I am very fond of Luděk. I count myself among those fortunate enough to follow the development of his work from relatively close range. But perhaps “career” isn’t the right word — what I really mean is that I’ve been incredibly lucky to continuously observe what takes shape under his hands. And that, quite simply, is extraordinary.
More than all the watchmaking complications in the world, I value the opportunity to watch one of my favorite watchmakers think through what he wants to create and how he will do it. Of course, he’s not the only one I keep an eye on — and that’s a good thing — because every visit to his atelier becomes all the more engaging and inevitably deepens my love for the craft.
I visited Luděk Seryn ahead of this year’s SEW (Salon Excetional Watches) fair to see prototypes of his new project. I didn’t manage to publish an article about the new Art Deco watches in time, but they’ve stayed on my mind ever since — so allow me to briefly introduce them now.
His journey has certainly not been easy; it has been filled with obstacles, both technical and human. What I admire most, however, is Luděk’s determination (or perhaps stubbornness?), thanks to which he always sees his projects through to a successful conclusion. Once he sets his mind on something, he follows it relentlessly — and that is a very good thing.
The same determination accompanied his path toward creating his first in-house movement in 2012. It was fittingly named LS2012 and became the heart of the Carabus model, whose name was inspired by the wrinkled texture of the ground beetle (Carabus in Latin), echoed in the patinated, grooved brass dial.
The architecture of the LS2012 movement now speaks through the Art Deco line, which I had the opportunity to photograph. A closer look at the first prototypes reveals substantial changes — not only in the transformation of bridges and baseplates from barrel-shaped to round, but above all in the decoration. Large surfaces are now sandblasted, while their edges feature polished bevels finished to a high gloss. A total of four bridges, including the one supporting the 2.5 Hz balance wheel, follow a strict geometric language.
“It all began with a single idea: to bring hand-crafted watchmaking closer to people who have followed my work for years but never had the opportunity to own my gold or platinum pieces,” Luděk Seryn explains. “Art Deco is the answer. Steel, my own mechanics, color… and still the soul of handcraft,” he adds.
The newly born Art Deco line opens a fresh chapter in the work of Luděk Seryn and Seryn Watches. This does not mean an end to complex creations such as Karel Rotation, Jitka Rotation, Adam Rotation, or the Ro-18 projects. Rather, it marks a new phase in which Luděk works in a small team — together with his wife Míchaela and their son Tobias.
He has also taken the bold step of working with steel, a significant shift after years of creating watches in gold and platinum. Thanks to this, the Art Deco watches become more accessible without losing their artisanal depth and character.
The new steel case, named Casablanka, measures 43 mm in diameter. That is on the larger side, and I can imagine it being slightly reduced in the future — perhaps to 39 or 40 mm. Still, larger diameters are certainly appreciated by Czech clients, and they allow the oversized numerals on the colorful dials — as well as the unique art deco skeletonized hands — to truly stand out.
Each piece is the result of hand craftsmanship and carries its own identity, emphasized by colored dials whose shade can be chosen by the customer, harmonized with carefully selected straps. A total of twenty pieces will be produced, priced at about 10 000 €.
