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Persée by Maison Alcée: the first self-assembly luxury mechanical clock

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November 2023


Persée by Maison Alcée: the first self-assembly luxury mechanical clock

Alcée Montfort, founder of her namesake brand, presents a unique proposition: the chance to own a 255-part luxury clock by assembling it yourself. Complete with an hourly chime, the desk clock is powered by a mechanical movement, offering owners to both build and share a unique experience.

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ounded in 2019 by Alcée Montfort, Maison Alcée is a young French watchmaking house based in Reims. In 2022, after three years of research and development, the brand launched a unique watchmaking box in the world. The box contains the first “do it yourself” luxury clock with hourly chime, including a mechanical movement.

Over 95% of the products are made in the Swiss-French Jura Arc region. 50 pieces have already been sold in less than a year. A new series of 100 is in production. New complications will soon be available.

The mechanical movement of the Persée clock was developed by Maison Alcée to be assembled by novices.

It was designed in collaboration with one of the rare Meilleurs Ouvriers de France watchmakers and the watchmaking professors from the prestigious Ecole de Morteau in French Jura, who are well-acquainted with the difficulties that their first-year students encounter. Only the regulating organ is pre-assembled.

In keeping with the complexity of clockmaking, which has been called “the profession of a thousand tools”, the Maison Alcée set contains everything required for the assembly of the Persée desk clock: a clockmaker’s magnifying glass, tweezers, four screwdrivers, finger cots, a membrane case, a chamois cloth, a small oiler, and more. Some of these tools have been specially adapted to facilitate their use by neophytes.

Learning about, and assembling, a Persée desk clock requires some ten hours; but during that time the aficionado is never left without assistance.

The assembly instructions are explained in a 150-page book, while videos complete the picture. If further assistance is required, the Maison Alcée team is standing by on a specialised WhatsApp group.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Calibre:
manufacture Maison Alcée hand-wound mechanical movement

Number of components to assemble:
169 of a total of 233 (regulator included)

Functions:
hours, minutes and seconds
hourly chimes optional

Oscillator:
balance wheel and hairspring with a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour

Winding:
unidirectional winding key

Power reserve:
two weeks

Position:
owner may choose the horizontal or vertical position (a Maison Alcée innovation)

Personalisation:
two engraved plaques complete the case
one bearing the initials of the clockmaking apprentice
the other bearing a unique
strictly personal number assigned to the fully assembled clock

Dimensions:
101 * 101 * 161 mm

Weight:
900 grammes

Warranty:
5 years from the purchase of the set

Care recommendations:
the maintenance of the Persée may be performed by the owner
the clock may be freely disassembled and assembled to share the passion with friends and family

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