An exciting watchmaking operation led by Luca Soprana, inspired by the revolutionary talent of Derek Pratt. Directed by Perpétuel Gallery
The Derek Pratt model by Luca Soprana can be considered a successful intervention of restomod, a sort of return to the future, or rather to the present, of theories and movements elaborated in the past and which are now reappearing with power and innovative vigour. A watch that possesses the key ingredients for great success: an enlightened patron (Perpétuel Gallery), a historical legacy of pure, crystal-clear ingenuity (Derek Pratt) and, finally, an excellent contemporary craftsman (Luca Soprana).
Perpétuel Gallery, Dubai
It is a boutique, founded by Hamdan Al Hudaidi and Melika Yazdjerdi, where enthusiasts’ dreams find pleasure and enjoyment. You don’t have to spend huge sums of money to wear a unique watch, in a limited series or naturally limited by the numbers typical of artisanal workshops; Perpétuel focuses on originality, on the desire to amaze and to delve into the rigid mesh of mechanical watchmaking, dedicating itself to rare and complicated models such as Derek Pratt by Luca Soprana and Singer Reimagined, but also to trend-setting brands specialising in easy-to-wear designs, including Baltic, Excelsior Park and Nivada Grenchen.
Derek Pratt by Luca Soprana
Derek Pratt and the English school of esoteric watchmaking
Born in 1938, Derek Pratt is considered one of the most important watchmakers in the English tradition. After Mudge, Graham, Thompion and Harrison, who contributed to the progress of mechanical timekeeping centuries ago, George Daniels, Roger Smith and, indeed, Derek Pratt, represented the new wave of watchmaking in the Land of Albion in the 20th century. Pratt, who moved to Switzerland in 1965, studied gears and gears with passion, worked for several major brands as a supplier of high-precision components and, above all, signed small pocket watch masterpieces for Urban Jürgensen, a historic firm that anticipated the successes of independent watchmaking and that recently passed into the expert hands of Kari Voutilainen. Derek Pratt, who died in 2009, had also dedicated himself to recreating, working at the watchmaker’s bench, the H4, the legendary timepiece with which John Harrison won the Longitude Prize in the 18th century.
Let’s talk about watches…
The Derek Pratt by Luca Soprana features many details directly inspired by the work of the English watchmaker. Starting with the flying barrels, i.e. not closed by a bridge and, therefore, living with the illusion of being able to ‘almost’ move freely. A construction peculiarity that leaps to the eye when observing the mechanism through the sapphire crystal of the case back, a choice that lends a romantic and charming spirit to the hand-wound DP07 calibre, consisting of 216 components and with a power reserve of 36 hours. The strategic positioning of the components of the time train also makes it possible to admire the slow pulsation of the balance-spiral system, which oscillates at 18,000 vibrations per hour, as well as the constant-force device (in French ‘remontoir d’égalité’), which gives the regulating organ greater precision in the dosage of energy. The case, with its polished and satin finish, protects the salmon-coloured dial with small seconds at 7 o’clock and applied numerals of the ‘Easter Arabic’ type, also known as ‘Hindi’, a peculiarity often associated with watches destined for the Middle East. A product of great beauty, in which the plaque with the inscription ‘Derek Pratt Invenit’, positioned on the plate, enshrines the intellectual origin of the movement and its stylistic traits.
