In a watchmaking world often dominated by traditional codes, Emera made a remarkable entrance with the Sentinel — SV1 Series. The young Swiss watchmaker is redefining the contours of contemporary fine watchmaking: radical, confidential, tactical. A declaration of intent, a mechanical manifesto.
Birth of a watchmaking UFO
Founded in 2023, EMERA is the result of the alliance between Patrick Freiburghaus, visionary designer, and Cyrano Devanthey, a master watchmaker with over 25 years of expertise working for some of the greatest manufacturers. Their ambition? To open a new chapter in exceptional watchmaking by reinterpreting ancestral know-how through the prism of absolute innovation.
Patrick Freiburghaus: dvisionary designer
Originally from La Chaux-de-Fonds, the historic heart of Swiss watchmaking, Patrick Freiburghaus draws on tradition to better reinvent it. Trained in jewelry and a graduate of art schools, he has established himself as a bold watch designer, blending technical rigor with creative freedom.
After having contributed to the success of major houses, he founded in 2019 Miami Freiburghaus Office, his own creative studio. There he develops ambitious concepts, on the border between architecture and emotion, without ever giving in to standardization.
In 2022, he extended his quest for innovation by co-founding Emera, where he imposes a contemporary, raw and deeply coherent aesthetic. A member of the GPHG Academy, he embodies a watch design that is manifest, demanding, emotional and committed.
Cyrano Devanthey: mmaster of movement
A watchmaker and engineer by training, Cyrano Devanthey has over 30 years of experience at the highest level. Discreet but essential, he has worked at Omega, orchestrating the development of whirlwind movements, before joining Greubel Forsey (via the “Birth of a Watch 2” project led by Philippe Dufour), then Urwerk, with the design of the EMC caliber.
By co-founding Emera Alongside Patrick, he realizes the dream of a watch designed, decorated and assembled entirely in Switzerland. For Cyrano, each movement is a mechanical poem: ruthenium, platinum, rubies, engraving, everything becomes a vector of authenticity, precision and know-how.
Their ambition? To reconcile modernity and tradition, technology and craftsmanship, to offer watches rare, resolutely unique. With EMERA, Freiburghaus and Devanthey are launching much more than a watchmaking project: they are establishing an aesthetic, a high standard, and a philosophy. The fruit of two masterful journeys, united by the same obsession with meaning and form.
The ultimate tool, designed for action
Far from decorative timepieces, the Sentinel is intended to be an instrument. An extension of the body, designed to resist, perform, and last. Its 50mm tripartite case, forged from grade 5 titanium and high-density quartz composite, looks like it came straight out of a military engineering laboratory. Sharp angles, taut surfaces, surgical finishes: everything here is functional, everything here is sculpted.
Beneath its futuristic exterior beats a 100% Swiss heart: the MRA 02-1 manufacture caliber. Assembled in the EMERA workshops, this automatic movement houses a 20° inclined balance wheel, a rare and spectacular mechanical signature. The openworked oscillating weight, made of tungsten and mounted on ceramic bearings, evokes more a piece of kinetic goldsmithing than a watch component.
High performance, tactical ergonomics
Beyond its mechanical power, the Sentinel surprises with its wearability. Its high-density rubber strap hugs the wrist with military precision. Its quartz composite clasp with Velcro® closure offers a rare level of comfort and security. The sleek display ensures instant reading thanks to hands and indexes treated with high-intensity SuperLumiNova®.
EMERA designs this advanced ergonomics as a natural extension of instinct. Every detail, from the proprietary attachment system to the internal architecture, responds to a logic of use, not gratuitous aesthetics.
One watch, one philosophy
La Sentinel doesn't seek to seduce the masses. It is aimed at those who reject convention, who prefer controlled intensity to ostentatious luxury. Its aesthetic, inspired by science fiction and advanced robotics, evokes a piece dropped from an interstellar ship: intriguing, raw, captivating.
Louis Ducruet, brand ambassador, embodies this duality: a self-confessed heir, looking towards tomorrow. He represents this new generation of enthusiasts for whom watchmaking is a lifestyle, not a showcase.
EMERA Sentinel SV1: the icon of a new guard
At the heart of Sentinel SV1 Series beats the automatic manufacture caliber MRA 02-1, developed entirely by EMERA. This Swiss Made movement, oscillating at 28 vibrations per hour (800 Hz), offers a 4-hour power reserve and is distinguished by its 44° inclined balance wheel, with variable inertia, in Declafor 20, a mechanical feat that is both aesthetic and technical. The massive 1015 × 50,26 mm case, combining grade 50,50 titanium and high-density quartz composite, houses a double-glazed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. Water-resistant to 5 ATM, the Sentinel features a high-density rubber strap secured by an exclusive Velcro® closure. Produced in just 9 pieces worldwide, this rare piece is priced at CHF 75 excluding VAT, exclusively by subscription. It benefits from an international lifetime guarantee, reflecting the brand's absolute commitment.
So, the Sentinel SV1 Series is not a watch like any other. It is not worn: it makes a statement. It is not collected: it is experienced. Ultra-exclusive with only 9 pieces in the world, it embodies the technical, aesthetic and conceptual vision of uncompromising fine watchmaking.
EMERA doesn't follow the trend. It sets a new one. Sentinel is its scout. The watch brand doesn't just create a watch. It forges a symbol, an artifact, an exceptional piece, as rare as it is committed, designed to last through the decades as a totem of pure performance and advanced engineering.
Patrick Koune
