Mermont’s La Parfaite Goes Platinum

A platinum watch in this economy?

Startup independent brand Mermont has just made its public debut with the heavyweight La Parfaite, translating as “perfect one” in French. Assembled and adjusted by independent watchmaker Nicolas Delaloye, La Parfaite is among the most affordable platinum watches on the market, despite its contemporary case size and upscale construction.

Initial thoughts

At first glance, Mermont’s debut watch could pass for a handsome, stainless steel Breguet Souscription homage, probably priced accordingly. However, La Parfaite is not stainless steel, it is (mostly) platinum – and surprisingly affordable.

Sebastien Bey-Haut, a watch and photography enthusiast, founded the brand, enlisting none other than Nicolas Delaloye, a Genevan watchmaker and AHCI member, to bring it to life. Though less commercially successful than some of his peers, Mr Delaloye is a respected independent watchmaker who spent eight years with the Patek Philippe Museum. Mr Delaloye personally polishes the single hour hand, performs final adjustment, and cases up the watches.

It’s unusual for an upstart brand to debut with a precious metal watch, but that’s exactly what Mermont has done. But that hasn’t stopped the brand from focusing on the value proposition, pricing the La Parfaite well below industry norms for a platinum watch, especially a full size mechanical watch.

Priced at CHF10,998 before taxes, La Parfaite is a full 38 mm in diameter and certainly among the least expensive mechanical platinum watches at retail. That makes it an interesting proposition, especially given the noted watchmaker at the bench.

Case and face

The watch has a single hour hand, Breguet numerals, and a secret signature above six o’clock – all reminiscent of Breguet’s well-received Classique Souscription 2025 launched just last year. That said, the smaller case is markedly different, and the dial’s snailed texture and blue lacquer finish result in a watch that is quite distinct from its likely inspiration.

The mid case, bezel, crown and pin buckle are platinum, while the case back is tantalum; both tedious materials to work with. Platinum is also extremely expensive as a material, especially recently. While rising gold prices have captured headlines, platinum prices have reached near-parity with 18k gold for the first time in years.

While there are a number of relatively inexpensive gold watches on the market, from brands such as Tissot and Titan – the Indian market’s affinity for gold is well known – platinum is another matter.

Besides the tantalum case back there are no other obvious signs of cut corners. The case walls are no thinner than you’d find on many precious metal watches costing significantly more, and the case design is surprisingly intricate. Note the strap is secured by screwed bars, rather than the usual spring bars.

On one hand

The other notable detail is the hand, which is made from stainless steel, heat treated and then hand polished by Mr Delaloye. The design appears to be a riff on the a traditional Breguet hand, but rendered with a significant degree of three-dimensionality and a heart-shaped opening. The hours track has a resolution of ten minutes, compared to the Classique Souscription’s five.

The master’s touch

Unlike last year’s Classique Souscription 2025 from Breguet, La Parfaite is powered by a two-hand movement, but the minutes hand is replaced by a polished steel cap. The movement is a La Joux Perret D101, essentially a clone of the Peseux 7001. Mermont uses the highest trim level offered off-the-shelf, soignée vis bleues, referring to the Côte de Genève finish and blue screws.

La Joux Perret’s stated accuracy tolerance for these movements is merely +/-7 seconds per day, tested in three positions. However, per Mermont, Mr Delaloye individually adjusts each movement to within three seconds per day on average. That is probably excessive for a watch without a minute hand, but still appreciated.