Independent watchmaker Voutilainen's journey to a masterpiece watch 1

Hirota: The first thing I wanted to ask you was why you decided to become a watchmaker in the first place. It might be unusual in Switzerland, but it's rare to become a watchmaker in Finland, isn't it?

Voutilainen: I've had a strong interest in mechanics since I was a child. My father knew a watch technician, so his atelier was my playground and I grew up looking at machines and tools. From the age of about 10, I dreamed of working in the watch industry, which requires manual labor like that. After studying at a watchmaking school in Finland, I worked at a watch specialty store for a year, and in 1988 I enrolled in a watchmaking school called WOSTEP in Switzerland, the mecca of watches, to learn more about watches.

Hirota: What's interesting is that you became an independent watchmaker when you were around 40 years old. Were you not worried about your age?

Voutilainen: Of course, I was worried about funding and whether I would be able to continue after launching my own company. But I was confident that I could make it even as a subcontractor, and the timing was just right.

Hirota: Since going independent, you have created many outstanding watches. First of all, the Vingt-8. There are probably no other three-hand watches available today with such a well-finished movement. Why are you so particular about the finish?