belief that chronometry should be both technically rigorous and visually legible.

Taken as a whole, the Minion 1 feels less like a conventional wristwatch and more like a manifesto. Especially with the use of a meteorite base plate, a material that matches the eccentric personality of the Minion 1 and its creator. This timepiece is unapologetically mechanical, spatially unconventional, and intellectually demanding – all that propel Berkus into the international spotlight.