McGonigle Watches – high horology from Ireland

High horology from Ireland? Indeed. The brothers John and Stephen McGonigle make exceptional watches in small numbers, entirely by hand.

Both trained at the Irish Swiss Institute of Horology. John then worked for Audemars Piguet and, with Stephen, for Christophe Claret; Stephen also worked for Breguet and Franck Muller. The brothers went on to develop high complications as independents for some of the best-known Swiss names. In 2007 they joined forces to found their own brand, McGonigle Watches. John is a member of the AHCI.

The Tourbillon

Their first creation was the Tourbillon, presented to the AHCI at Baselworld. The tourbillon was invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet and remains one of the most demanding complications to execute, as well as one of the most popular.

The McGonigle design is very discreet. The tourbillon sits perfectly in its case, in gold or platinum, and the dial is built on two levels: German silver for the first, and sapphire crystal with machined hour indications for the second.

The movement is hand-wound with a power reserve of 110 hours. Its going train uses “wolf tooth” gearing, familiar from fine Swiss pocket watches of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A single set of hands takes two days to finish, which says a good deal about the work involved. Clients can personalise their watch, with different engraving, bespoke skeletonising or other movement colours.

Tuscar Bánú

The Tuscar Bánú was first shown at Basel in 2013 and is limited to 20 pieces in rose gold, 43 mm. Its large balance, 12.8 mm in diameter, is free-sprung with a Breguet overcoil. Two barrels connected in parallel give a power reserve of 90 hours. The watch is wound by hand with a gold crown (platinum on request), engraved with symbols from the ancient Celtic alphabet. All McGonigle watches carry Celtic symbols.

Tuscar – One in Ten

This variation shows how the Tuscar Bánú can be modified to have a fully open, skeletonised dial.