Testimonials

“I’m not particularly handyman or meticulous and I have absolutely no skills in watchmaking beyond knowing how to wind my watch regularly. So I was a little apprehensive about the reception of my clock and my ability to assemble it.

My fears were quickly dispelled, as the manual is clear and the assembly without any particular difficulty.

Assembling requires a bit of dexterity and concentration, but no specific ability and it actually quickly turned out to be not only accessible but also interesting: I had no idea how a watch mechanism worked and between the assembly itself and the very didactic explanations in the manual, I feel like I’ve really learned something while having a lot of fun.

The moment when you hear the ticking of the clock for the first time is a very special moment that alone was worth the ten hours of assembly: it is the moment when the inert object comes to life, when the heart of the clock starts beating, a truly moving moment.

The final object is particularly aesthetic and pleasing to the eye, and the fact that you have assembled it yourself creates a very unique relationship with the clock.
Allowing laymen to modestly touch the beauty of the art of watchmaking is a brilliant, intelligent, sensitive initiative, and I am absolutely delighted to have been able to experience it. “

David D.

“First of all, a little reminder of the first contact I had with Maison Alcée. I have a great admiration for mechanics in general and beautiful mechanics in particular, in which watchmaking figures very prominently. I receive the newsletter from a dedicated site called “Montres-de-luxe.com”.
It’s an article about Maison Alcée that made me want to know a little more.
I followed a course of technical studies.
Mechanical engineering, industrial maintenance, robotics and automated production.
I had a professional career in the service of the public, in the distribution of electricity in Paris at EDF/Enedis.

I have always wanted to be able to be autonomous, always wanted to be able to carry out work by myself, I am what you can call, a handyman.
However, and this is the result of my hesitation before embarking on the adventure of riding a clock on my own, I am the victim of a neurological problem that caused me to lose 50% of my motor skills on my right side when I was right-handed.
Today, I’m practically left-handed.
The object, although pretty and to my taste, especially in an upright position, requires careful consideration before making the purchase given the fear I had of not being able to assemble all the parts.
I called, Alcée and I had a long reassuring conversation and I went for it, without regrets.

I sequenced the entire editing operation in five steps.
I first took charge of the explanatory book, I paid attention to the prerequisites before starting the assembly.
I then took two to three hours over the next four afternoons to finish the editing.
Since then, I have set the chime at the passage of the hours and I am carrying out tests to verify the theory that one turn of winding the spring gives about two days of autonomy to the clock, I am exploring the possible small drift of the time depending on the residual energy of the spring…
I take possession of the object, I get to know it better.

Now, I am resuming the reading of the book to educate myself, I had left aside the passages of the historical and technical accounts.
Of course some operations were a little difficult, I had to repeat a few gestures before succeeding, find some tricks but the result is there and it works.
I only paid attention to the necessary times indicated in the sequences to decide on the daily stopping times.
I would like to point out that having the regulator assembly already assembled brought me serenity.

To conclude, I will simply say that it is up to you…”

Fabrice M.

“I am a teacher at the University of Franche-Comté.
I teach mechanics and as such, I have been curious and interested in microtechnology and watchmaking for a few years.

I discovered Maison Alcée through my watchmaking news.
I had the opportunity to identify this original project which immediately interested me because I find that the shared experience is enriching.
It’s not just about technology, it’s mostly about people.
You present an educational approach, a solution that is sustainable, that is reliable.
A clock that will obviously age well since we are talking about the historical watchmaking know-how used for decades.
Clocks of this type are made in the Jura massif.
You offer the buyer an experience in addition to owning the object.

I bought the experience more than the object in order to share it with my students.
These are students in mechanical training who are destined for industry, so we train in a transversal way in the fundamentals of engineering, rather mechanical engineering and production science.
It seemed interesting to me to bring some introductory watchmaking skills to my students.

I was already doing initiations on watch movements, but they are so small that students have trouble appropriating them.
It’s difficult to share an experience on a watch because you have an individual immersion.
Everyone has their magnifying glass and there is no room to put two magnifying glasses around a movement, so we have to use cameras, digital technology and thus, we are no longer in the real world.
As soon as the opportunity arose, I started the assembly and I did it twice: half a morning and half an afternoon.
Take advantage of the moment to make the pleasure last a little…

The installation of the balance wheel was the magic moment!
We are waiting to see the energy that evolves from the main barrel to this regulator, to this oscillator.
It was the moment of emotion because as soon as the ticking that was heard, I was able to savor the sound of its resonance on the beech workbench.
These are emotions that are pleasant.
I started the assembly relaxed, calm.
I’ve been waiting for it for a while!
I found the experience of the magnifying glass interesting on rather large pieces also because you can look in detail.
For example, when you come to lubricate, you bring this drop of oil with the oil spike.
It’s extremely interesting to take the time, to watch it go into the meniscus, something you don’t see as much on a watch.

I would recommend this experience to anyone who likes to be in their bubble, as if cut off from the world.
It allows you to really discover watchmaking, to get a foot in the door of this world and to understand what happens in watch movements, but on a much larger scale.
This allows you to take ownership of the efforts.
For example, when you wind a small watch crown with your fingertips with a small barrel spring, the feeling is not the same as when you take this key.
The phenomena are better understood.
There is energy and we know where it comes from.
Getting to know how a watch works is fascinating.
We talk about a desk clock here because it is a clock that has all the components of a watch.

We are lucky to be able to live this experience.
There are things to do to share this experience with an extremely wide audience from 7 to 60, I would even say 97 years old!
The clock will work now for a few decades so thank you… And bravo! “

Eric D.

“After almost twelve hours of service, Perseus has just sounded at 7:01 a.m., better than NASA!
There is no imbalance, so no adjustment after 48 hours!
To the second, it rings perfectly on time.

Your pedagogical approach is top notch I think, both in terms of content and form.
It’s a huge job on your side, bravo!

Thank you again and well done, it was really a great family experience thanks to you!”

Norbert S.

“Passionate about watchmaking for many years, I got to know Maison Alcée last May.
Indeed, on the occasion of my 40th birthday, my wife was looking for a gift to mark the occasion.
My “briefing” was simple: to have a useful object that can be transmitted.
I also told him that I wanted to have a decorative timepiece.
In this field, the competition is tough…!
That’s when we discovered the clocks of Maison Alcée!
These met all my criteria with a plus that makes them stand out from all the others: having to assemble it entirely on my own!
A challenge that can be taken up with the greatest of pleasures!

As soon as you unpack it, you enter the world of high-end watchmaking!
Everything is beautiful and beautifully presented.
We can’t wait to get to the editing process!
I start by reading the little note slipped into the box (thank you Alcée for this delicate attention) then, I devour the first page of the book and I note that for my 40
Maison Alcée entrusts me with the number 40/500!
It’s all in the detail and that’s clearly what makes all the difference!

Then comes the editing!
We prepare our space, we take out the tools and we put on the protections.
We take a deep breath and we fall into the calm and peaceful world of
Watchmakers.
We enter a bubble where, paradoxically, time no longer counts.
We follow the assembly instructions which could not be clearer.
Everything is indeed described to perfection.
Any hesitation?
We take our tablet and reassure ourselves by
watching the video of the phase we are concerned about.
Still have a question?
No problem, everything is set up!
Just send a message to a group
Specially created for you and your questions.
No prior watchmaking or mechanical knowledge is required!
On the contrary, the less we know, the more we discover this universe.
Don’t forget to take watch breaks.
In addition to taking your mind off things a little, you will learn many things about this exciting universe!

The hours tick by and the timepiece takes shape.
What a pride to hear the first “tick-tocks” as well as the first “ding”!
We turn the last page of the book and observe the result!
That’s it, it’s already over!
If this was not the case before, you are now contaminated by the Fine Watchmaking virus!

It is rare to find a box and clock of such beautiful quality.
The choice of materials and the quality of the tools is impressive.
The service is there and the result exceeds all expectations!

I can’t say it enough, thank you Maison Alcée!

Good luck to you, your selection at the GPHG is fully deserved.”

Benjamin d’A.

“Dear Alcée, dear Benedict,

I would like to congratulate you again for this superb idea of giving novices like me the opportunity to discover the mysteries of watchmaking by riding
Same piece by piece a little gem of a clock.
After about 9 exciting hours, I was able to give the Perseus clock to my wife.
For the past 48 hours, the display of
The time is accurate and the bell rings perfectly at the time change.

My only difficulty after the barrel was mounting the seconds hand on its pivot.
For the rest it was just fun.

I wish you both a good continuation and every success in your business.”

Guy V.

“Good evening,

Thank you for your message and for the attention you pay to the assembly operations.
What a marvel this case and its meticulously arranged contents.
It’s even a little intimidating!

For the moment I haven’t had too much time to devote to it but I appreciate knowing that I am the owner.
I like to know that the clock is there, ready to be mounted.

I do the same with wine!
I enjoy it even before drinking it, so I enjoy it twice!

I know that I will be able to call on you if necessary, I wish you a profitable year again.”

Alain T.

“Dear Alcaeus,

The assembly went perfectly well, your box is perfect from the point of view of quality and explanation.

The clock works very well and I find the ringtone excellent with this sound that sounds every hour.
She accompanies us throughout the day with discretion and pleasure!

You had the courage to take up a major challenge!

We hope to see you soon,”

Daniele B.

“My husband gave me the great surprise and the beautiful gift of offering me the Perseus Clock, he considered that after two pregnancies close together, a move, young children to manage, I needed to take time for something else, but that I would have guilt to take this time for myself.

The clock was therefore a great excuse to give me time.

I really enjoyed these hours of timeless editing, focused only on the steps of the booklet and the videos, with the brain calming down and the gestures becoming more precise and gaining confidence as the manufacturing stages progress.

I tasted the pleasure of changing my outlook of space, of scale.
Vision is focused on a small area, on tiny components to be finely manipulated.
How relaxing!
What meticulousness is deployed and what a pleasure to work with such beautiful objects!

The box is sublime and the workbench helps to organize the equipment and have a good position.
And after a few hours of calm, silence and concentration, what a pride to see Perseus come to life, come to life!
I did it.

Thank you for this exceptional experience out of the usual time and space.”

Adeline de L.

“Alcaeus,

I just wanted to send you a quick thank you note for the great experience I had learning and assembling the Perseus.
I really took my time and enjoyed the whole process.
It was an almost meditative experience.
The advice was perfect and the end result is beautiful!

Good luck to you and your company for the future!

Thank you again.”

Franklin B.