FLORIAN BÉDAT

CO-FOUNDER & WATCHMAKER

PETERMANN BÉDAT

“I love reading this book I have on Jacques-Frédéric Houriet. For me, he was a watchmaker in the shadow of Breguet, and the story behind the two of them working on the tourbillon reminds me of the collaborative friendship I have with Gaël, even though the circumstances are different. During those times, it wasn’t precisely about competitiveness but about helping each other work out solutions.”

Florian Bédat’s journey in the horological world began at the Watchmaking School of Geneva, where he completed his apprenticeship from 2007 to 2011. He subsequently joined Harry Winston in Plan-Les-Ouates, working as a watchmaker until 2014. Seeking further growth, Florian moved to Germany to work at A. Lange & Söhne in Glashütte, where he honed his skills in fine watchmaking from 2014 to 2016.

In 2017, Florian and his friend and colleague Gaël Petermann opened a workshop in Renens, Switzerland. Initially, Florian worked independently, focusing on services and restoration projects for Christie’s. In 2018, Florian and Gaël co-founded the independent watch brand Petermann Bédat. Their first watch, the Reference 1967, featured the in-house Dead-Beat Second calibre 171 and won the Horological Revelation Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2020. This success was followed by the release of the Reference 2941 Split-Seconds Chronograph in 2023, which also received critical acclaim and won the Chronograph Watch Prize at GPHG in the same year.

Florian’s commitment to traditional watchmaking techniques, combined with innovative design, has established Petermann Bédat as one of Switzerland’s most interesting artisanal independent watchmakers.

GPHG 2020
Horological Revelation Prize
Dead Beat Second

   

   

GPHG 2023
Chronograph Watch Prize
Chronographe Rattrapante

   

   

   

   

 

GPHG 2020
Horological Revelation Prize
Dead Beat Second

GPHG 2023
Chronograph Watch Prize
Chronographe Rattrapante