Curious. Warm-hearted. Canadian. Passionate. A devoted husband and a father. Determined, too...
Descriptions of Alexandre Beauregard abound, as do attempts to capture his essence. But despite himself, the man resists. He doesn't like boxes: too small. Or contracts: the handshake is his signature. His gaze is his bond.
What the eponymous brand offers today is not just a product, but a true high-end horological and jewelry universe, grounded in the mastery of lapidary art combined with Swiss watchmaking excellence. It presents a floral, enchanted, and poetic composition. Its aesthetic language draws from the realms of art, design, and fashion, culminating in a mere few millimeters of graphite. There, at the pencil's tip, across hundreds of pages, the designs for the watches come to life.
Timepieces and jewels, precious and precise, as generous in color and contour as the vibrant designs that animate their dials. Each watch first speaks to the heart. In that moment, the essence of the stone awakens the body’s senses: sight, touch, and almost the taste of a sweet treat whimsically named Candy.
Each piece is unique, like the person who chooses it. But in reality, you don't choose a Beauregard. It chooses you, and with it, the passion of its creator.
The man, the gems and his pencil
Alexandre Beauregard was born in... it’s immaterial, really. Age is just a number on an ID, and Alexandre found his identity very early on. Traditional schooling wasn’t for him. Or, more exactly, it wasn't cut out for him. So the young man joined an alternative curriculum in Montreal, where he was able to fully express himself, combining two dimensions: technique and aesthetics.
And what playing field to experiment with both than a watch? Young and romantic, Alexandre fell deeply in love with this object, sketching out hundreds of designs. Transitioning from style to styling, he enrolled in a school for fashion and graphic design. The young man thrived, but his ink had scarcely dried when he met the woman who would become his wife—an immediate and abiding passion, and they would never part. The dynamic of family life begins to whir into motion: a business, a child, and then another. Watchmaking would have to wait... but not for long.
Business is flourishing, yet the passion for watches within him burns fiercer than ever. His obsession with watches is total. Eager to give his designs, which already hint at a jeweler's soul, true depth, he enrolls in a gemology program. He brushes aside the lessons of his youth: even if the boy is now a man, he simply won’t fit into an academic mold.
After just a few weeks, seeking a broader perspective, he sees his prof after class with a proposal: how about five years as an apprentice in his workshop rather than three as a student poring over textbooks? The two men shake hands on it.
Into the heart of the matter
This was how Alexandre’s path crossed that of Yves Saint-Pierre. A legend in America, Saint-Pierre creates sculptures from stones he cuts in a way no one before him had. He is one of the rare lapidary artists on the American continent. Teaching at the Montreal School of Jewelry, he becomes Alexandre’s mentor.
Next came a series of encounters that would mark his journey. First there was the Tucson Gem Show, the world’s largest gem fair, followed by a foray into watchmaking subcontracting fair at the EPHJ in Geneva, and initial contacts with movement makers, horologists, machining specialists, with the entire industrial fabric of the trade, in fact. His visits to Switzerland became more frequent, and with each he would accumulate skills and hone his craft. A quick study, Alexandre gradually built up the indispensable Swiss network that would give substance to his savoir-faire and ignite his creativity.
The rest is history. His first collection, unveiled in 2018, presented a horological bouquet, a jeweler’s garden, each detail meticulously crafted by the artisan-craftsman’s hand.
18 months later, his creation is selected for the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), alongside some of the greats, including Hermès and Van Cleef & Arpels. SIHH and Baselworld follow close behind, as do Dubai Watch Week and Geneva Watch Days. To date, over a hundred press articles have profiled the art and craftsmanship of Alexandre Beauregard, the most Canadian of Swiss watchmakers. Or is it the other way around?
Dahlia – an introduction to floral horology
"Beauregard's debut collection, introduced in 2018, immediately establishes the brand’s signature ethos: both aesthetic and technical excellence held to the highest standard, a distinctly floral inspiration and the use of rare stones rich in color and crafted into unique shapes. Here, artisanship reigns supreme, underpinned by a mastery of horology that leans on Swiss expertise. At the heart of it all, the human hand emerges as the quintessential tool of creation.
The collection is both a surprise and a success. The Swiss movement, crafted in La Chaux-de-Fonds, features a central flying tourbillon with an upper bridge and petal-shaped hands, set within a white gold case adorned with 600 diamonds. Horological experts applaud the precision mechanics. Their counterparts in high jewelry are still figuring out how to categorize what will, ultimately, defy all classification.
Incorporating 600 VVS River diamonds, the Dahlia expresses an exceptional standard of excellence. The sizing of the petals, so generously proportioned and of such outstanding lapidary quality, is unprecedented. Turquoise, opal, and mother-of-pearl breathe life into the Dahlia, meticulously handcrafted to order. It is a creation of a kind that is rarely made anymore.
From the garden to the sweets shop
The second collection, named Lili, is unveiled in 2020. Right after its launch, it is shortlisted for the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). The floral spirit shines through: the case, still in Gold, is rectangular, while the dial is distilled to its essence with two hands over a blossom of precious stones, freshly unfurled on its bed of diamonds. 33 petals, hand-crafted to an infinitesimal tolerance (0.02 mm) for a mysterious, invisible setting.
A few months later, Lili Bouton blossoms in a round case with a dial of 36 petals. As precious and rare as ever, it completes the Beauregard ‘garden’. The latest version is the tangy Lili Candy. With this creation, Beauregard temporarily leaves the floral field for a sweet and colorful pause, where petals give way to a swirl of amethysts and topazes coiled in a circle of diamonds, creating a sweet treat of intriguing realism.
Switzerland x Canada: an unexpected alchemy
An Haute Joaillerie workshop in the heart of Montreal and exceptional partners in the Swiss Jura: these are the unexpected origins of Beauregard.
Beauregard’s journey into the realm of Haute Horlogerie took flight in 2018, but the brand truly gained altitude in 2023 with its first participation in the Watches & Wonders trade show in Geneva, an event that acted as both an international launch pad and a media sounding board.
From Tokyo, where the brand enjoys great success, to New York, the Middle East (currently its most important market), America, India and Asia, Beauregard has carved a niche for itself with a select community of refined watch lovers, stone connoisseurs and enlightened aesthetes, as well as with the most prestigious retailers in each country.
One reason is each jewelry element of a Beauregard is made in-house, crafted by Beauregard’s ‘miracle hands’. Unlike other leading names in the industry, Beauregard maintains complete control of every production phase, from sourcing and purchasing the rough stones to the completion of the finished dial and the case ready to embrace the movement.
The cutting of the stones, the sculpting, polishing, assembling, inspecting – at every stage something magical happens. Each Beauregard watch emerges from the atelier as if it were Haute Couture fashion, transforming meters of fabric into a garment that stirs the soul. It is a journey, a relentless pursuit of absolute aesthetic perfection, emblematic of an artistry that is increasingly rare in today’s world.
Inspired by architecture
Since he can remember, Alexandre has drawn inspiration from what surrounds him, whether it’s standing in front of the graceful facade of a townhouse or intricate wrought iron patterns in the narrow alleys of Paris. In New York, his eye might catch a relief carved in stone, sparking his imagination. Yet, it is the old quarters of Geneva that hold a distinctive allure, with their gates of ancient ironwork and cobblestone streets, and find him mentally redrawing and reworking every detail.
The 1950s are especially fascinating to Alexandre. The forms and curves of that era bewitch him, transport him to a world where resides lies in every contour. Vintage furniture, industrial design, lamps, pencils – each object stands as a piece of art in its own right, its sumptuous form seizing his focus.
It is Europe he loves most of all, with a special fondness for Rome, far from regimentally straight lines and austere black and white contrasts. Beauregard yearns for the happy years (the 50s and 60s), the bright colors, generous volumes and sensuous curves. The charm of round shapes captivates him, suggesting a sense of freedom and unrestrained creativity.
His atelier is a wondrous space where materials spring to life, transformed by his deft hands. Every stone is a challenge, every sketch another step towards perfection. He crafts his own tools, his machines, in an unceasing quest for artistic expression. It is here that he finds absolute freedom. Time and again he was told his dreams would be impossible to achieve, yet here he is, always persevering.
The fact that Alexandre atypical path into the horological realm becomes an invaluable asset. He is unencumbered by its constraints, which allows his imagination to meander through undiscovered landscapes. His parents instilled in him the significance of hard work, relentlessly asserting that talent accounts for merely 1%, with the remainder being sheer perspiration.
Winston Churchill’s phrase, “Never give up, never surrender,” has been Alexandre’s mantra for decades. Because for him, giving up is simply not an option.
Reflecting a world where the exception is the rule
The Beauregard universe unfolds an aesthetic that elevates technical perfection to artistry. A mastery that is demonstrated rather than proclaimed. The essence of a Beauregard watch – with all those minute and unseen aspects which the eye cannot perceive, but the heart can feel – is hinted at in some telling facts and figures:
0.02 mm – The meticulous tolerance adhered to in the geometry of each stone – cut by hand and often by Alexandre himself – to create the invisible setting.
13 – The number of consecutive times Alexandre attended the AGTA GemFair in Tucson, Arizona, the world’s largest gem fair.
600 – The number of VVS River diamonds on the Dahlia timepiece.
50+ – The number of gemstone varieties that are cut, shaped and polished in the workshop. Amethyst, topaz, aquamarine, chrysoprase, prasiolite, carnelian, coral, Turkish opal, fire opal, Oregon chocolate opal, onyx, mother-of-pearl, iridescent ammolite, black Australian opal, tsavorite, citrine, phosphosiderite, turquoise, lapis lazuli, amazonite, precious quartz, peridot, pink opal... the list is enchanting and evokes lands where faeries dwell.
4 – The family members involved in Beauregard timekeeping odyssey: Alexandre, his spouse and their two children, each contributing in a different capacity to the independent, family-run Maison.
8.6 – The total carats of rare gems on a single Lili piece.
15 – The precise angle, in degrees, of the Lili's bezel. "If it’s 15°, it's because I tried 14° and I tried 16°, and that didn't work," explains Alexandre. We’ll take his word for it.
3 – The thickness, in millimeters, of a Beauregard dial. This is three times the average for conventional watchmaking, where the material is kept as thin as possible, to the detriment of depth and color.
80 – The percentage reject rate for the first Beauregard watch dials. Today, the figures are reversed: 20% do not pass muster and 80% meet the stringent standards.
3 – The number of Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) nominations: in 2018 for Dahlia C1 (Ladies’ Complication), 2020 for Lili (Ladies’), and in 2023 for Lili Bouton (Ladies’).
30 – The number of days Alexandre secludes each new design. After a month, if the sketch still resonates with the same magic, the creative journey may proceed. If not, it is left aside.
2018 – The foundation year, marked by the launch of the tourbillon watch, the inaugural timepiece truly emblematic of Beauregard. Now, five years on, the brand is firmly established.
2023 – Five years on, the brand is firmly established with an inaugural presence at Watches & Wonders in 2023.
2024 – The year of the next edition of Watches and Wonders in Geneva, where Beauregard is set to make a return appearance.
