Russian Anton Sukhanov entered the top three young watchmakers in the world
The Academy of Independent Watchmakers AHCI and Francois-Paul Journe, owner of the F.P.Journe watch brand, selected the best young watchmakers in 2016. More than 40 young watchmakers from nine countries from three continents submitted their works for this year's competition — watches of their own design (in 2015, the first year of the award's existence, applications were received from only four European countries).
Anton Sukhanov is a student of the Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaikin, the jury noted his table clock with a three-axis tourbillon. Other laureates are Anna Rosa Kirk from Great Britain, who created a "horizontal" wall clock and Tristan Ledard from France, who designed a floor clock with a linear indication of the equation of time. The winners of the prize received 3,000 francs each for the purchase of Horotec watch equipment.
According to Sukhanov, the most difficult thing in working on the watch was setting up a tourbillon with three carriages. It took him two years to work on the watch.
"We make watches to sell them. But I strongly advise young watchmakers never to sell their first watches, but to keep them at home. It is better to have a 10-year plan for the development of your business, but it needs to be reviewed every six months," Francois-Paul Journ gave joking advice to young people.
"Listen carefully to the market and your customers," added AHCI co-founder Sven Andersson. "I've created 20 different watches, and 18 of them are because I was asked to make just such a watch."