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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsOndřej Berkus is a self-taught independent watchmaker whose work joins unconventional complications and materials with an unusually candid account of what “handmade” means. He began in knife-making, taught himself watchmaking from George Daniels’ Watchmaking, and says that about 75 percent of his watches are handmade—not every component, and not every process.
Who is Ondřej Berkus?
Berkus is a Czech-born watchmaker who moved from making knives into horology in the early 2010s. In a November 2025 interview with Phillips, he described teaching himself by reading George Daniels’ Watchmaking, a foundational book on the craft.
His path is distinctive, but the result is not simply a story of a maker working in isolation. Berkus combines his own design and machining with sourced components, and his watches can involve highly technical mechanisms alongside unusual case and dial materials.
What makes his watches distinctive?
Berkus’s work includes complications such as remontoire mechanisms, dead-beat seconds and tourbillons, alongside materials including titanium, Damascus steel and Mokume-gane. The examples documented by Monochrome Watches in 2022 and Phillips in 2025 are individual creations, not a standardized range with uniform specifications.
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The Black Hole Tourbillon
Monochrome’s 2022 account describes a specific Black Hole Tourbillon with a 38 mm case made from silver and copper Mokume-gane. Its curved, blued meteorite dial forms a ring around the central tourbillon; a single hand completes one rotation every 12 hours. The watch also has an unusually engraved caseback. These features belong to that reported watch, rather than defining every Berkus piece.
A workshop of different mechanisms and styles
During its workshop visit, Monochrome described seeing watches with a remontoire, sonnerie au passage, chronograph, retrograde date, power reserve and central tourbillon. The writer also observed a preference for cushion-shaped cases under 40 mm among the pieces seen. That is an account of the workshop’s examples and the writer’s impression, not a universal specification for Berkus watches.
How does a self-taught watchmaker make a tourbillon?
“Every watch I make starts with a sketch,” Berkus told Phillips in 2025. That starting point leads to a mix of design, fabrication and assembly rather than an all-or-nothing claim that every part comes from one workshop.
Monochrome’s 2022 workshop report says Berkus ordered components including sapphire crystals, Incabloc shock absorbers, jewel bearings, gaskets and rough-machined cases. He then worked the cases on his lathe; the article says he made the remaining parts in his workshop. This account illustrates how sourcing selected components can coexist with substantial in-house machining and watchmaking.
In the later Phillips interview, Berkus estimated that approximately 75 percent of his watches are handmade. He explained that he retains existing gear trains to support longevity and serviceability, and pushed back against using “handmade” as an unqualified label. The percentage is his own approximate characterization, not an independent audit of his production.
How many watches does he make, and where?
Phillips reported in November 2025 that Berkus had relocated from Czechia to Italy. In that interview, he said he had recently made roughly 10 to 12 watches a year, while suggesting output could be lower after the move. These are dated interview statements, not a guarantee of his current location or annual production.
He also described the working relationship as demanding imagination and trust: “Working with me requires a ton of imagination and trust.” That remark fits the nature of the documented work: unusual complications and material choices, with examples that are individual creations rather than interchangeable models from a conventional catalogue.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you buy an Ondřej Berkus watch?
Published auction coverage provides a historical point of reference, not a current price list. Phillips reported that a circa-2023 titanium Remontoire Dead Beat Seconds realized CHF 69,850 at its Geneva auction in November 2025. That is one auction result; it should not be read as a typical value, a current asking price or a valuation for another Berkus watch.
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Phillips also discussed a Minion 2 Tourbillon in the context of its December 2025 New York auction. Neither auction account establishes whether Berkus is currently accepting commissions, what a new watch costs, how long a wait might be, or what service arrangements are available. For a specific watch, the relevant details are its complication, materials, customization, provenance and condition, as well as whether it is being offered directly or resold.
Further reading
Berkus says he learned from George Daniels’ Watchmaking. It is a useful starting point for readers interested in traditional watchmaking, but reading the book is not a substitute for the years of design and hands-on work behind Berkus’s watches.
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