LUDOVIC BALLOUARD’S PHILOSOPHY
We live in an exciting and exhilarating age. Today’s technologies give us the feeling that we can do more, faster, but are we perhaps losing a small piece of what makes us human?
With his unique, high-quality watches, Ludovic Ballouard asks profound questions about our relationship with time, never forgetting to add a touch of humor.
HISTORY
Ludovic Ballouard had the idea of creating a watch that was extremely complicated and eccentric, but with the utmost simplicity in its presentation of time.
The master watchmaker wanted to remind people that the most important time is the present, and the Upside Down embodies this perfectly. The way time is presented in the Upside Down should be a reminder of how important it is to live in the moment: past and future time is, quite literally, presented upside down to say that you should have no regrets about the past that you cannot change and no qualms about the future that you know nothing about.
Driven by his original idea and philosophy, Ludovic Ballouard created his next model, the Half Time, unveiled in January 2012. The Half Time is even more complicated, but retains the original philosophy with a dial that presents the time in a simple way. The number showing the time is whole at 12 o’clock, while the other numbers are cut in half to always remind us that the most important moment is the present. Ludovic Ballouard could have chosen to insert the minutes in the center of the dial, but he opted to make the movement even more complicated by integrating retrograde minutes, staying true to his desire to continually add complications to his timepieces. For both Upside Down and Half Time, Ludovic Ballouard tried to find a method for the case back of his timepieces to show all aspects of the movement to the eye.
SPECIAL EDITION 230 YEARS
To celebrate Hausmann & Co.’s 230th anniversary, independent watchmaker Ludovic Ballouard has created a unique piece of the Upside Down. This model integrates the number of years of activity within the rotating “3” hour disc, highlighted by a diamond setting. The Upside Down, expresses a philosophical conception of time: since the past cannot be relived and the future is unknown, the only significant hour is the current hour, which is the only numeral visible in the right direction; the other numerals are reversed thanks to the rotating sub-dials.
The watch’s platinum case bears a hand-engraving by Master Watchmaker Ludovic Ballouard with “Pièce Unique” and the Hausmann & Co. logo.
Collezioni
UPSIDE DOWN: After many successful years as a watchmaker, Ludovic Ballouard followed his biggest dream, which has always been to create his own watches, having a head full of ideas for eccentric complications. This journey began in May 2009, with collectors eagerly waiting and suppliers eager to work, Ludovic created his first watch, the Upside Down, born in December 2009.
With the Upside Down, Ludovic Ballouard had the idea of creating an extremely complicated and eccentric timepiece with a presentation of time that was a bit unique. The way time is presented in the Upside Down should remind us how important it is to live in the moment. Past time and future time are, literally, presented upside down to tell you that you should have no regrets about the past that you cannot change and no qualms about the future that you know nothing about.
HALF TIME: Driven by his original idea and philosophy, Ludovic Ballouard created his second model, the Half Time, unveiled in January 2012. The Half Time continues the idea of presenting time in an unusual way with an extremely complicated jumping-hour movement that is a perpetual reminder that the most important moment is the present. All numbers are divided in half on two discs that rotate in opposite directions, making the numbers unreadable, except for the present time, which is whole in the position.
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