Thin watches are a statement. They whisper instead of shout. They vanish beneath a cuff and reappear when you want them to. The Triomphe, at 8.8mm, is my most ambitious exploration of this idea.
The challenge of building thin is that every fraction of a millimetre matters. The movement selection dictates the case height. The crystal profile adds thickness. Even the crown design affects how the watch sits on the wrist.
For the Triomphe, I selected a Swiss hand-wound movement specifically for its low profile. Hand-wound movements are inherently thinner than automatics — they don't need the rotor mechanism that adds bulk. This choice wasn't just about dimensions. It was about ritual: the daily act of winding your watch, connecting with the mechanism.
The guilloché dial is the Triomphe's signature. Each edition features a different pattern — Carreau Tissé, sauté piqué, Vagues de Lumière — applied in layers to the dial surface. The patterns catch light differently depending on the angle, making the watch appear to change throughout the day.
With only twenty pieces per dial variation, each guilloché pattern is genuinely rare. When a dial sells out, that specific pattern doesn't return. The Triomphe becomes a rotating canvas: same case, same movement, but a different visual language each time.
At 8.8mm, the Triomphe disappears under a shirt cuff. At €1,500, it disappears the assumptions about what an independent watchmaker can achieve.
Kevin Pedral
Founder & Designer, Pedral Watches