Edouard Koehn - The Legacy Rattrapante & Tempus III

Edouard Koehn recently released the new Tempus III Chronograph and a very attractive Rattrapante Chronograph called the Legacy Rattrapante.

In my last report I shared their worldtimer and the Tempus II Open heart chronograph. The Tempus II is very masculine - large and imposing, if I may say. Comparing the two, I'd say the Tempus III is a much better proposition.

The Tempus III Ice Blue (above) and the Skeletonised Ice Blue version (below).

I had the opportunity to handle the Tempus III and their new Legacy Rattrapante and I have to say the Legacy Rattrapante is really something.

And I'd like to start with that too...

Why Legacy you may ask? Well, the Chronograph's layout and dial is based on an old pocket watch Chronograph

The original chronograph comes with a Grand feu white enamel and this version draws inspiration from the original pocket watch dial. However, the movement is a Concepto base movement modified specifically for Edouard Koehn.

I believe the rattrapante module is built on the movement (non-column wheel) and that's why it accounts for the thickness.

This limited edition is a breath of fresh air in the chronograph space. Grand Feu Enamel with a 12/6 layout makes this a very attractive chronograph - and a split second (rattrapante) at that!

The blue hands are gorgeous as with the white enamel dial. Some might ask what a split seconds chronograph does. The split seconds complication came about as one needs to record two events that are starting at the same time but may not stop at the same time, hence the two coloured hands. In this case, the blue and red recording hands represent the first and second event.

Enjoy the rest of the photos on this amazing complication on this beautifully crafted chronograph.

Now on to the Tempus III Chronograph. What I saw were 2 variants - both ice blue. First one below is the Tempus III Ice Blue Guilloché.

And this one the Tempus III Ice Blue Skeleton (below). The skeletonised version comes with a date window at the 4 o'clock position but not the Guilloché.

As compared to the Tempus II, the Tempus III is more wearable as the size is smaller. The Tempus II is 43mm and the Tempus III is 41mm - the 2mm reduction is a world of difference.

As much as I like the Ice Blue Skeleton, date window at 4 o'clock is a deal breaker for me. But nonetheless, the design and execution is spot on. The skeleton comes with Grade 5 Titanium case and a Titanium bezel. But on the wrist, you can feel the heft - possibly due to the movement weight.

Again, the execution on the guilloché is excellent. The colour combination on the hands are well coordinated as I especially like the organe hands on the subdial and indices. For the ice blue, the case is made of Grade 5 Titanium with a ceramic bezel.

Whether it is the ice blue or the ice blue skeleton, both are pretty well made and worth its weight in gold. The brand has been making waves, first the the Tempus II. And now both the Tempus III and the Legacy Rattrapante are a hit. I love the Legacy Rattrapante and if there is something they can improve on, perhaps change the blue chrono hands to yellow, making the display even livelier. Right now, it is a blue/red combination but if it were a yellow/red combination with blue time telling hands, that would be great - at least for me.

All said and done, I absolutely love the Legacy Rattrapante except for a minor change. And for the price point (USD16,800), it is definitely great value for such a complication and with Grand Feu Enamel too.

Edouard Koehn - Worldtimer Alarm & Chronograph

Throughout my watch collecting journey, I have come across some very interesting brands and timepieces and this time, I have had the pleasure of seeing in metal the Edouard Koehn World Heritage II and the Tempus II Chronograph.

Called the World Heritage II Universal Time & Alarm, this titanium case timepiece is for the avid traveller.

One glance and you can see the resemblence to the Vulcain Cricket worldtimer and this is no coincidence. The owner of the brand happens to be Mr. Bernard Fleury, former CEO of Vulcain. Having completed his education in a school of horology in Geneva, Edouard Koehn went on to join Patek Philippe. While at Patek Philippe, Koehn's expertise was in complications and his talent did not go unnoticed. So good he was that he quickly became not only an employee but was also made a shareholder in Patek. The Edouard Koehn brand was started in 1891 after Mr. Koehn left Patek Philippe to start his own brand.

Upon his death in 1908, Mr. Koehn's son took over until the 1930s but it wasn't until 2015 when Mr. Fleury acquired the brand and relaunched in 2020. Originally established in Geneva, the new Edouard Koehn headquarters is now in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

The chronograph was the first to be launched - the Tempus I. The tricompax chronograph comes in two versions - the no-date and the skeletonised date version. The bicompax Tempuss II comes without the date - have a look at their collection here.

Between the Tempus and World Heritage, I am more of a classical watch person, hence the preference for the World Heritage II. This limited edition timepiece features the ice-blue dial and every dial combination is limited to 88 pieces.

The timepiece offers a 24 time zones view (see below), day/night indicator ring plus the alarm feature.

What is nice is the clear layout - very legible and visible.

While there are similarities with the Cricket, a Vulcain it is not...

Firstly, the movement is a self-winding Calibre EK-MVTWTA01 unlike the manual winding calibre in the Cricket. Secondly, the older versions of the Cricket comes with a closed case back while the World Heritage II has an open caseback clearly showing off the mechanical prowess. The integrated alarm system was specially built for Edouard Koehn with the stiker hitting the case.

The automatic movement has a double barrel that provides 48 hours of power reserve and is entirely manufactured in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

The titanium case is 42mm in diameter and rated to 50 metres of water resistance. At SGD14,090 retail, this is a very tempting proposition for such a complication.

Next up is the Tempus II chronograph, a very masculine timepiece.

What's special about this chronograph? For one, the balance wheel escapement is exposed on the dial side between the 10 and 12 o'clock position - Open Heart style.

And the kicker for me is the fact that the minute hand for the chronograph counter at 3 o'clock features a jumping hand. Not many brands has such a feature.

What's more? This is also a monopusher chronograph to boot!

Rated to 100 metres water resistance, the 43mm diameter steel case comes with an integrated rubber strap.

The Open Heart monopusher chronpgraph encases the 245 components movement and has 48 hours of power reserve.

Edouard Koehn prides themselves as a brand with innovation - turning the escapement upside down to reveal it on the dial side. Gives the chronograph a different look.

Between the two, I'm all for the World Heritage II as my small wrist can take it better. But fret not, I understand Edouard Koehn is coming up with a more classical chronograph - a rattrapante with an enamel dial at that! Stay tuned for more interesting things to come from the brand. Thanks to Timmy for showing me these two pieces. To view the timepieces head down to Sincere Fine Watches - they are the authorised dealers for Edouard Koehn in Singapore and the region.