Serge Panczuk
Understanding, learning and sharing. Above and beyond my work, I love teaching – an activity that regularly brings me into contact with new ideas.
One of my grandfathers was a miner and a cobbler in his spare time, while the other worked in the textile industry. My father – who started his career down a mine in Alsace – loved pens because they symbolised education and learning.
Today, after having lived a few kilometres from the shores of Lake Geneva, I live in South California.
My job at a medical technology companiy involves frequent travel to Asia, Oceania and Europe. There is nothing better than a 15-hour flight for writing!
But though I like Californian high-tech, I also have a genuine passion for handcrafts and beautiful objects.
This led me to watchmaking. Our relationship with time is intimate. Time is an ally or an enemy. We have to respect it. This is the job of a watch.
A watch lives with or even thanks to its interaction with its “owner”. This almost "human" dimension is for me fundamental. Behind every fine watch there is a person, a story, a life.
Aside from watchmaking, I also have a passion for writing. This allows me to give concrete expression to topics that tend to remain theoretical, and to share and leave a trace.
Once again, it’s all a matter of time…
Understanding, learning and sharing.
Above and beyond my work, I love teaching – an activity that regularly brings me into contact with new ideas. My horological approach is also based on these three pillars. I enjoy using a watch like a vehicle and building a story around the pieces I am talking about. It becomes a means of sharing, as well as of placing them within a concrete environment.
I only write about watches that I like, that I get a good vibe about or that inspire me.
Apart from the watches themselves, I also have huge respect for the watchmakers who bring them to life.
When asked “what is your favourite watch?”, I always answer “the next one”. I am not a monobrand individual. I appreciate the diversity of creations. I like brands that dare and above all those that are capable of speaking to and captivating the soul rather than merely producing objects. Moreover, micro-brands that retain an artisan’s approach also appeal to me.
I also have great respect for brands that try to bring the taste for beautiful pieces within reach of a broader audience. Because a watch’s value cannot be its price tag.
If I were to have a dream, it would be to develop a watch for a chid that would not be a toy. A truly mechanical piece, like daddy’s, as a means of sharing and passing on.
Once again, it’s all a matter of time…
It is truly difficult to write about watchmaking. In an era of blogs, what can a book add? In my opinion it should be an artisanal object, easy to read, which teaches me new things.
In this category I would include the now-famous Panerai, an Italian history. It is a work of art published as a limited edition. Mine is number 508 (I was born on August 5). Moon Watch Only is another exceptional reference work. On a different level, I recommend the more recent "A Man and His Watch", which talks about real people as much as it talks about watches.
I also recommend reading works by Mondani and Patrizzi. There is little better for someone who likes diving deep into a watch and understanding its history.
Finally, we cannot talk about time without mentioning "A brief history of time" by the genius Stephen Hawking.
It's worth reading this book, it contains a lot of messages.
