Old But New

The unlikely story of how one man's appreciation for mystery novels led to the revival of an old name in Swiss watchmaking: Charles Girardier.

-  Wei-Yu Wang

CHARLES GIRARDIER, THE contemporary independent watch brand founded only a few years ago that picked up an award at the 2020 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG), owes its existence primarily to two people: Patrick Ulm, a Swiss native whose career in wealth management exposed him to the finer things, and, strangely enough, Agatha Christie.

"What I found interesting was that the pocket watch was really showing the personality of Hercule Poirot," Ulm explains, citing the Belgian detective that was Christie's most famous character. "It shows he's meticulous, he's on time, he's precise. And every time he gets his pocket watch out, you know something's going to happen."

Ulm's fondness for Christie led him to a museum dedicated to her in Devon, England. On display were an assortment of knick-knacks she had collected during her lifetime and that had inspired her writing. Among these was a pocket watch created by Charles Girardier, a Genevan watchmaker who lived from 1759 to 1839. Girardier left no heirs, but was an acknowledged master during his time, known especially for pocket watches that had exquisitely painted enamel dials and animations that depicted pastoral or other slice-of-life scenes, such as hunting or farming.