Today, I would like to talk to you about a watchmaker who moves me deeply through both his watches and his story. For those in the know, I will be talking about Ludovic Ballouard. Before presenting one of his flagship models that he crafts, I would like to revisit the journey of a man who was never destined to become a watchmaker.
Born in 1971 in Brittany, France, to a Breton father and a Dutch mother, both farmers, Ludovic Ballouard was lulled by the sound of the ocean, by the powerful winds along the coast, and by the wild, splendid nature of that region of France. Very early on, he developed an aptitude for the infinitely small and for mechanics. With a particular interest in aeromodelling, he built, piloted, and repaired radio-controlled airplanes composed of minuscule parts. At 14, Ludovic Ballouard left the traditional school to pursue a BEP (Brevet d’études professionnelles) in stenodactylography. He then decided to become a dental technician at 16, but his training was refused due to lack of a baccalaureate. It was at that moment that his life took a turn. Recognizing his penchant for manual work and an astonishing dexterity for his age, a school guidance counselor suggested that he enroll in a watchmaking school and discover the craft of horology. This was a revelation for Ludovic Ballouard, who immediately fell in love with it, and thus began his challenging journey to become a watchmaker.
He started by applying among 200 other candidates for the watchmaking training at the Jean Jaurès Professional High School in Rennes, which offered 13 places, and he was not selected. But Ludovic Ballouard is not one to give up. He returned to that watchmaking school with a model boat he had created with his own hands to demonstrate his talent and his desire to learn and work meticulously. Seeing Ludovic Ballouard’s motivation, the teacher who received him was moved and granted him an exemption to enroll in the watchmaking training. Learning quickly, Ludovic Ballouard completed the program in three months and grew tired of it. He left the school because he wanted to work. Nevertheless, he passed the exam with flying colors as a private candidate, just to obtain the diploma in 1988.
After Rennes, Ludovic Ballouard went to work for a local watchmaker in Lorient, Brittany, but, dissatisfied, he lasted only six months. Apart from changing batteries, there was nothing interesting to do. He got into his 4L and decided to try his luck in Switzerland. He landed at Lemania in the Vallée de Joux, where he found a job. However, the picturesque mountainous landscape, the cold temperatures, and the abundant winter snow did not please him. After a few months, he decided to return to the vast Breton countryside and changed his career. He became a technician for nearly eight years on aircraft instruments in maintenance at Dinard Airport. Boeing, Airbus – it was a dream, especially for him, a passionate aeromodeller – and also a pioneer in the field of drones. He meticulously took care of the aircraft instruments at the airport, where he handled a constant flow of airplanes arriving for maintenance and repair. Among his colleagues was a former watchmaker who had changed careers. Together, they talked about horology, a distant world. One day, he asked for a very modest raise, which was refused. He became indignant.
That was the moment to change his life. He recalled buying an annual watch catalog to follow the offerings of the brands. He decided to send his CV to the watchmaker who made the most expensive watch in the entire catalog, thinking that the pay would be attractive: a certain Franck Muller with a watch priced at 2 million Swiss francs, adorned with diamonds and equipped with a quartz movement. He received a very prompt reply: “Come and do a trial.” Upon his arrival in Genthod, he was given ten Lemania movements – chronographs to disassemble, to identify faults, to reassemble, and finally to regulate. Although he had no experience and had not disassembled a watch since the end of his studies eight years earlier, he accomplished everything in only five days. He was hired and stayed there for three years, starting in December 1998. Working in after-sales service, the adventure abruptly ended with a dismissal. During his tenure, he had the idea of laying the foundations for Franck Muller‘s emblematic Crazy Hours collection. Unfortunately, his innovation was never recognized at its true value. By the time the collection was officially launched, Ludovic Ballouard had already left the brand, which had grown from a small company into a large machine in three years. He then went independent in Geneva and opened a casing workshop, whose main client was Vacheron Constantin. But he grew bored and quit.
The next chapter of his journey led him to work with F.P.Journe for 7 years, an experience that would forever mark his career as a watchmaker. It was there that he discovered the beautiful high horology as he had imagined it. Starting in 2002, he perfected the knowledge and skills essential to the creation of movements. He began working on the classic Octa and quickly became familiar with that piece. After only a few months, he was still in search of a more complicated piece. It became an addiction, and his challenge became that of François-Paul Journe: to offer him ever more, to ensure he remained close. Thus, he presented him with the Octa Divine, the Octa Lune, the Octa Day & Night, the Zodiaque, then the Chronograph, and finally the annual calendar (which was his favorite piece). And, as the icing on the cake, he wanted to offer him the Souverain Tourbillon, which François-Paul Journe refused for fear of turning in circles, only for him to ultimately be responsible for 3 years of assembling the famed Sonnerie Souveraine. A consecration, in his own way. The goal was to make a watch in 3 to 4 months; Ludovic Ballouard managed to make 6 to 7 per year. He thanks François-Paul for the magnificent work entrusted to him that rekindled the horological flame burning within him. After this grand complication, it became difficult to find pleasure in simpler complications. The only solution was to create his own brand and his own complications.
That is what he did by taking inspiration from François-Paul Journe to realize his greatest dream: to create his own watches and embark on the adventure of independent creation. The idea of eccentric complications buzzed in his head. This journey began in May 2009, in the midst of the global financial crisis, with the creation, on a subscription basis, of the Upside Down concept—a watch that reminds you of the importance of living in the present moment. The past and the future are literally displayed upside down, reminding you not to regret the past, which cannot be changed, nor to worry about the future, of which nothing is known. Only the present counts. It took him 15 minutes to conceive the idea for his first complication and 45 minutes to sketch the mechanism. He notified twelve retailers from François-Paul Journe with whom he had worked on the Grande Sonneries, informing them that he was preparing “a real surprise.” He requested a 50% advance and, in a few days, raised several hundred thousand francs. In only a few months, he went from prototype to the delivery of the first piece in December 2009. Noted, this watch received the Special Jury Prize from Montres Passion in 2010.
The first three years of the brand were particularly difficult, as he had just delivered the first Upside Down and began working on the Half Time when Harry Winston contacted him to propose the Opus 13. He had to interrupt his project for a year, notably his preparation for Baselworld in 2013. In 2012, he was therefore unable to continue the Upside Down or finish the Half Time, and he halted everything to work on that project for Harry Winston. It is an extremely complicated watch, with more than 660 components, 242 jewels, and 70 hands. Often, for major brands to launch new complications, one must wait until they are released. They manufacture 5 watches in 5 years with a team of 50 people and powerful computers. Imagine then his team of 5 in a small workshop with rudimentary computers, creating one of the most complicated watches in the world in one year. It was a real challenge, pure chronometry, which was sadly swept away by a sudden acquisition by the Swatch Group.
Settled deep in the canton of Geneva, in the old post office of the hamlet of Athenaz, just a stone’s throw from another renowned independent watchmaker, Antoine Preziuso, this Breton peasant’s son turned master watchmaker and AHCI member finally savors the fruits of his work and passion. “Giving meaning to what has none” is his greatest pleasure with these watches. He also finds that today’s watches lack humor. Imagine the person sitting across from the owner of this watch: they will see the numbers right-side up and think that the owner is wearing their watch upside down—it makes them smile. This Upside Down is also the story of a life, with its ups and downs, its cracks, its breakages. The story of chronic and mechanical resilience. Now, let us move on to the presentation of the watch.
Table of Contents – Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down
What are the features of the Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down?
Case
The Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down features an elegant and refined platinum case that is completely polished. Measuring 41 mm in diameter with an 11 mm thickness, this case has the particularity of having a concave case body, reminiscent of the style of the early Journe cases. As a result, it is protected from scratches and also reflects the image and environment of the viewer in its reflective display—everything is upside down. Even an element as utilitarian as the non-screwed crown is hand-engraved and made in platinum, unlike the white gold used for platinum watches. It is surrounded by crown guards with fluid shapes, so subtle that they are barely noticeable. The placement of this element may surprise, but again, the explanation is simple when you turn the watch over. The crown stem must pass between two Maltese crosses, so there is no other solution!
Dial
The Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down is adorned with a titanium dial that displays the time in an unusual way thanks to a highly complex movement. All the indexes, here in Arabic numerals, are displayed upside down, except for the current hour, which is shown right-side up with a dot on the edge of the dial, pointing toward its center. In the “off” position, this dot is hidden by the bezel since the dial is slightly larger than the case opening. This dot is a very refined touch, as it immediately draws attention to the current hour. Without it, the watch would remain legible thanks to its minimalism, but the curves of the Arabic numerals might delay reading. The Upside Down is equipped with only two hands: a central hand for the minutes and a small seconds hand in an auxiliary sub-dial at 6 o’clock.
Movement
The Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down houses a unique movement patented as “Upside Down.” Featuring manual winding, this B01 calibre includes an inventive display complication, magnificently executed and very robust. One of the singular features of the Upside Down is the reflection of the movement on the dial. The architecture of the movement had to be completely redesigned and produced so that the baseplate and bridges could accommodate the Maltese cross mechanism, which is not a module but is fully integrated into the movement. The gear is surrounded by 12 Maltese crosses on which the indexes are fixed, and the movement is arranged like the time display, as if in a mirror effect. The idea behind this movement lies in the 12 rotating indexes, with 11 inverted digits and the current hour corrected to the right. When the central minute hand in blue steel reaches the 12 o’clock position every 60 minutes, the indicator for the previous hour rotates 180° downward and, in rapid succession, shifts the indicator for the next hour to the right.
This mechanical exchange is made possible thanks to the Maltese crosses, which control the rotation mechanisms. In fact, the complication is located on the movement side rather than behind the dial so that the owner can admire the beauty of the movement at the moment when the two hour discs pass the relay after marking another hour, all through the sapphire case back. Ludovic’s idea is that the dial makes you smile and that the movement fascinates you, as you can see all the complications evolving through the sapphire case back. As a result, 12 vertical pinions traverse the movement to animate the digit discs, which complicated Ludovic Ballouard’s task.
This movement is entirely manufactured, assembled, and finished in Geneva. It comprises 228 components and 51 jewels that reduce wear on high-friction surfaces and contribute to the robustness of the movement. Beating at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour, it offers a power reserve of 42 hours. Instead of Geneva stripes, the bridges display a magnificent solarization that is both subtle and discreet. The edges have been slightly angled and mirror-polished to add a touch of refinement to the otherwise classic finishing of the movement. The movement base reprises the gear train and the geometry of the Peseux 7001 barrel, completely transformed to drive such a display.
The entire display mechanism is driven by the central wheel, which makes a full rotation every 60 minutes. A spiral cam, rotatively mounted on the central wheel’s pivot, is actuated by a ratchet lever. Kept under tension by a spring, the lever accumulates force during its ascent. When it detaches from the highest point of the cam to land on the lowest point, its ratchet end drives an internally toothed ring, advancing it by 30°. This ring is also equipped with four external teeth, which allow it to drive two consecutive Maltese crosses. Thus, at the high hour, the indicator for the previous hour rotates 180° downward and the next hour rotates similarly upward. Thanks to its four teeth, arranged on a primitive diameter six times greater than that of the Maltese cross, the mechanism allows the Maltese cross to rotate by an angle equivalent to two successive half-turns. Spectacularly, the synchronized rotation of two consecutive digits occurs instantly, thanks to the gradual accumulation of potential energy in the spring during the minute hand’s revolution over 60 minutes. This energy is then rapidly released by the cam.
Strap
The Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down is delivered with a comfortable alligator strap lined with black leather and featuring a unique B-shaped buckle made in platinum. This strap also uses curved spring bars, allowing it to bend as close as possible to the case, thereby providing a level of wearing comfort far superior to that of traditional straight spring bars.
What is the price of the Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down?
The Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down is produced in very limited quantities each year and is available from CHF 118,000 (Including 20% VAT) for a standard model. Ludovic Ballouard is open to customizations to meet collectors’ demands as long as they do not denature the model. It is presented in a signed pouch, made from the same material as the strap.
Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down: When Horology Meets a Philosophy of Life
The Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down is a piece that I particularly cherish for its uniqueness and poetry. We always tend to recall past moments and imagine a radiant future. The past is written, but the future remains to be written. To write, one must begin in the present and not let the future slip away.
Regarding the timepiece, it is a mechanical pleasure to watch it evolve throughout the day. A watch can tell the time while also providing pleasure, whether by looking at it or by touching it. This watch is intended for people who seek a timepiece that is more or less classically styled, because they want it to be timeless, produced in small series, and equipped with an unprecedented movement. The Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down is obviously not for everyone. Most collectors will be divided into two camps: those who love it and those who hate it. Perhaps it is this controversy that will attract the most customers. The most interesting watches are undoubtedly those that spark conversation, and the Up Side Down sits at the top of the hierarchy of conversation-starting timepieces.
For me, the great strength of this watchmaker is that he did not want to become too big too quickly and remained completely independent to preserve his creative freedom. With a commercial brand, creativity is lost and everything becomes a matter of profitability. He advises those who set out to stay creative and to remain the artist they were at the beginning. His production of a few dozen pieces per year maintains originality and rarity, much to the delight of collectors. The components are 100% made in Switzerland and assembled by Ludovic Ballouard in Switzerland. This guarantees that you will wear an entirely Swiss watch, equipped with a unique complication that you will not find on the wrist of thousands, or even millions, of people.
Ludovic is a person who has deeply moved me through his life story, his resilience when faced with life’s terrible challenges, and his kindness. In 2021, I met him for the first time, and his encouragement contributed to making me who I am today. Yet, many things still await me, and I am only at the beginning of my wild adventure. I would also like to thank the teams from the Salon des Horlogers in Geneva who provided me with this watch so that I could wear it and offer a thoughtful review of this model.
Ludovic Ballouard Up Side Down – Watch Specifications
- Brand: Ludovic Ballouard
- Model: Up Side Down
- Case Material: 950 Platinum
- Dial: White
- Functions: Rotative Hours with Discs Indicator, Minutes
- Movement: B01, Manual-Winding, 21’600vph frequency (3Hz), 51 jewels and 228 parts
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
- Water Resistance: 3 ATM
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Caseback: Sapphire
- Case Dimension: 41 mm (Diameter) × 11 mm (Thickness)
- Strap: Hand-Stitched Alligator with 950 Platinum Pin Buckle
- Availability: Limited production
- Retail Price: CHF 118’000 (Including 20% VAT)
What do you think of Ludovic Ballouard’s creations? A mere gadget or a true philosophy of life? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
For more information about Ludovic Ballouard, click here.
