The Tsuba 1720 traces a quiet line from eighteenth-century London to modern Fleurier. George Graham – partner to Tompion and a shaper of precision timekeeping – worked at the Dial and Three Crowns on Fleet Street. Three centuries on, one of his pocket watches completes a circuit of influence as the catalyst for the first collaboratively designed watch by Peter Speake and Farhana Safa at PS Horology.
The Graham pair-case pocket watch of 1720, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, offers a bold double chapter ring and champlevé dial with black enamel Roman numerals and blued-steel beetle-and-poker hands. For the square geometry of the Tsuba, the chapter rings are reversed – hours outside, minutes within. Laser engraving, ceramic lacquering, and hand polishing chase the same dialogue of depth and contrast without impersonation.
Reversing the scales forced a rethink of the hands. The historic forms no longer read intuitively if left as-was – the short beetle hour would point at minutes, the long poker at hours. PS Horology preserves the beetle’s character and adds a slender needle that reaches the outer hour chapter. The poker minute hand gains a shelf that hugs the inner minute ring. The result is immediate legibility and a respectful edit rather than a pastiche. A small change, like moving a chair, yet the whole room feels right.
The case is 316L steel with sapphire front and back, water resistant to 3 atmospheres. It measures 38.3 mm across from 3 to 9 o’clock, and 8.91 mm thick. On the back, the streets and coordinates of Graham’s Fleet Street address are engraved – a discreet signature of place, more whisper than shout.
Inside beats Vaucher’s calibre 5401, automatic with micro-rotor. It is 2.60 mm thin and 30.00 mm in diameter, built from 176 components with 29 jewels. A personalised tungsten micro-rotor runs on a ceramic ball race. The free-sprung balance ticks at 3 Hz with a 48-hour reserve. It is a modern, honest choice – slim, efficient, and leaving space for the dial to do the talking.
The integrated stainless steel bracelet has been reworked so the first links pivot directly from the case for better ergonomics. A concealed link-adjustment system keeps the lines clean, and a butterfly deployant with push-button release finishes the job. Availability is simple enough: PS Horology, Switzerland. Limited to 28 pieces. If you like the story, do not wait for a reprint.
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