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Florent Lecomte: Teacher and Independent Watchmaker

Trained in industrial product design, Florent Lecomte discovered watchmaking at Lycée Edgar Faure in Morteau, learned from Thierry Ducret, and began making watches under his own name during the 2020 lockdown.
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Florent Lecomte came to watchmaking through teaching, then began making watches of his own during France’s 2020 lockdown. His story connects three roles: industrial designer, mechanical-watchmaking instructor at Lycée Edgar Faure in Morteau, and independent maker working under his own name. Across all three, he returns to the same idea: learning a craft matters most when it can be carried forward.

From industrial design to watchmaking in Morteau

Lecomte trained in industrial product design and initially taught that subject. His move to Lycée Edgar Faure in Morteau in 2006 brought him into contact with watchmaking. He says he became curious about how assembled metal parts could be made to move and keep time.

Watchmaking teacher Thierry Ducret offered to train him. After two years of instruction and projects, the school proposed that Lecomte begin teaching the craft. He later specialized in mechanical watches with complications.

Lecomte has described teaching as a source of satisfaction: “I like being able to transmit my skills to students. It’s nice to see the progression the students make from when they arrive until when they leave.” The route from student to instructor is central to his biography; he did not arrive in Morteau as an established watchmaker, but learned the discipline there and then passed it on.

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Teaching—and the decision to make watches himself

During the first 2020 confinement, teaching a manual trade remotely proved difficult. Lecomte says he wanted to give his teaching greater meaning and take more of the watchmaking process through to completion himself. He began creating watches under the Lecomte name. A first prototype and photographs shared on Instagram drew interest, according to his 2022 interviews; HODINKEE also reported that collectors encouraged him to commercialize work he had been developing in his personal workshop.

This origin story is not evidence that he intended to leave teaching or immediately build a large business. The available accounts describe a teacher beginning an independent practice alongside his existing responsibilities.

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Classical references, modern displays

Lecomte has said he is drawn to watchmaking of the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly the work of Breguet and Ferdinand Berthoud’s marine chronometers. His stated aim is to bring historical watchmaking codes into more contemporary creations.

The first commercialized watch described in MONOCHROME’s 2022 interview was a unique moon-phase piece, with the complication mechanism visible from the dial side. An open-worked seconds display also exposed its gearing. HODINKEE’s profile describes further use of moon phases, power-reserve indications and second time zones. Its account of Series 2 highlights a balance wheel made by Lecomte and shown within a layered dial.

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These details suggest an approach in which the mechanism is not simply hidden behind the dial: visible construction and complications help shape the watch’s appearance. The interviews do not provide a full technical specification for each release, so the descriptions should not be read as a complete catalogue.

A small workshop and a preference for hand finishing

Lecomte told MONOCHROME that he designs, manufactures, decorates and assembles watches in a home workshop, without employees. Some finishing is subcontracted, a point he says he discloses to clients. HODINKEE likewise described occasional freelance help for particular tasks, including anglage—the carefully beveled and finished edges of components.

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“I only want to make watches that feature hand finishing – it is what gives the watch a soul,” he told HODINKEE in 2022. He named anglage as the finish he appreciates most. He also described valuing independence while remaining open to advice from collectors: “I like to work alone. I’m happy to receive advice from collectors, but I prefer independence.”

The combination of a solo workshop and selective outside assistance is more precise than calling the work entirely one-person. His account emphasizes personal responsibility for design and assembly while acknowledging that some specialized finishing can be entrusted to others.

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What the published production and prices tell us—and what they do not

HODINKEE reported in July 2022 that Lecomte’s capacity at the time was approximately 10 watches per year, given his teaching and family commitments. It also reported release prices of approximately €4,000 for Series 1 and €10,000 for Series 2. These are historical figures from that profile, not current production promises or present-day prices.

The figures provide a dated sense of the scale and positioning of the releases, but they do not establish current availability, resale value, service terms or a current price list. The interviews do not offer enough specifications to make a full model-by-model buying comparison.

How to inquire about a Lecomte watch

For readers asking how to acquire one, the available direct-contact guidance is historical. MONOCHROME’s May 2022 interview said Lecomte’s website was under construction and suggested contacting him through Instagram at that time. It does not establish whether that account remains an active sales channel or whether watches are currently available. Confirm any present ordering process and terms directly before making plans; an auction appearance is not evidence of ongoing direct sales.

The transmission of craft

Lecomte’s path links learning, teaching and making. He learned watchmaking from Thierry Ducret after joining a design-teaching role in Morteau; he then taught mechanical watchmaking to students, and the difficulty of conveying a manual craft remotely helped prompt him to make complete watches himself. His independent work adds another form of transmission: not only passing technique to students, but making the construction of a watch visible through complications and open displays.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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