Kari Voutilainen is often known as the watchmaker’s watchmaker, and for good reasons. He is known to be a perfectionist in his craft, yet humble and generous with it since his early days as a teacher at WOSTEP watchmaking school. In the two decades or so since founding his eponymous atelier, Voutilainen has created a vertically integrated manufacture through strategic acquisitions of dial and case makers, Comblémine and Cattin, demonstrating a business acumen that extends well beyond the bench. In fact, parts for his movements are almost entirely made in-house, save for balance springs, main springs and jewels, a feat that few other independent watchmakers can match.

Accordingly, all of his timepieces are handmade to exacting standards with in-house movements that are beautifully decorated and highly polished using traditional techniques such as anglage and perlage. An advocate of the classical watchmaking tradition, Voutilainen is dedicated to perfecting his craft, driving technical innovations such as his double direct natural escapement, introduced in 2011’s Vingt-8 to improve on the traditional Swiss lever escapement and which continues to form the basis of his Caliber 28. He is perhaps most celebrated for his exquisite guilloché dial work, engine-turned by hand and beautifully showcased on his watches.

Vingt-8

Caliber 28

Voutilainen has won 11 GPHG awards starting with 2007’s Observatoire, and as he takes on new challenges such as his role as co-CEO of the newly revived Urban Jürgensen, we can only guess that the best is yet to be for this Finnish watchmaker.

Observatoire (Image: Phillips)