As its name suggests, the Soprana Time Only focuses on the essentials, bringing the independent watchmaker’s ethos into an elegant three-hander. Yet, as you might expect from this detail-obsessed craftsman, its apparent simplicity leaves nothing to chance. The vast majority of the components (with a few exceptions such as the case and its crystals) are manufactured in his atelier, the traditional way and predominantly by hand (…)

Perched on a small cliff overlooking a lake with snow-capped mountains in the distance and sitting right next door to a medieval castle, there is a sense that the Ateliers 7h38 sits at a distance from the ordinary world. Helmed by watchmaker Luca Soprana, this small but capable operation has hovered around some of the most intriguing pieces from watchmaking of the past 10 years, forming the invisible backbone for many names in the industry. (…)

Luca Soprana – the gifted artisan and his Atelier 7h38 are a veritable mechanical recluse that helped giving birth to a number of marvels – now they took on to continue Derek Pratt’s legacy

Italian-born Luca Soprana, a fourth-generation watchmaker, is one of those ‘known-unknown’ watchmakers at the very apex of their craft: for many of us, his name rings a bell (quite literally at times…), but then one does not really know where to put him.

From being a watchmaker in the Vicenza area to his experiences with Vianney Halter, Patek Philippe and Rolex; from his own atelier in Vaumarcus – in the canton of Neuchâtel – to the partnerships with big names, and even that manga about him created by Chronos Japan. The story, worthy of a film, of Luca Soprana – the 47 year-old from Valdagno, Economics and Business studies in Bologna, 3 languages spoken with ease (for the record: Italian, French, English) – appeals to us not only because it recounts the well-deserved success of one of the great contemporary watchmakers, but above all because it celebrates the distinctive traits of his character: irony, self-irony, empathy and rightly valued human relationships. Truly a rarity for the international watchmaking industry.

Derek Pratt is not always a name that springs to mind when discussing the pantheon of legendary independent watchmakers. In fact, he may not be a name familiar to most horological enthusiasts, overshadowed by contemporaries like George Daniels, Philippe Dufour, or F.P. Journe.

But for those who truly understand the mechanics of watchmaking, the name Pratt commands deep respect. His relentless pursuit of mechanical perfection, particularly his mastery of the remontoire d’égalité and escapement, remains etched into the soul of modern horology. However, unlike his peers, Pratt never produced a wristwatch under his own name before he passed away in 2009 (…)